I spent a good number of years working in the self-development industry, among other things working with concepts such as *"work purpose."*
But this is not a post about that!
## *Tired and Bored With Myself?*
Instead, I want to explore that *"thing"* that almost seems to be woven into human nature: In *most* cases, we inevitably grow *tired and bored* with whatever we're doing... and — more often than not — it is exactly *that* which leads to the failure and demise of everything from businesses, to projects, to marriages, to friendships, to political movements, to web communities and more.
But let's go back to *"work purpose"* for a moment, because some concepts from there offer some useful terminology for further exploration.
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For ease of explanation, in the work I once did, we used to divide the way we feel about work *(and most other things)* into three categories: *True Calling, Craft and Drudgery.* *(Thanks to my friend Dr. Barrie Jaeger, PhD for the terminology)*
The terms are pretty self-explanatory, but it's a good idea to clarify a bit:
## *Classifying Activities...*
When we find our *"true calling"* in any context we're essentially doing *exactly what we're supposed to be doing,* and even though we may experience slack periods, we would likely not trade where we are and who we're with for *anything.* It just *feels right,* and we have unabated enthusiasm — even though we might occasionally get *tired* — no matter how long we keep at it.
*"Craft"* refers to the sorts of things we *"quite enjoy"* being a part of, and we're *"pretty good"* at, but we're also well aware that it's not a *"perfect fit,"* and we'd definitely change direction if something better came along. Whereas we may work *hard* at it, it's definitely not the be-all, end-all.
*"Drudgery,"* well... that's where most people sadly spend an *awful lot* of time; it's where we often are *"by necessity"* but we pretty much dislike what we're doing, most of the time... it offers little meaning and purpose, but *"at least it pays some of the bills"* and we generally stick with it on the reasoning that *"it's better than nothing."* We spend a *lot* of time dreaming and wishing we were elsewhere... but we feel stuck. Helpless, at times.
## *Most Things Are Rather Boring...*
Alas, most of humanity spends most of its time drifting back and forth between drudgery and craft. We often learn to perceive *"true callings"* as something we find as a matter of either *pure luck,* or we convince ourselves that people who claim to be in a *"true calling"* state are either lying, delusional or in denial.
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So what does that all have to do with anything?
Well, the further down the *"scale"* we fall — and it's a continuum — the shorter the time that tends to elapse before we reach the point of becoming *"tired and bored."*
In addition, if the *"effort expended"* vs. *"perceived reward"* relationship is out of balance dejection soon enough sets in. Think of the myriad low wage jobs people work at 60 hours a week, and yet they still don't have enough to afford even a modest living.
The reason I started writing this post was the realization that *even after 4 1/4 years in this community* I have not yet grown *Tired and Bored* of being part of this.
And that's a bit of a record, for me! Usually, I start losing my enthusiasm after a couple of years, *unless* I am enjoying absolutely *stellar* success... which I *rarely* do.
No, this is definitely not a *"Hive rah-rah post,"* I'm just examining what makes some things *"sticky"* and others not. Although Hive *is* a pretty cool concept, in many different ways!
## *The Challenges of Community Building*
So that rather long preamble brings us to the challenges inherent within the business of *community building,* something we are constantly working on, here in the Greater Hive Ecosystem.
There are all manners of things we create, invent, do and say... but one of the most important parts of creating thriving communities is the business of *"postponing"* *(perhaps indefinitely!)* the point at which community members grow *"tired and bored"* with the community, thereby starting it down the slippery slope to decay and death.
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I refer to that as *"stickiness."* How *sticky* is a community? It's one thing to get a lot of people to show up in the first place... but that ultimately doesn't amount to a hill of beans *unless* there's something present to make them want to come back, time after time, over and over.
So — going back to our work scale — our job becomes to determine how we can move towards the point of a community being *"the coolest thing EVER"* to a significant percentage of its members.
Now, we'll never be able to please *everyone;* what we're looking for is to reach the point of *"critical mass"* where the inflow of new *active* members exceeds the attrition rate of existing members.
One of the fundamentals of marketing is that it is *much* cheaper and easier to *maintain* an existing user and keep them happy than it is to gain a *new* user and *make* them happy. To extend that idea a bit further, our greatest *asset* is a base of happy users!
And yet? Most marketing programs tends to focus on *new* users, and preferably in very large numbers. But does that actually do anyone any good?
One argument would be that if you attract 10,000 new users a day and lose 9,900 you're winning!
## *Quality matters!*
I'm inclined to disagree with the *"large numbers"* angle, because it's an approach that misses one of the major elements of community building: *CONTINUITY.*
We don't stay part of communities because of their *raw size,* we stay with them because we feel a *sense of affiliation* and a certain *kinship* with other community members. And if the community's membership base is a constant *"revolving door"* those are impossible to accomplish.
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Some might argue that on Hive — along with its numerous sub-communities — we can be more *"mercenary"* and say that people are *"just here for the money."*
I call bullshit on that because there are *lots* of ways to make a few bucks, and unless something *materially draws us back* to a place, we tend to grow bored and leave. Hence fast food restaurant staff, hospitality and retail clerks have *incredibly fast turnover rates.*
There's a *huge* difference between wanting to be part of something for 3-6 months and then moving on, and coming back for years and years!
*"Familiar Faces"* matter!
They are certainly one of the main reasons I keep coming back here... I want to *keep up with* what certain people are doing. And I love the ever-changing variety of content and philosophies, as well as the truly *global* nature of what we are creating here.
There is no single easy formula for community building, but perhaps the most consistent thread that ties together the great communities I have kept coming back to is simple; Their focus tends to not be on *"attracting people"* but on *"KEEPING people happy in the long term."*
Whereas that can certainly take many different shapes, it's a good overriding philosophy to keep in mind!
Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your week!
***How about YOU? What do YOU think make a great community? What dies "stickiness" mean, to you? Do you see the value of RETENTION? Why do YOU think people stay in communities, long term? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!***
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Created at 20210820 01:10 PDT*
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