Community Matters.

TL;DR - Community isn’t just about meeting like minded people. It’s about surrounding yourself with those who want to see you succeed. After moving away from social media for a few months, I’ve delved back in, with this inaugural post.?

Back in my day....

Do you remember back in the day when a certain social network was a “community” and limited to 140 characters? When I joined in 2008, it was really great. I connected with folks in New York before being part of a delegation that travelled over from London. I was able to work out what food items local staff on the ground liked from the UK (and promptly purchased these items and sent them ahead to butter them up!).? Sam Michel was kind enough to foot the bill for that and the trip! (So many great times and only a few tantrums).

When I was making the move back to Ireland, I looked up people on the platform who I thought might have some influence and enjoyed tea and chats with so many who were only more than happy to help me transition back to Ireland. In fact, I managed to get my first gig via the platform (thanks to Karl Murray for having faith in me….and being desperate enough to hire me!).?

Then, in 2015 (for me anyway), I saw the underbelly of some of the platforms. It became a place that I didn’t recognise. One that was toxic verging on aggressive. There was no sense of community but more like a pile on.

So I left. I haven’t been back since.?

But I miss it. Well - the good parts.?

When setting up Connected Content , I vowed to make a return to the platforms. Ignore the haters. Forget about the nosy parkers lurking around your profile (yes, I see you) and most of all - embrace the community.?

Six months on…I am only starting to. Now I did take four months off to do some travelling and decompress (not everyone can afford to do that, so I know I’m lucky). But I really was reluctant to jump back into the whole “online community” thing. I listened to Jean Evans - Networking Architect tell me about the benefits but I think I was a little bit like a hermit crab. On day one of Connected Content I won three really great clients in the early days of launching and that was enough for me - a happy little Hermit Crab. But now, six months on, I’m looking to win more business.

So here I am.?

I might not be re-engaging with the platform formerly known as Twitter, but I’m here on LinkedIn and making the commitment to to update LinkedIn with more of my experiences as my company matures.?

But what is community?

In my opinion, it’s not just a place to meet like minded people. For me, it’s a community where those around you want to see you succeed. Where there are no limits to what we can achieve together and a true belief that, regardless of whether we are in similar businesses or not, there’s more than enough business for us all.

I really felt this when talking to John Hill and Claire Mason a few weeks ago. Both content writers know we may end up pitching for similar work in the future but both were so generous with their time and open with their knowledge and insights.?These two people in particular embody what REAL community is all about. Success might come down to many factors, but a growth mindset (in my opinion), is definitely a key tenet.?Something both have in spades.

Shaking off my hermit crab shell recently, I joined AwakenHub based on a tip from the amazing and superbly talented Mary Carty FRSA . As a founding member of Awaken Hub, Mary is biassed, but based on my brief stint as a member, I can assure you that if you are a female founder, AwakenHub is for you. It’s application based and there is a really fair price for annual membership once you are accepted. The membership is varied and that means I am sure to get different insights from different angles - with some great craic to be had while we’re at it!?

Community is not just a place to meet like minded people. For me, it’s a community where those around you want to see you succeed. Where there are no limits to what we can achieve together and a true belief that, regardless of whether we are in similar businesses or not, there’s more than enough business for us all.

Finally, I’ve also just run with an idea that cropped up in a LinkedIn comment recently. Thomas Pham thanks for the idea and I hope you don’t mind me grabbing it like a hot cinnamon swirl and running! (Seriously - try heating a cinnamon swirl in the microwave before eating…truly amazing).?But back to work related topics!

Thanks to a suggestion from Thomas, we now have a number of email marketing nerds who want to meet up virtually and nerd out on CAC, Open Rates, Abandon Cart strategies, lifecycles and all that fun stuff. I’m really excited to be part of a group like this. It’s especially meaningful as these individuals all want to see success. Not just for themselves but for each individual contributor. Now that’s community.?

So there you have it. My brief thoughts on community, wrapped up with some waffle about my experiences. Thanks for reading this far.?If you have any feedback, I’m all ears! I don’t pretend to know it all and I am most certainly learning every single day, so I’m all for feedback!?

Thanks for the photo Lukas Hartmann: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-tree-forest-880675/