Speed, Privacy, Exclusivity, And Convenience

In The Premonition, author Michael Lewis describes how a mixed group of experts would participate in weekly (and sometimes daily) email exchanges/zoom calls to discuss the spread of Coronavirus and the response to it.

Over time, the group became the best source of up-to-date knowledge and expertise in pandemic planning and response.

Consider the four factors that made this work:

1. Speed. The group was created quickly to respond to an urgent need.
2. ​​Privacy. Even members didn’t know who else was there.
3. Exclusivity. There was no promotion of the group. Existing members simply invited others they felt should join.
4. Convenience. The creators used Zoom and email (tools that were most convenient for members to use).

These four factors make it easy for experts in any field to jump in and participate at scheduled times each week.

It’s sad these kinds of groups, the ones which deliver the most value, are precisely those most organisations would struggle to create.

Most organisations can’t move fast enough, select convenient tools, or keep it exclusive (often because they’re measured by engagement).

Perhaps one solution is to do this within a community. You might not be able to do the above for the community as a whole, but once you have a community up and running there’s nothing stopping you from providing all of the above to members within the community.