Resist the urge to tackle a big goal when you launch a community.
Big goals take time, they're hard to achieve, and you're likely to lose your members before you get there.
If you want a community that can achieve big goals, you need to have a thriving community. To have a thriving community, you need momentum.
In the early stages (or in a revival phase) a community needs momentum. Small victories are essential for momentum. There are plenty of ways to build momentum. The process is fairly simple:
1) Identify a small goal the community can achieve within 1 – 2 weeks. e.g. producing a recommended equipment document.
2) Invite several people, by name, to participate in this goal.
3) Write about progress towards the goal. 'we have recommended equipment for x, y, and z, now we just need it for … and ….!'
4) Achieve the goal (publish the document)
5) Write about the success in achieving the goal and give credit, by name, to the people that participate.
These small victories may sound frivolous, and initially they might be. However, the goal isn't for you, it's to bond a group of people together, create a stronger group identity, document success, and build the processes through which people can collaborate.
