My girlfriend is taking Architecture classes. Last week she went to a small group. It was intimate, she made some friends. This week it was a big group and nobody talked to each other.
You’ve probably noticed this before. When you’re in a small group, you talk to people. You have a stronger connection with them. When you’re in a big group, you don’t.
Now imagine when you’re in a small online community. People are more likely to talk to each other. Now imagine you’re in a huge online community. Nobody talks to each other.
This isn’t to say your community should be small. It’s to say your community needs to be a collection of smaller groups of people. You need to cultivate these groups within your community.