“You make a stand with your brand, when you put your stake in the space and build out your tribe and community”
Building tribes and communities is really as old as man himself. People have gathered together for camaraderie, commonality and shared lifestyle for as long as history documents.
Fitting our lifestyle best
From tribes living in the most remote geography to the most populated urban cities people will find each other because they need to. We all settle on living in areas where we have access to people and community that fits our lifestyle the best, be it education, culture, faith or entertainment.
By definition and referenced on Wikipedia: A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states. Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship.
The etymology of the word goes back to 242–240 BC, when the Tribal Assembly in the Roman Republic was organized in 35 Tribes (four “Urban Tribes” and 31 “Rural Tribes”). In the historical sense, “tribe,” “race” and “clan” can be used interchangeably.
Formation happened in person
So historically, the formation of tribes, races and clans has happened in person, but now has taken up residence and real estate online and virtually. This is so amazing really. It has opened up a much bigger opportunity to meet people that we could have never met in a lifetime due to simple geography.
In Marketing Expert Seth Godin’s 2008 book Tribes, a USA Today review says: “Godin defines a tribe as a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea that inspires their passion.” He argues that human beings have a need to belong, “to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we can’t resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new,” he writes.
How do we build our 21st century tribes and communities? It takes perseverance and passion and happens organically if we are in doing certain things consistently. We live, work and play in two worlds now: online and in-person and we give, share, connect, engage, interact, and join in them.
- Make a stand by putting your personal stake in the space, participate and share your voice. Go out and meet people in person and online through social media platforms: Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Get involved with them to engage people and invite them to engage with you.
- Always speak your truth, share your wisdom and your human capital freely and consistently. Write, blog, link and share resources that help others.
- Tell your human story because it’s universal. What are the lessons from your real life experiences? Share them because others will relate and identify.
- Add value to peoples lives daily by being positive, hopeful and always look for the silver lining because it’s there. One act of random kindness daily goes a long way for both of you.
- Be a catalyst and connector and introduce and network people in your spheres. Join a book club, bicycle club, foodie meet up, travel blog, business newsletter, or start one today!
Isolation and hiding behind technology
It’s easy to isolate in cyber space and hide behind the technology. Not everyone is comfortable networking in person with people they don’t know yet. The benefits and rewards though of getting out there and meeting people in person and using the web platforms as a bridge to making tangible connections is essential for business success. It’s really fun, fascinating and can yield some amazing alliances. Try it!
Here’s to building tribes and communities today online and in person and the kinship, friendship, loyalty, fun and sense of belonging they offer us all.
“Meet Up” and see you at the virtual campfire!
Author:
Deborah Shane is an author, entrepreneur, radio host and expert. She is the heart and soul of her business education and professional development company, Train with Shane and is in her third year of hosting a weekly business radio show on blogtalkradio.com. She writes for several national business, career and marketing blogs, and websites including smallbiztrends.com, careerealism.com, Internationalbusinesstimes.com, Smartbrief.com and blogher.com Her new book Career Transition-make the shift-the 5 steps to successful career reinvention is available now on amazon.com. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogtalkradio @Deborah Shane, or visit www.deborahshane.com.
