The conversations that take place in a community should be very similar to those that take place in your day to day life.
What are your day to day discussions like? Do you ask a bunch of people for their feedback, or do you talk about general chatter? Do you pay special attention to discussions within a group brought together by a common interest?
You will probably notice most discussions begin like this:
- What do you have planned for this weekend?
- How was your weekend?
- Anyone planning on doing/watching/reading {activity/event} this weekend?
- What did you all think of …… ?
- I hated/likes/loved …. ?
- Do you think that …. ?
- Are you going to …. ?
- Did you see …. ?
Now, start the same discussions in your online community. Don’t go crazy. Let other people talk too. But, certainly, guide the community towards this tone and not a strictly formal community focused on a specific topic.