Posted on by Frank - Follow me on Twitter

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Are you trying to hit a home run before you even step up to bat?  This seems like a common behavior and teaching among those in our social media space when it comes to community building.  You hear it all the time, “build your community!”  What ever happened to – get to know those people in your community. Like building a friendship for example I believe should be a major focal point of community building.

I don’t know about you, but trying to go big and build a huge community right from the bat can cause you to run before you can walk.  Think of it this way – having a small group of people who dig what you write about shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt.  I personally have a small tight knit community of people that consistently give me feedback and share their thoughts with me.

A Small Community Is My Best Decision?

So, how can building a small community be the best route to take  Well, I’m glad you asked!

First off, you have less to “manage.”  You’re not managing people, but rather you have less people to keep up with on a friendship level.  It’s always great to have more friends, but sometimes when you have too many you neglect those that really care.  Have you ever been in that position before?  I’m sure you have, we all have.

By focusing on a small community you give yourself the ability to constantly keep in touch with those individuals who interact with what you do.  I’ve been talking a lot about engagement lately because it’s a very important topic that many people, especially “internet celebrities” seem to have abandoned to a degree.  The larger your community becomes, the harder it can be to “run.”

Are You Crazy?  I Want The Number Of People In My Community To Grow!

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for your community to grow.  If you are yourself and make an attempt to take an interest in what others have to say then your community will grow naturally.  Not by buying people through advertising or bribing them with contests.  That bull crap has to stop.  It’s not authentic and I don’t think anyone likes being looked at as a “mark” for a goal you’re trying to reach.

Let’s be honest, there are some communities that take off and grow at exponential rates and then there are others that are small, but you can make both work to your liking.  It’s all depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. I like building friendships and being straight forward and blunt with people.  My readers have liked this approach and it shows from the comments I’ve received from past posts.  You need to do what works for your personality and not change that approach if your community becomes bigger than you expected.

It seems to be common among the big name “internet celebrities” who once preached engagement to fall short on what they taught because a large community almost becomes too much to handle.  At that point, they figure, “might as well make some money off them.”  Listen, they know what you’re doing, but if you want to do it in an ethical manner…continue to PAY ATTENTION while making a living.  That principal should never be forgotten.

Frank, why do you like your small tight knit community?

A small community is rich in quality conversations and people that you know by name when you see them share their thoughts with you.  What’s great is when you do see someone knew getting involved in your community, embrace it, but treat them with the same respect you do with everyone else.  This may sound corny, but if you’re community sky rockets and you forget about “Samantha” who was there from the beginning, but now you’ve become too big for yourself, you’re much more likely to see yourself suffer.  Your community can decrease and people will start to feel that you’ve changed.

I’m not talking out of my ass.  These are all observations I make on a daily basis and feel these are practices you should take into your own community building so that you don’t fall into the “big shot who lost his way” category. If you stay true, you can’t go wrong and your community will build because people will feel like they’re your friend, not another sale!

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