The monetisation of our communities is a topic that has been weighing on my mind. Do I know the answers? Of course not, I am not sure anyone does, or that there is one answer. This is something that people will have different feelings about. What I want to do is express myself in a manner that allows me to process my thoughts around this subject, and hopefully prompts further discussion and exploration from others.
The starting place is for me, and in turn you, to work out a few things. And for me that starts by asking questions of my self. What am I looking for in a community? What do I want from a community? What needs does a community meet for me that I am unable to meet without a community? Do I have a want or a need to add value to a community? What does that look like, if I do?
They are open questions that take a little soul searching to answer. You should not be answering this from someone else's perspective, you won't get the answers you need unless you look at this from your perspective. An advantage of asking yourself difficult questions regarding community, is that it can help you ask other difficult questions about the things you want to spend your time doing.
Something else I believe everyone should ask of themselves, what do you mean by your community? Do you mean the community you partake in? The community you lead, or the community you take a leadership role in? The people who buy your products or services? I've always been keen to refer to any community I am in, as our community. I don't own it, a community shouldn't serve the needs or wants of one individual, not in my opinion. It should serve to better all the people within it.
The world seems to have made a conscious effort to monetize community. I understand this to a point. It costs money to run things, including communities. One of the key reasons that I think humans need community is to be part of some thing bigger than ourselves. To contribute to a bigger picture. To do that, I think people need to feel valued and wanted.
A lot of religions were able to supply both aspects of this for a long time, and some still do a very good job of it. There are some key reasons for this, and I don't believe fear is one of those reasons for almost all people with faith in a God, or in multiple Gods. It's the want to be part of something bigger. And it's not necessarily God that helps these individuals, but those feelings of being wanted, valued and being able to contribute to a bigger picture.
Traditionally religions achieve the bigger picture aspect by offering community gatherings. The opportunity to congregate weekly with your peers. To celebrate successes together, to commiserate and mourn together, to work together on projects and initiatives for the community you live in. To help and support your peers, emotionally and with physical tasks.
Now we all know some religions have amassed a huge amount of wealth, and that a lot of religions encourage donations to help operational costs. And they are not alone. From membership fees for workers unions to an annual fee for your local sports club, or gym (gyms can be a community if we want them to be, but they are definitely a business first). It costs money for premises to host events, for organisation of membership and whole host of other things.
Does that make it right? I suppose the answer to that lies within where we individually find value. Do we always attribute value financially? Or do we find value in other things? Does the monetisation align with the community's declared values? I can only answer for me and I am not overtly driven by money. I am lucky to be in a position where I have a stable job that covers my living costs. I am aware of the need for money to live, but it's not money that makes me want to get out of bed everyday.
Essentially, I am not driven by money beyond the need to survive. I think I am driven by being able to serve. To do what I can to add value to others, from helping them achieve their dreams (I want to help the people I interact with be the version of themselves they say they want to be) to adding smiles to peoples days where I can, including me. I want to be part of communities that value that as more than a drive for profit.
So is monetising community good or bad? I think the answer is both, or it depends, or it starts off as good but turns bad. Humans are fallible, the best intentions often end up with outcomes that were not considered, and greed and power very often creep in. There are some things communities can do to attempt to mitigate this, good business practices, budgeting, having open ethics/values, and open and transparent accounts for their members.
I think humans have an inherent need for community. To be with like minded people, to enjoy the passion of people that think similarly and to be able to express that passion in a place where it is reciprocated. That feeling of being included, or supported, or helped, or maybe even just heard is a feeling that feels good. So much so that a lot of people chase it.
I jumped into a conversation with Chat GPT about why humans value community. It created a relatively long list with a reasonable amount of cross over. Things Chat GPT mentioned that I missed were collaboration and cooperation, I skirted round those, the same with cultural and social continuity. Everything else I touched upon, or went into in a little detail. I then asked for a summary from that list and I think it covers some key points.
"Humans value community for connection, support, shared purpose, and growth. These elements foster belonging and collaboration, creating strong, resilient communities." - Chat GPT on why humans value community.
One of the conclusions I have come to is that communities probably do need to be monetised, as much as I wished otherwise. This is because there is a limited amount of things any person or community can do without any financial resources. It doesn't matter how much anyone wishes otherwise. Things cost money, revenue needs to be driven and people really should be rewarded for their time.
Can you do it ethically? I hope so. It's still the big dream. To build a community enterprise that is ran for the community, by the community. Something to help creatives and entrepreneurs maximise their chances of success. To find help them find the products, services and tools they need in an accessible, affordable (where possible) and transparent manner.
I managed to stay mostly on topic for this issue, that rarely happens! This is only one tiny aspect of community. I didn't find the room to discuss community members wanting to be rewarded for partaking in a community. Or the difference between community, customers and users. Or even that communities are changing. Digital community is a big part of a lot of peoples life, for good or bad. Maybe next time. Maybe!
I still have some things to figure out, isn't it always the case. However, I accept it for what it is! Before that though, there is the Web3 Leaders Summit on 22nd August and then our 2024 FCancer event from 02nd-8th September. It would be great to see you at both of those events.
Todays issue is on Base, no charge other than the platform fee (0.000777ETH). Grab the picture (seen above), it's one of only 10 collectible copies.
I always appreciate your time, thank you. And if there's one thing I want you to take from today's issue. It's what do you expect and want from the communities you are in. How do you add value to those communities, what should it cost and what should your reward be? If any.
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