Re-reading a Jeff Jarvis Guardian column from earlier this year and thinking about all those brands (media and otherwise) who so desperately want to be liked and surround themselves with communities of likeminded advocates, I was reminded of how often the key dynamic in this relationship is missed:
"At Davos this year, a powerful newspaper publisher beseeched Mark Zuckerberg, the young founder of the hugely successful social network Facebook, for advice on how he could build and own his community. The famously laconic Zuckerberg replied "You can’t". Zuckerberg went on to explain that communities already exist and the question these magnates should ask instead is how they can help them to do what they want to do."
Worth reminding ourselves that, just as you don’t ‘control’ conversations, you don’t ‘build’ or ‘own’ communities either.
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