Not Too Big, Too Small, Just Right: Creating A Focused Community:

People join communities seeking a sense of belonging. As community builders, it’s our goal for someone to walk into our community and say, “Wow, I cant believe this group exists! It’s perfect for me.” The key is ensuring your community is not too broad, not too narrow, but JUST right.

Here’s a trick you can use: The rule of three.

Let’s use one of the active communities I lead called New York Jews in Tech as an example.

The community has three layers to it. We’ve got New York, we’ve got Jews, and we’ve got tech.

Why? Well, here are plenty of people in the tech scene in New York, and there are plenty of Jews in New York - those groups are very large and very common. So common in fact, that a community made up of these huge groups probably won't excite someone. If I said, “I have a group of people in tech in New York,” you might say, “Cool, there are 100,000 of those.” And you’d be right. Usually the third and final piece is what narrows down the group enough to make it feel unique, enabling people to feel close to one another.

The same rule of three can be applied to a Facebook group I’m in called ‘NYC October Brides.’ There are plenty of people getting married in New York, and there are plenty of people getting married in October all over the world, but limiting the group to three factors: living in New York, being a future bride, and getting married in October means everyone in that group has a significant amount of common ground and that questions and comments can be targeted accordingly.

A couple of things that the rule of three enables:

1. Limited/ specific conversations - the NYC October Brides group, for example, is heavily focused on discussing reopening plans and how they pertain to weddings, the decision making process on whether to push back weddings, logistical aspects of handling changes with venues and caterers, etc. Lot’s of frantic brides. Great for other brides. Not so great for the rest of us.
2. Limited membership - to join the group, you have to fit the specific profile. A big group with random people is never as valuable as a small group with the exact people you want to meet.
3. In depth conversation. The more similar the group, the more specifics they can get into.

So, as you consider building your community, follow the rule of three, and consider those three unique defining characteristics that make your community yours.

And as always, I’m here to help if you’d like a thinking buddy. Feel free to sign up for my office hours here.