Shannon Byrne lists the highlights of the recent presentation by Dr. David McMillan, who has been working on theories of community for more than 30 years.
To build a successful social community, you need to bring something of value (connections, resources, etc). If you don’t, you won’t be there long. If the community doesn’t offer value, it won’t last. Communities need to have something you want, and they need to want you. Dr. McMillan made sure to note that a community won’t have value if its members don’t have differences. We’re creating value when we’re the sum of all of our parts.
For an emotional connection, something has to happen to form a common bond. Members must share time (a dramatic event must occur), and that time must be high-quality. A very powerful exchange happens when people form a common bond around something – an interest, an event experienced togetehr, etc. The more quality time spent among a community, the stronger the emotional connections are going to be built.
