Community Engagement

Principle 2: Break up the conversation based on how , not what

Now that I’ve told you not to over-complicate your community architecture by introducing too many different options, you’re probably wondering what to actually prioritize into your build. A good way to think about that is to think about breaking down your community into different spaces... See more

The big problem with the garden metaphor is that it treats the community members as a crop that just grows, like a natural resource. To quote Utah Phillips, “Have you seen what they do to valuable natural resources? Have you seen a strip mine? Have you seen a clear cut in the forest? Have you seen a polluted river? Don’t ever let them call you a... See more

A more sensible way to think about where conversations need to be broken up, that’s not topic, is format. In a physical space, the analogy might be—if half of my guests are drinking wine from expensive stemware and half of my guests are playing Twister, I might send the Twister players into another room so they don’t elbow-knock a glass of Chablis.... See more