Community Traits and a Little Soul Searching

I’m often asked the question, “What makes a great community?” My reply back is usually, “What makes a great community for you?”. No, this isn’t my subtle way of dodging the question, but my subtle way of forcing the person asking into a bit of truthful introspection about who they are and what environments they flourish in.

To make this soul-searching as painless as possible, I’ve created this visual tool that illustrates the various character traits of a community and/or social network. As an added benefit, this might also help the person discover a little something about themselves.

Temperament

This trait delves into the nature of fulfilling a task and/or goal, both for the individual and the community. When you receive a task, do you live for the thrill of the fight (metaphorically speaking) or do you team up with others to create the best possible solution regardless of the winning position? Flipping to the other side of the coin, does the community portray itself as simply a large groups of competing individuals or as a single collaborative force?

At the core, the question that should be asked is whether this person and/or this community is focused on the win or on the team – competition vs collaboration.

Orientation

Do you prefer to concentrate on a particular task or work towards a broader goal? No, I’m not saying that the further-reaching goal is without its tasks. Quite the opposite. Research has shown that the crowd needs focused tasks be more productive and successful. What I’m referring to here is an individual task(s) vs tasks that come together to achieve a broader goal.

For example, would you rather design a company logo (task) or identify the key design trends of the last 10 years (goal)? Both have tasks associated with them, but one is a component of a much broader goal.

Focus

Unlike orientation, which revolves around what’s being done (tasks and goals), focus refers to who’s doing it (skills and experience). Does the community have a similar talent or a broader base of expertise? And do you, as an individual member, prefer it one way or the other?

Bringing up the design example again, the member base may consist of mostly logo designers or be comprised of logo designers, web designers, copywriters, marketers, brand consultants, industry line experts, etc.

Personality

Out of all the traits, this one is probably the easiest to figure out about yourself and the hardest. Are you a reserved individual who would rather listen than talk? Do you have something to say but usually wait for the right moment to say it? Or are you outgoing, energetic and full of life? Do you grab the bull by the horns and…well, you know the rest. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Unfortunately, this is just one part of the equation.

It’s not only what kind of personality you are, but what personality you may want or need within a community. You might very well be a reserved person, but you’re also looking for a high-energy outlet to express yourself. Or you’re a seriously engaged person that wants a more reserved, calm discussion because you get emotionally involved in passionate debates.

As with all of these traits, it comes back to the same two insights – who you are and what type of environment you flourish in.

Epilogue

I’ve obviously defined these traits as the extreme ends of the spectrum. Most clients, members and/or communities will fall somewhere in between. Did I miss anything? Are there any other traits of a community that you think should be included? Add it to the comments and let’s discuss.

Oh, and feel free to develop this into a full-fledged, awesomely interactive, web 3.0 application. Just remember a little thing I like to call “rev share”.