Five Examples of Community from our Community

Last Tuesday, we had our 2nd monthly meet-up to kick off the month discussing Community. It was really fun to have so many of you join and so many send regrets, but their intentions to be on the next one we do!

We kicked off with some quick first impressions of Make Room so far from everyone's different perspectives and it was great to hear so many unique ideas. It would be a true understatement to say that our meet-up attendees bring a certain amount of panache when it comes to growing media brands and Community.

A few of the top ideas that I am still thinking about:

1. Not everyone like the commenting feature as a way to foster conversation. What else might step into that void as a solution that would be right for our group?
2. Two reasons people don't comment: they like being anonymous or they fear being seen as dumb.
3. We're all here right now "for Andy" in some way/shape/form. What will be the reason people would join Make Room having no idea who Andy is?
4. Would doing some kind of "Roomie Of The Month" be a way for people to get to know others in this Community?

Then we dove into a discussion around the topic of the month, Community. Each of the Roomies on the call shared a Community that stood out to them and here were some of their answers:

• Mike in DC: When he and his wife moved to a new city, they found a super deep Community at their Crossfit gym. It didn't matter who you were, where you were from, or if you'd ever done a WAD (Workout Of The Day) before, you could belong if you just kept showing up.
• Brian in SF: In-person Communities have been the most connected he's felt even if they've ranged from being on a rock band's tour bus, in survivor groups for 9/11 first responders, Summit Series, or TED - they allowed for enough space to allow the alchemy of what might happen next to emerge.
• Sarah in LA: During the pandemic, she took an online negotiation class and got to know the other students so well they decided they wanted to stay in touch. So they built a website for the Community to participate in after the class was completed and each took turns contributing something to make it work.
• Greg in Milwaukee: He and his family used to live in a struggling African American neighborhood in the most segregated city in the country (Milwaukee). There was a certain house where everyone went for a weekly meal and shared what had happened that week, the good and bad.  The vulnerability built Community and they all worked together to make sure there was more good than bad the next week.
• Chris in NYC: This June will be the 24th annual "house conference" in Boston for a group that got to know each other originally playing D&D. Now 60+ people come, some of which are kids of the original attendees, for a weekend "to stop being yourself and just play." Title and station in life don't matter in this Community, just that you are a good teammate.

As we finished up the call, we settled on an analogy that might be our guiding light for Make Room - the Jazz Club. By paying to be a Roomie, you're paying to be in the room where it happened with the hope of a little social serendipity and that you'll enjoy a good show together.

As the current bandleader, I hear you loud and clear and will continue to bring my best to this stage. My goal is that this becomes much more than me and that we become an improv jazz band where different people take turns with the solo and take the beat on a walk up and down the register. There is nothing as incredible as seeing incredibly talented musicians with no sheet music rock out. That is my hope for this space and I hope you'll Make Room for that too.