I work most mornings from a café just down the road. Most of our clients have met me there at least once.
I can predict, with some accuracy, the order that people will come in to the café, what coffee they will buy, where they will sit, and what they will do (talk with friends, use a laptop, read a newspaper/magazine, work etc…).
The café is next to a preschool. Before it opens, plenty of mums bring their children into the cafe. I can match every child to every parent. Sometimes I’m asked to watch a child for a moment while the parent uses the bathroom, buys a coffee, pays for parking.
It’s a mini-community at best, but it’s once we all appreciate. I don’t have to drag my laptop with me when I use the bathroom. I know people are watching it (this isn't a cue to steal my laptop!)
People like familiarity and routines in their communities. It creates the environment for regular interactions and mutual trust/understanding to develop. Your members like to know what to expect next. They want to recognize the names of most participants in the community. You can disrupt this sometimes, but I wouldn’t aim for permanent disruption.
This is why a good calendar helps. You initiate the same categories of discussions, publish the same categories of content, and schedule the same activities every week.
In another social group, it might sound boring. For communities, it's helpful.
Such comforting routine, with its known expectations, and your experience in the cafe, very much reminded me of Ray Oldenburg's "The Great Good Place".
For interested in communities, I would recommend it. I think some of it doesn't ring true for me, but much can be gained from it. For those who haven't read it, the wikipedia article does a nice summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
Posted by: John Norris | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 05:08