Originally written as a guest post for #SRConf, now here for my archives.
I’ve heard previously that the idea of community very much underpins education (and therefore talent) since the dawn of human development. Interesting concept, plenty of historical evidence.
Sitting on the beach recently, feeding seagulls with my kids it prompted me to consider how we develop Talent Communities. We talk of seeding with content, of talent attraction, of using these mechanisms to identify the rarer candidate.
We debate the value of the community manager, the role such a person should play. A brief experiment made it simple to draw some very fundamental conclusions. First, a short video (no, not the beach… maybe next time!)
Some observations:
- Seeding (feeding) can have a pretty immediate impact (if the food is right!)
- Attraction continues via signals we’re not always aware of
- While the main contingent can probably be predicted, it’s the unusual arrival that may prove more interesting
- Interest dies away without continuing new food/content
- Finally – the unexpected can cause the very sudden disintegration of a community
Is there more to be found here? For me, some of these basic principles can provide guidance for us as we explore and evolve. Keeping it simple can indeed be effective!
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