To create something that others want to join and support, we have to remember a core tenet: communities function best and are most durable when they’re helping members to be more successful in some way in a connected and dynamic world.

In order to build a community, you need a couple of things. First, you need a loose connection of people who are actively looking for a home. It’s useful to understand who that community is, where that community hangs out, what’s currently missing, and what they are looking to get through community membership.

Features of a sustainable community: First, there’s a clear group identity with understood boundaries and purpose. Members know who is in or out and why they’re together. Second, benefits and costs are proportional. Members have a system that rewards contribution. Getting more benefits than others must be earned, or the group will collapse. Third,