You won't understand the unabashed power of a community until you're part of one. - BraveNewTalent, Inc.
But what does it actually mean to be part of a community?
A couple of weeks back I was contacted by an agency that's organizing a blockchain conference in Berlin, Germany. They asked me if I was interested to talk about how to build a community on Steemit.
In the end they invited someone else to go on stage - none less than the former Vice President of Marketing Steemit, Inc Mitchell Loureiro @zurvanic. I guess they preferred having someone official with insights into the HQ speaking.
Obviously I would've loved to be the one, but I'm sure Mitchell will be doing great as well. Now even though I'm not going to go on stage in Berlin after all, the semi invitation made me think about my idea of community building on Steem.
Side note: Even an apparent disappointment can lead to something good in the end :-)
So here's my take on community building on Steem!
@surfermarly literally rubbing her hands with glee
What is a community?
We often tend to talk about concepts without knowing their real meaning from an etymological point of view.
I love to study words and their origin since it often helps me to understand their context.
The English-language word "community" derives from the Old French comuneté, which comes from the Latin communitas "community", "public spirit" (from Latin communis, "shared in common").
People join communities all over the world - whether online or offline - because they enjoy to interact with like-minded people. It's an important part of their own social identity, practice and role within the society they live in.
Social identity: Everybody wants to be somebody. And thinking about Steem we immediately realize what that means. Steem rewards attention - the more attention we receive, hence the more valuable our contribution to Steem in the eyes of the community, the higher the reward.
It's all about value creation in the end!
Mission Steem - The internet of value
Now one might say that creating value is a quite generic term.
Then I'd fully agree with you and even assert that this is a good thing.
We're all here on purpose. Nobody joins a community by accident, and nobody spends 25 hours per day (insider from Steemfest²) in a social network without a reason. Nobody gets emotional on virtual flag wars just because they don't have anything else to do.
Steem matters. It matters to us in many different ways.
What unites us is the common interest and that comes with many different shapes: growth, wealth, impact, attention, equality,... you name it!
The important part in 'common interest' is the word: common.
The degree of value we're able to contribute to the Steem network is measured in the positive impact on the community.
There are many ways to have a positive impact on others.
It's not all about developing a new Steem application what only few of us will ever be able to achieve in their lives.
Also you don't need to be a witness to be important.
Even asking a thought-provoking question can make a difference and keep the ball rolling, hence the Steem eco-system alive.
The social interaction is the true value of Steem.
Ask yourself what you'd like to experience in the network, and then do exactly that.
It's about give and take - and never losing track.
Building a community requires builders
As in real life so on the blockchain: there's always a couple of people who feel that they'd like to contribute a bit more than the average.
It's those people who then - naturally - grow into a leading role.
They have a general understanding of public spirit, common interest and shared values.
Community builders know how to connect people, build bridges, foster interaction and represent the group in the best interest of every individual.
Steem is built of community builders. There are uncountable sub communities already created on the Steem blockchain, led by characters, personalities, builders, believers, visionaries.
These people pull the strings of the network. Yet they wouldn't be here without their community members.
Everybody matters.
Now go out and ask yourself what you'd like to experience on Steem today - and then do exactly that.
Remember: Community means 'public spirit'.
Let's live it up!
Much love,
Marly -
PS: This blog post was created and submitted via eSteem Surfer 1.0.3 - my favorite Steem desktop client that was developed by the @esteemapp team. Give it a try following the instructions in this post and reading the update for the latest release here.
Quotes found on quotefancy.com and quotes.thefamouspeople.com