It’s a no brainer and perhaps implied, but since your making a definition, I find it worth mentioning. (Plus, you’re so good at it that it’s probably like air to you.)

Cheers!
-Dave

And the first part is the evolution of the community (not the ‘building’ of it)

Great ideas! I’ll be putting these ideas together soon.

The word “following” seems to be central to that definition. But a successful community also permits a “leading” within its structure. Leadership and fellowship aren’t only interdependent, they can be bi-directional.

Smart leaders know when to follow and smart businesses know when to take their customers’ lead and then return their leadership with unexpected brilliance.

So I would say that a successful online community provides the kind of dynamic, flexible interactivity where a business’ following is encouraged and able to lead part of the way. A business community aught to facilitate the flow of relevant information that enables an organization’s flexibility to refine its plans, improve performance and accelerate the hard decisions (such as when to launch a new project or quit an old one).

And since we’re talking about a living, breathing, dynamic system it cannot be “built”. Think of an analogy from biology: living systems are never constructed from the hands of a carpenter. They grow from within, from tiny bits of information that connect, interact and re-network over and over and over in a nutrient-rich culture.

So: a community starts as a tiny kernel of an idea, gains mutual traction, consumes what is traded and grows (or dies).

So maybe rather than “How to build an online community”, figuring out the key nutrients involved in “how to grow” that community might be even more workable.

I wonder if there’s more marketing wisdom to be gained from observing a colony of ants than attending Wharton.

Hope my ramble helps a bit.

I like your use of “empowering” here: “Online community building is a process of encouraging and empowering online networks of people around a core theme on a website, blog or mobile platform.”

Because community management is such a misnomer - you’re right - if it’s done correctly it really is providing the community with guidance to build community around themselves. As some have said - it’s like ‘herding cats’!

Hi Andy,
I wasn’t the first person in my role. The person that started it was in ESD & marketing. Back in 2006 he was intrigued by Andy Sernowitz’s work and WOM. So when he had time he was exploring where the communities were at. Then he found me using the company’s product in a totally new way & the rest is history as they say. (It really is a whole post).
When I became the Community Manager the position was expanded & the ESD responsibilities shifted to allow me to focus on growing the role. And how I got ‘buy-in’ (support) from the other departments is also another post. More coming on those topics.

Thanks so much for giving me ideas for future topics!

Does anyone else have ideas for the definition for community building?

I’m a relative newcomer to the field but let me give it a shot. You definition, to me, focuses too much on the product side of it (the thing being built around) rather than the people (the people coming together) - and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

So, I’d tweak your definition a little:

“Online community building is a process of encouraging and empowering online networks of people around a core theme on a website, blog or mobile platform.”

I don’t like the word “theme”, but finding a word which covers all the possible tangible, intangible, and outright bizzare things which bring people together in the first place isn’t a skill I can lay claim to

I think a definition like this may bring the defniniton of Community Manager out of the business world and include hobby sites or personal interest sites a bit better.

Anyhoo, that’s all I have for now, figured I might as well move from the world of “spectator” to “critic”

Justin