Today I’m sharing a Recording: Community Builders’ Fireside Chat with the Swarm community Founder Gavin Hammar. The platform is a video-centric community-driven driven that guarantees higher engagement than anywhere else.
In early February, I had a fireside chat with Gavin. I answered lots of common community building challenge questions.
I hope that this helps you as you consider building, launching, and growing an online community. 🙂
Why Watch the Fireside Chat with the Swarm Community?
This recording is packed with insights on common mistakes. These mistakes can slow or halt a community launch. It also offers practical strategies to build a thriving, engaged community.
Key Takeaways from the Chat:
Avoiding Launch Pitfalls: Learn why launching multiple initiatives at once can backfire. Discover how phasing your community plans leads to sustainable growth.
Designing a Strong Community Framework: Understand the benefits of structured programs. Initiatives such as a 30-day challenge or a 90-day cohort lead to higher engagement and commitment.
Bridging the Content-Engagement Gap: Discover why co-creating content with members fosters deeper participation. Understand why less content often leads to more engagement.
Finding & Understanding Your Ideal Members: Get insights into the IDEA framework. It stands for Identify, Discover, Evaluate, Assemble. Use it for validating your community concept before launch.
Defining a Successful Member Experience: Learn about small groups. Discover how fun experiences make a community feel welcoming. Personal connections also make a community feel engaging.
Boosting Engagement Through Member-Led Initiatives: See how empowering members to lead sessions and share their skill can transform engagement levels.
Effective Community Visibility & Growth Strategies: Discover the role of pre-launch efforts in long-term community success. Email list building is essential. Networking plays a significant part. Media engagement also contributes.
Whether you’re launching, relaunching, or growing an online community, this conversation will offer practical, real-world strategies to help you succeed.
Chris Fitz is the Founder and Artistic Director of River Crossing Playback Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. With experience in improvisational arts since 2003, Chris and his ensemble use Playback Theatre to build community by dramatically portraying real-life stories.
He is also a trained mediator and former Executive Director of the Center for Community Peacemaking, specializing in Restorative Justice—community-based practices that address harm and promote healing in schools, communities, and the legal system.
Chris sees Playback Theatre as a tool for personal and social healing, emphasizing the power of storytelling to foster connection, belonging, and understanding. Through performances like ”Healing York,” his troupe has addressed issues like racial harm, showing how storytelling can help heal communities.
Chris believes in the importance of repeated dialogue and rituals to foster belonging, whether in-person or online, and offers advice to community builders on engaging participants without relying too heavily on presentations.
His focus remains on creating safe spaces for people to connect, share their stories, and address community challenges through both art and conversation.
If you have an online community, or just want to grow an online business, communicating directly to your audience allows you to build relationships with them one email at a time!
You might think you don’t have enough time, but I have some great news for you!
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The Community Strategy Podcast offers interviews with online community leaders who share their community-building journey. Our podcast covers community concepts, community building, community strategy, community structure, community membership, and community management. Visit our Website Find Calm Here to learn more about working with Deb
