Some of these questions people could just type into Google. But the answers are more meaningful when they come from a trusted circle. And many inquiries aren’t about information: they are about sharing resources. When there is underlying trust, people become willing to offer up information that’s valuable, relational and risky: for example introductions to people in their network or honest reflections on a challenge.

Fabian Pfortmüller • Communities = human search engines?

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I sometimes think about communities as human search engines. Groups with trusted relationships and a healthy sense of belonging are a great way for people to answer questions in their lives. And in fact, that’s what many people use communities for. We regularly work with communities of change-makers and most activities in the online forums are sear... See more

Fabian Pfortmüller • Communities = human search engines?

In real community, members help one another become who they want to be. This can include sharing information, skills, hard-won lessons, and, very often, attentive friendship. When a brand can offer this to members (customers, users, staff, colleagues, volunteers), then something much richer and more rewarding can develop.

Charles Vogl • Building Brand Communities: How Organizations Succeed by Creating Belonging

In fact, researchers found that information exchange is the most popular reason for joining a community. The specialized, up-to-the-minute information and support from these collaborative platforms provide an edge over those still relying on conventional one-way information sources. Tapping into collective curiosity almost becomes an unfair advanta

Anne-Laure Le Cunff • Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World

Communities = human search engines?

Fabian Pfortmüller medium.com