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Have Cool Traditions, Inside Jokes, and Shared Experiences

Have Cool Traditions, Inside Jokes, and Shared Experiences

by

by
Rosemary O’Neill

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Traditions, Inside Jokes, and Shared Experiences

If you’re trying to build a true community, you must incorporate this type of shared experience. It creates fodder for conversation, bonds people together, and acts as the glue that keeps members coming back for more.

Here are some ideas for creating shared moments in your community:

  • If a discussion starts to look like a “meme,” highlight it. Make t-shirts, write a blog post about it, create a Twitter hashtag.
  • Celebrate things. It could be birthdays, anniversaries, made-up holidays within your community…when people come together to celebrate something, they bond.
  • Practice some mild hazing. Welcome new members and make them feel included by having them accomplish some task or ritual.
  • Explain some of the traditions. It’s always good to have an “intro to our community” page where you spell out why every Friday is “post a picture of your desk” day.
  • Offer a shared “scrapbook” space where your members can post picture or videos.
  • Host offline meetups or video events. Seeing someone’s face definitely creates a shared experience.

Do you have any cool traditions in your community? How do you honor them?

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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