A Personal Conviction…
Before I discuss how to develop online communities through creating great twitter lists, I want to share with you why this is so important to me…
I am a true believer that the relationships and communities we are able to build and nurture have an incredible impact on our energy, actions, and influence (positive AND negative). The beauty is that we have the opportunity to choose and create these communities in every aspect of our lives (work, social, spiritual, play) and through many different mediums.
And at the end of the day, the value of the communities we build come down to the people who are a part of them.
It is those people who we surround ourselves with who will influence our emotions, energy, and decision making (as well as our ability to continue to grow and expand our communities).
Using Twitter Lists to Create Online Communities
Twitter, and social media in general, is a big space (that's an understatement BTW!)… With over a billion tweets a week, hundreds of millions of users, and hundreds and thousands of followers, how do we develop real relationships through real online communities?
I think one of the best answers is creating Twitter lists- which basically become curated conversations, which can be made up of both people you already know, and perhaps people you don't yet know but would love to have a conversation with!
***Note #1: If you are un-familiar with using Twitter lists here is a great article by Mashable on How to Use Twitter Lists
Over time, you are able to aggregate the community you have created online into specific lists, so that you can stay up to date with the conversations and engagements that are most important.
For example, I keep an updated list of all of the great personal connections I have made in the Vancouver area.
***Note #2: If you are in (or would like to connect with) the professional/business world in Vancouver I would highly recommend checking out my Local Connections List!
TEDxSFU: Turning Events into Curated Online Communities!
This is where it gets exciting!
I had the opportunity to attend TEDxSFU this past weekend. One of the first things I found interesting is that the audience had actually been curated and qualified to 100 from approximately 400 applicants. As I was watching and engaging in the #TEDxSFU twitter stream, I realized that this was a fantastic community that has already been developed with similar interests, passions, and motivations.
Later that night I decided to create a Twitter list with everyone who had engaged in the #TEDxSFU conversation that day. I now have a new TEDxSFU Online Community (Twitter list) of about 130 people who have all been qualified via their TEDxSFU application and participation in the Twitter stream!
This list is by no means exclusive to TEDxSFU attendees, and if you are interested in following the list and joining the conversation, PLEASE leave a comment and I will add you to the list!
The Opportunity
This opportunity of creating Online Communities via twitter lists with a specific event is quite powerful and can be applied to both individuals and businesses.
Anytime you attend an event where people are gathering around a particular subject of interest or passion there is an opportunity to build meaningful community and create valuable relationships. The problem typically tends to be that you don't meet everyone, or, you aren't able to stay in contact…
A Twitter list solves both of these issues.
The next event you attend, check to see what kind of conversations are taking place within the hashtag… If you like what you hear than there is an opportunity at your finger tips to engage new online communities that could be the beginning of great relationships and value to your or your organization!
Your Turn
What I would love to do in the comments section is hear about the great online communities you have been able to engage with through the twitter lists that you follow?
Do you create the majority of your lists or do you follow others?
I would greatly appreciate your feedback and thoughts!
