Nurturing Strong Communities for Professional and Personal Wellbeing

I just got off a call with the founder of a business community I’m part of. It was very insightful to hear how the “sausage is made.” I really enjoyed hearing about the future of the group and the transparency that was provided by the head of the group.

Communities Are More Necessary Now Than Ever

We live in a fast-paced, constantly interconnected world. Because of this it is more important than ever for individuals to find a sense of community.

Strong communities can provide support, encouragement, and opportunities for growth, benefiting members both professionally and personally.

As we navigate the craziness modern life, we find ourselves craving a sense of belonging and connectedness.

We humans are social creatures, and we need to feel that we are part of something larger than ourselves.

Developing strong communities can provide a sense of stability and foster a spirit of collaboration and mutual support. This can often lead to:

• Improved mental and emotional wellbeing

• Greater satisfaction in professional and personal lives

• The creation of lasting friendships and connections

Lots Of Different Communities For All Kinds Of People

There are lots of types of communities.

Here are a few types:

• Professional communities: These groups are typically centered on a shared industry or career path, and can offer valuable networking opportunities, skill development, and mentorship. I belong to Pavilion, which does exactly this. They provide a professional community to bounce ideas and thoughts off of as well as a way to continue my education through classes and webinars.

• Hobby and interest-based communities: Bonding with others through shared interests can be both fulfilling and enjoyable. These groups often provide a space for learning new skills, discussing ideas, and collaborating on projects. This is very much what the WordPress community provides to me. It is, in fact, a core part of my business, but the community around it is full of like minded, and often fabulously geeky people that I can relate with and become friends with.

• Neighborhood and local communities: Developing relationships with those in our immediate vicinity can lead to increased feelings of security and pride in our surroundings. Local communities can also provide opportunities for civic engagement and social activism. I’m actively working with a startup who’s goal is to help facilitate social activism and civic engagement. So these types of communities are great.

• Online communities: Thanks to advancements in technology, we can now connect with individuals from all over the world who share common interests or goals. Online communities can offer a sense of belonging and support, as well as access to resources and connections that may not be available in our physical location. Places like Indy Hall, which is both a co-working location in Philadelphia and an online community was, and still is, a very important part of my mental health. Indy Hall helped me get through the Covid-19 pandemic being an extrovert.

Creating and Nurturing Strong Communities

Building a strong community requires intentional effort and willingness to foster connections with those around us.

Here are some ways to create and maintain vibrant communities:

• Being proactive in engaging with others and extending invitations for conversations and activities

• Regularly attending and actively participating in community meetings, events, or online discussions

• Listening to and respecting the diverse perspectives, ideas, and experiences of community members

• Collaborating on projects or initiatives that benefit the collective group

• Providing encouragement and support to fellow members during times of need, and celebrating their achievements

Strong communities are essential for our professional and personal wellbeing. They provide an invaluable sense of belonging, opportunities for growth and collaboration, and emotional support to help us navigate the challenges of modern life. By being intentional in our efforts to create and maintain these connections, we can cultivate strong communities that enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.

Web Jawn

• Spotify may use AI to make host-read podcast ads that sound like real people
  If done right this could be really neat. If not, then really freaking creepy.

• ChatGPT has ideas to solve Philly’s biggest social challenges. Are they useful?
  As afraid of AI as we are, there are definitely some positives coming from the space. I think we just need to be cautious and watch with amazement.

• Google Bard adds genuine citations in responses and more concise summaries
  Bard, finally is giving citations for the facts it gives out. Why the heck did it take so freaking long to do that? I know, I know, technology takes time. But does it really?! It also looks like Bard is being more concise in their summaries, which is helpful.

• The future of SEO and why it’s not dying
  A good take on why SEO isn’t dying and how AI is just another flavor that we need to learn to use. The author says to keep doing with on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.

• Generative AI Still Requires Content Strategy
  Mike King of iPullRank makes a very important point. You shouldn’t just throw out AI content into the world without a strategy and right now that’s something humans need to do.

• How remote work is changing American culture
  Clearly remote work is here to stay. Mike Elgan wrote an interesting piece over at ComputerWorld.com about how remote work is changing how American business works. I’ve seen the shift to remote happening more and more even post-“full-on”-pandemic. I was at a business lunch last week and everyone at the table was remote. Most were working for companies and weren’t entrepreneurs.

• How to compensate eroded traffic in e-commerce
  The title says it all. The article is in-depth and worthy of a read. I will say one thing, Kevin is a beast when it comes to dissecting issues in specific verticals.

• The Ultimate Low-Hanging Fruit SEO Strategy
  Aleyda Solis is one of the brightest SEOs out there today. This Whiteboard Friday (a feature that Moz.com puts out every Friday) is really solid and worth a watch.

• WordPress and Drupal Co-Founders Discuss Open Source, AI, and the Future of the Web
  The OGs of two of the biggest open source platforms talk about the future of the Web. This video is pretty fun and interesting to watch.

• Microsoft is integrating Bing into ChatGPT
  This is wild how fast Microsoft is going after the new search/AI market and totally leaving Google in its dust. I never really used Bing that much, not that it’s bad or anything. Google is just ingrained in my head to use.

• Google has done its last mobile-first indexing switch today, a six-year process
  Wow this took six years to move the majority of their index to mobile! That’s a long time. They definitely underestimated the time it would take. That’s for sure.

• Google SGE: Meet the New Pack
  Good analysis on what’s going to change with Google and AI.

Find Of The Week

One of the biggest hurdles to getting into Mastodon and the Fediverse in general is the lack of discoverability, or rather the difficult nature of it. Fedified has a great directory of cool Mastodon users and makes it easy for you to follow them and get their content. Check it out at: https://discover.fedified.com/

Sponsors

Agorapulse is a sponsor for the newsletter. But I’m not just shilling for them. Their platform is the best I’ve used in the 15+ years I’ve been in digital marketing. It’s worth checking out!

As always stay curious!

– Seth