Back in the early days of the social media frenzy you heard so much about "creating a brand" to sell yourself or your product. That drum beat has changed to the "build your community" chant. It has not escaped my notice that the majority of experts who extol the virtues of an on-line community are men. I think there is a very good reason for this: most women build community naturally and don't need a name for what we already do. We just call it something else: making connections or simply making friends.
Community is an incredibly hard thing to create and maintain. It is an ephemeral and constantly shifting set of personalities and priorities. At least that has been my experience. What might be true one month won't be what the community needs six months later. It's a very complex friendship that needs lots of attention.
For most people delving into this community building quicksand is not a possibility; most people have jobs, families and more important priorities than creating an on line community. But when the community falls silent a hole is left. Maybe it will be noticed, maybe it won't.
I have no answers as to the why people crave "community", especially one as specialized as ours, yet they do. I see this desire all the time when I post on Brickcentral and the comments often include a "thank you for being here" sentiment.
I hope this doesn't sound critical, because it isn't meant to be. In my own experience creating, nurturing this online community of LEGO photography enthusiasts has been an incredible experience that has enriched my life immensely. I plan on sticking with it, probably longer than I should, and on the way I will keep thumbing my nose at the "experts" who talk about community building as if it was something you can do in your spare time. You don't create friends and family in your spare time.
~ xxsjc
Do you converse with your followers wherever you post your photos?
Have you made any friends through social media?
Is creating friends and community an important aspect of your social media participation?
I seriously want to know what you think. I would love it if you could take the time to comment on the social media platform of your choice.
I love what you said, Shelly, and I would certainly feel your absence if you or Brickcentral were no longer on Instagram. I would probably also volunteer to keep it going, even though I have zero qualifications and a long history of flaking out. As far as the idea that "most women build community," this is something we've discussed a lot in my Sunday School class, because it also seems like women and girls sometimes build community in ways that exclude others. In fact, my co-teacher runs a "Girl Talk" class that focuses on building inclusive communities. So while men may be inattentive to the importance of community, women don't hold the keys to well-functioning communities either. It's a process no matter what.
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