7 Lessons From: Mindy Day
From Patreon to Discord
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Hello there! Please introduce yourself and what you do:
Hello! My name's Mindy, and I've been building communities for over a decade, both IRL and online, for a range of tech companies. I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Amber when we both worked at Discord in the Communities Marketing team, collaborating together to help more brands unlock the power of community, utilizing Discord. I try to balance time spent at work with plenty of fresh air, exercising, and refilling my creative energy with nerdy hobbies. Say hello: https://twitter.com/mindeedly https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindyday/
What was your first real experience of community online?
Playing Neopets online as a young teen is my earliest memory and experience of discovering the power of online communities. It was so exciting to be in a virtual space with others who enjoyed the same type of game as me. I could see the names of other pets and enjoyed references to similar hobbies, like Lord of the Rings. This naturally led me to spending far too much time on MSN Messenger, Myspace, and the rest is history :)
What virtual community do you currently enjoy the most and why?
This is the hardest question! I'm in a lot of private community professional communities and paid spaces via Patreon or Discord, but this is my current favorite public community :https://discord.com/invite/9uEbZcZzUU Liz Clayton Fuller is a Natural Science Illustrator, Fine Artist, and Educator living in Nashville Tennessee. She also streams her art online and has amazing bird webcams that are delightful.
What makes the best virtual communities stand out?
The passion of those who are members, their ability to be inclusive to new members, and their ability for the relationships to transcend what first gathered them together.
How do you grow a virtual community?
By having a clearly defined purpose of why your community should exist and the value members will get from it. Including your members as you grow in decision making and executing details.
How do you measure the success of virtual communities?
For me, this depends on what the purpose of the community is, but a safe proxy is the Community Driven Impact score. You ask "On a scale of 0 to 10, how has the community influenced/affected [x]" The "x" is whatever outcome matters most to you or your business.
What's one piece of advice you’d give to someone thinking about launching a virtual community?
Do it! Start with a clear vision and purpose but be willing to flex as you, your members, and community grow.
What article/ book/ essay/ podcast/ blog post/ video have you enjoyed on the topic of virtual communities?
https://www.buildingbrandcommunities.com/
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