In this episode, we’re hearing from Curious in Colorado. Our letter today deals with knowing whether jumping onto the community train is worthwhile by understanding the future of community building.

To better help Curious in Colorado, I invited Zach Hawtof – Co-Founder, Community Manager, and CEO at Tightknit – as my guest expert. He is someone who has extensive experience building community, and not only thinks a lot about where community building is headed, but is also building the future of community platforms on Slack himself with his company.

So, tune in for a bigger picture of where we are in time and space with building communities and what that means for your community, as well as to learn how to be more psychic.

In this episode:

(04:03)  The evolution of community building online over the years

(07:14) The communitea: Curious in Colorado’s letter

(08:21) Communities will endure, but can we say the same for digital ones?

(12:12) Build community where your people are  and meet them on their level

(13:47) The cheat code for engagement and the importance of making people feel safe

(19:18) Slack is not a community platform, but in reality, it actually is

(21:12) How to be more psychic, identify the gaps, and truly solve problems

(24:51) Follow the breadcrumb trail, build what you know, and get help along the way

(32:33) Ask good questions and truly listen to help your customers

(36:08) Sales and the fact that sometimes people are just not ready to be your customer yet

(39:34) The unique challenges in the community industry

(41:13) The future of the community space with AI in the picture

Resources Mentioned:

Join the Tightknit Community.

Catch up with the Dear Bri episode where I talk about Slack with Noelle Flowers, Where is the best place to build my community?

Check out the 2024 CMX Community Industry Trends Report Zach mentions (Page 17).

Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Zach Hawtof

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📹 Youtube

📱Linkedin

And before you go…

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

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