The Rushed Community

“If you’re in too much of a hurry to build a real network, you’re probably in too much of a hurry to get elected.” – Seth Godin

“What at any rate seems certain is that when Friendship bears fruit which the community can use it has to do so accidentally, as a by-product.” – C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves).

The project I was last working on had me spearheading the growth, activity, and general happyness of the community that supported the project. If there was one thing that became very evident to me during that time it’s that you can’t rush the trust that creates friendship which leads to a loyal community. You can only encourage it and try to be a part of it. When you try to rush it, you try to force it. And when you try to force it, you’re not being real. Companies who really care won’t rush relationships, and the people you want will wait for the companies that care. In the end, the results from taking your time are awesome because they’re genuine.

Relationships between people take time. Relationships between companies and people will take even more.