Creating Communities
Communities are supportive networks of people that can be built around anything. You can tap into the power of community to meet new people, create relationships, collaborate on projects, raise awareness for a cause, improve your business, support your customers, and above all else, make a real impact on the lives of others.
Consider this session a fun kick-off into the world of community creation. We’ll start with some high-level theory, slowly descend into some examples of successful communities, and then gently touch down with practical resources for starting your own community initiatives.
To be clear: *this isn’t a business presentation*. This one’s for everybody! Podcasters and content creators? Build a community around your audience and fans. Running a small business? Build a community for your team and customers. Leading a nonprofit? Your supporters and the people you help. Campaigning for a cause? Donors and volunteers.
Heck, if you just want to meet people who have something in common — like living in the same neighbourhood or sharing a hobby — that works too!
TL;DR? Communities matter. It’s time to create yours.
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About the presenter: Andy McIlwain started dabbling in online communities through discussion boards and IRC in the late 90’s. These days he’s the Community Manager at GoDaddy Pro and an organizer of WordCamp Toronto, the Toronto WordPress meetup group, and webspaceTO.
Key Take Aways
- How do you define "community"?
- How can communities be used? (What's the value?)
- What have communities accomplished?
- How can you plan a community?
- Next Steps: Where do we go from here?
Culture Session
