There is a lot of fear about scaring new people away. It’s bad right, if new people get scared away by the regulars?
I’m not so sure. Not always. I can’t recall any community, nor any group, desperate to be bigger than they were. No community ever asked me to find more members. Clients certainly did (and do) but not members.
The reason is simple, groups don’t want newcomers. They only want to be closer. More members don’t help – they’re more likely to weaken the group.
Before you break up any clique in your community, think carefully if that’s what the community really wants. If old-timers are scaring away newcomers, that might be a good sign.
This might not fit well with your business objectives, but tough. The community wants what it wants.
