Choosing Between Community Concepts

Imagine you ask a group of 20 people to rate three possible community concepts.

The results come back as follows:

Option 1: 3 people love the idea, 14 people like the idea, 4 people hate the idea.

Option 2: 6 people love the idea, 3 people like the idea, 11 people hate the idea.

Option 3: 2 people love the idea, 18 people like the idea, no-one hates the idea.

Which idea should you pick? Option 2.

The only people that will participate (especially at first) are those that love the idea. Don’t worry if people like or hate the idea. Neither group will participate anyway. The competition for attention is too ferocious.

To get a community started you’re only tracking how many people love the idea. And the most lovable ideas are usually the most radical to a small group. These ideas challenge the status quo. Anyone that benefits from the status quo is going to dislike the idea.

So don’t worry about the likers or the haters. Only count how many people truly love the idea. How many people rate it 5 out of 5? Go with that idea.