Community Management is Common Sense
With some regularity, someone tells me that something I wrote here or something I said online or at an event, pertaining to online community, is common sense.
The funny thing about common sense is it’s only common if you have it. And many people don’t. Maybe they once did and then they forgot it. Reminders can be helpful.
Sometimes, when I speak at an event, someone will say that they didn’t get anything out of the talk, that it was too basic for them or it was common sense. It’s not a meaningful portion of the room, just one or two people.
If you find that is the case, then you were in the wrong room. If you already knew what I said, then I was not speaking to you. I was speaking to the people who need that information.
Running an online community is not common sense. It’s a skill and it takes time to develop that skill. If you’re lucky, though, maybe one day it will be common sense. For you.
