Do you remember the game 'Princess Maker' that was very popular in the mid-1990s? In this game, the player takes on the role of raising a young girl (daughter) into an adult. Depending on the player's choices and actions, the girl can grow in various directions.
It's also legendary that there hasn't been a next project more interesting than Princess Maker 3.
The interesting thing about Princess Maker is not simply 'clearing' the game, but the interaction with the girl and her growth. In order for the girl to grow up healthy and happy, constant attention and effort are required. You have to balance various activities such as studying, exercising, and resting, and sometimes make difficult choices. If you do not take good care of the girl, she can become unhappy or even rebellious. (At first, I made her work part-time 5 days a week to earn money and educate her...)
Why Most Companies Mistreat Their Communities
Let's leave the Princess Maker story aside for a moment and look at how many companies treat their communities. In my experience and observation, most companies tend to treat their communities as a means to achieve their goals.
The community will grow our customer base through social media and content marketing.
The community will leverage the collective intelligence of our customers to enhance the problem-solving capabilities of our services.
The community will accelerate our development by contributing to open source projects.
Etc... (Happiness circuit in full operation)
Of course, it is not wrong for a company to pursue profit. However, I have seen many cases where they do not think deeply about what the community participants can gain when creating a community. It is true that there is a lack of discussion about what value the company will provide to its members in its new community activities.
The community needs care
The community needs to be nurtured like the Princess Maker girl. You can't force the community to grow in the direction you want it to. Doing so will only make your efforts go down the drain.
This is true whether you create your own community or join an existing one. The company's goals mentioned above were to get something from the community, but there was not much talk about what they would give to the community first.
If you don't give sincerely to the community, people will quickly see through your intentions. Your interactions will seem perfunctory and selfish, and at best, it will be ineffective, but at worst, it will damage your reputation.
Especially when forming an early community, the sincerity of each member is more important than anything else. Rather than people with flashy specifications, we need people who have affection for the community and actively participate and communicate . This is because the culture and atmosphere they create will be a great asset to the community in the future.
Recently, I heard a story about Wonder Club run by PD @OAKPDNOW, and I think this part was really well applied. I could feel the power of a community where really good people work with sincerity without expecting anything from each other.
Otani once said in an interview that he thinks he gets rewarded for the passion and energy he puts into it. It was very impressive to hear him say that things like picking up trash, cleaning, and even how he treats people accumulate like mileage and come back to him in the form of luck. This is the same in the community.
Invest time and passion consistently in your community. Many companies want quick results, but the community doesn’t move on your schedule. It takes a long time for the community to grow and build trust with you.
Before you unilaterally demand something, think about what you can give to the community. Think from the perspective of the community participants. What value can they get from this community? Listen to their questions and provide opportunities to help them grow.
Be a true part of the community. Don't just show up for a specific purpose, but actually interact and talk to the members. Show that you are consistently involved in building strong relationships with people.
The growth of the community is unpredictable.
Just as our choices in Princess Maker affect the growth of the girl, but cannot be completely predicted, the growth of the community is the same. Each community has its own unique character, and over time, it evolves in its own way. (Of course, there are cases where you calculate all of this and show a guidebook... but that makes the fun of the game half-decreased. Unless you're doing a Pokédex...)
When you first start a community, you can lead it in the direction you want, but eventually as the community grows, there will come a point where it will be out of your control. But this is also a sign that the community has become independent. These activities fit well with the role of community managers. However, if you focus only on short-term, quantitative results, it can end up harming the health of the community.
At one time, after Notion became a huge success as a community, I often saw many people approaching the community as a means rather than its original role, and seeing it as not very good results or just spending money without any results. There are people around me who specialize in community building, and they also had a hard time because of that.
Efforts for the community should not be left to a few people. Only when the entire company participates with affection and interest in the community, can we create a partnership that grows together with the community.
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