Have you got crickets in your community? Perhaps your community culture needs a little boost!

Communities (online, member, volunteer, etc.) must have certain traits to thrive. By thrive, I mean being the go-to place for conversation, not just any conversation but meaningful conversation.

What are those traits? It differs from community to community, but most have some combination of trust, kindness, openness, generosity, and thoughtfulness. The combination of these traits is the community’s culture.

These traits don’t just happen automatically; they are woven into the community fabric by somebody. Somebody or a few somebodies set the stage, and the larger group adapts to the community culture.

When keynoting, I like to say, “Community culture is contagious.” Not in a bad way, like COVID is contagious, but in a good way, like how a smile is infectious. When someone new comes into the community, they’ll spend a little time on the sidelines looking for cues on how to behave.

Communities can throw off cues like light-hearted or serious, friendly or reserved, casual or polished. These are just a few examples, and there are hundreds of observable cues from community to community.

There’s an online community where the founder used lots of emoji. And so, just about every post from every member became punctuated by a sprinkling of strategically placed 🥰, 😉, or 🥹’s to augment each member’s intent. Not every community member used emojis in their messaging outside the community, but inside the community, nearly everyone did because they noticed the cues and adopted them.

Community pops up in all sorts of situations. They can be long-lasting, like a member community. Or you can create a “pop-up community” like at an event where that community vibe is present. Short or long, thriving communities have a great culture. Community culture, like organizational culture, is something over which we have some control.

Are you curious about how to create a great community culture? I’m working on a downloadable PDF/little eBook called “Step-by-Step: The Guide to Shaping Your Community's Culture.” Would you like to be notified when it is published? Let me know here: