According to a recent Washington Post article, for creators, the community is the new follower count. That's especially true in web3, which is all about community. Community-building involves creating a sense of belonging around shared values among a group of individuals. In web2 it's all about audience-building which is solely focused on increasing the size of a target group.
Web3 community-building involves forming a collective of like-minded individuals who are united by a shared interest or goal, like the ones you'll find in the DeSo community. Daily, we engage in meaningful conversations and provide support to one another. On the other hand, web2 audience building focuses on creating an audience for a specific purpose, such as marketing or generating revenue. This audience may or may not have any meaningful connection to each other, and their focus is typically on pushing products.
Benefits of Community-Building
Building a community involves creating a safe, supportive space where everyone can share their thoughts, questions, and experiences. This helps build trust, loyalty, and support for your brand. Additionally, having a community can help you quickly identify and resolve customer issues. This leads to improved customer satisfaction and retention. And the best part, is you get to meet some cool and amazing people.
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Engaging Your Community**
First, create content that will generate conversations and give people in your community an opportunity to share their thoughts. You can also use polls, surveys, and Q&As to solicit feedback and ideas from your community. You can send out newsletters, like this one you're reading, have private chats, and organize virtual or IRL events to keep your community engaged. Finally, listen, listen, listen and respond to all questions or comments.
1. Ask questions. Encourage your audience to give their opinion and provide feedback by asking questions in your content.
2. Create polls. Use polls to get your audience’s opinion on different topics or to learn more about them.
3. Use visuals. Use images and videos to make your content more engaging and visual.
4. Post stories. Share stories from your community or from yourself to create a connection.
5. Host contests or challenges. Both are great ways to provide a sense of community through shared experiences.
6. Host a mastermind. I recently attended the first Web3 Doers mastermind and it was hands down the best mastermind I've ever attended. Why? The host, Chris Koronowski had everyone jump into smaller Zoom breakout groups so we could connect on a more deeper, personal level. Genius! Be sure to follow Chris on LinkedIn.
Stop Drowning in Content, Swim with Deeper Connections
Community building requires more time and effort, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. Creatives are looking for safer spaces to just be themselves without being sold to. That's why an app like Discord has taken off in the web3 community. This app allows for deeper connections and stronger ties for creators that join.
In web2 there has been too much emphasis on content creation. Yes, it's important, but now we're drowning in it and not forming true connections. In the Web3 Doers mastermind and on DeSo, making true connections are the hallmark.
Why Connection Is Paramount
Improved Mental Health
One of the most important reasons why the connection is important in life is for improved mental health. The global pandemic underlies this fact. Connection to other people and the things in your life helps to reduce stress and anxiety, improves self-esteem, and leads to greater overall emotional well-being. Having a support system can provide a sense of safety and security. Connection also helps to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation and can provide a greater sense of purpose and meaning to life.
Enhanced Emotional Well-being
Once again, having a strong sense of connection with others can reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, and promote feelings of security and belonging. In addition to feeling supported, connected relationships can also help us to express our emotions freely and find safer outlets for our feelings. Not only that but connecting with others can also help us to develop our empathy and vulnerability, which leads to better understanding and connection with others.
Increased Productivity
When you're connected to other people, you can gain access to valuable resources, such as knowledge you would never have had. Remember, no one can Google what you know or what anyone else knows. It's only through connection and shared experiences that we're able to access the love that awaits us. Being connected to an engaging social network can provide motivation and support during difficult times, and it can also help you stay focused and productive and provide the level of accountability you need for success. This has been true in my case. After being bullied and harassed at my job, I found additional connections within the web3 DeSo community. This community helped me see the need to create a resource for other WOC who'd experienced something similar.
Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills
Connecting with others allows us to gain different perspectives on things and brainstorm solutions together. We can learn from the experiences of those around us, and in this way, we can become better problem-solvers. Even the very act of reading can help you see how people deal with problems and how they overcame them. Whenever I feel like giving up, I refer back to this one ancient account found in the Bible in the 18th chapter of Luke about a widow whose name is never given, but who keeps going to the judge in the city requesting justice day after day until finally he relents and gives her what she requests. That one passage alone helps me to see the need to never give up, from that story I feel a connection with her. So, connection helps us to understand how different people approach and solve problems, and this helps us to see how we can adopt that same attitude.
Connection is the key to happiness. Creatives with strong connections are among the happiest people on the planet. If you're a creator looking for a true connection on social media, do yourself a favor and check out Web3 Doers and the DeSo community.
Learn more about DeSo on deso.com