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@harrisonqian / Connection & Community Playbook / wiki/building-community.md
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--- visibility: public-edit --- # building a community from scratch practical guide to starting a community that actually lasts. based on real experience running Socratica, Build Chain, and observing what works in SF builder communities. the uncomfortable truth: most communities die within 3 months. the ones that survive have a clear format, a committed core, and a reason to keep showing up. --- ## the socratica model [socratica](https://www.socratica.info/) is a co-working community that started in waterloo and now runs in 40+ cities. the format is dead simple — and that's why it works. ### the format 1. **[[icebreakers|introductions]]** — everyone says who they are and what they're working on 2. **work block 1** (50 min) — heads down, work on your passion project 3. **work block 2** (50 min) — more work 4. **demos** — casual show-and-tell. share what you made, even if it's a rough google doc 5. **snacks** — hang out, talk about what you saw ### why it works - **low barrier to entry:** you don't need to prepare anything. just show up and work. - **the demo creates accountability:** knowing you'll share something at the end makes the work block productive. - **weekly cadence builds habit:** every sunday, same time. people build it into their routine. - **self-selecting community:** the format attracts people who actually make things, not people who just talk about making things. - **no hierarchy:** there's no speaker, no panel, no "expert." everyone is equal in the room. ### starting a chapter I started a socratica chapter at my school (december 2025). the key decisions: - pick a consistent day and time (sunday afternoons) - find a free venue (school, library, someone's house) - start with 5-8 people you personally invite - run the format exactly — don't improvise too much at first - demos are non-negotiable. they're what makes socratica socratica. --- ## lessons from build chain (what not to do) build chain was a project where 16 friends would relay-build a single project — each person adds something, then passes it to the next. the idea was creative and ambitious. the execution failed. ### what went wrong - **insufficient buy-in:** people were invited to participate, but many didn't feel real ownership of the project. excitement at announcement ≠ commitment to execution. - **framing mismatch:** the organizer's enthusiasm didn't translate to participants understanding what they were signing up for. the concept needed to be sold, not just explained. - **too many people, too little structure:** with 16 people in a chain, any single dropout breaks the whole thing. the format was fragile by design. - **no fallback for momentum loss:** once a few people dropped off, there was no mechanism to recover. ### the lesson community projects need more than a good idea — they need individual commitment secured before launch. the right sequence: 1) share the concept, 2) get explicit yes/no from each person, 3) only start when you have enough committed people with buffer for dropouts. --- ## what makes communities stick vs. die ### communities that stick have: - **a recurring rhythm.** weekly or biweekly, same time, same place. monthly is too infrequent to build habit. quarterly is a conference, not a community. - **a clear format.** people know what to expect. socratica's intro → work → demo [[event-formats|format]]. sunday dinners' cook → eat → talk format. ambiguity kills attendance. - **a committed core.** 3-5 people who will show up no matter what. everyone else orbits the core. if the core disappears, the community dies. - **a shared identity.** "we're the people who build things on sundays." "we're the people who cook together." the identity is about what you do together, not just who you are. - **low cost to attend.** time and money. if it takes planning, people won't come consistently. if it costs money, you better be delivering clear value. ### communities that die from: - **organizer burnout.** if one person does everything — venue, comms, facilitation, cleanup — they'll quit within 6 months. distribute the work or keep the format so simple that organizing is trivial. - **growing too fast.** individual [[relationship-maintenance]] matters more than group size. 5 committed people → 50 curious people → social dynamics shift → original members leave → new members don't stick → ghost town. grow slowly. - **loss of purpose.** "we're a community of builders" gradually becomes "we're a community of people who used to build things and now just hang out." either is fine, but the transition kills communities that don't acknowledge it. - **no filtering.** communities need some barrier to entry, even a small one. an RSVP, a question on the signup form, a friend-of-friend requirement. zero barriers → zero commitment. - **event-driven, not habit-driven.** if every gathering requires a special event or speaker, the community dies when the organizer stops booking speakers. the best communities are boring and consistent. --- ## the minimum viable community you need less than you think. **the absolute minimum:** - 5 people who said yes (not "maybe" — explicit yes) - a time and place (someone's living room works fine) - a format (even "we eat dinner and go around the table sharing highlights" counts) - a commitment to do it again next week **what you don't need:** - a website - a slack/discord - a logo - a mission statement - a venue with AV equipment - speakers or special guests - money the premature scaling trap: building infrastructure before you have a community to use it. don't set up a discord until you have 15+ people who already know each other. see [[online-community]] for when and how to add a digital layer. don't build a website until you have a waitlist problem. --- ## how to get the first 10 people ### the personal invitation the #1 most effective strategy. text people individually. "hey, i'm starting a sunday co-working session for people who make things. first one is this sunday at 2pm at my place. want to come?" personal invitations work because: - they signal that you specifically want this person - they create social obligation (not manipulatively — genuinely) - they're harder to ignore than a mass email ### the friend-of-friend ask "do you know anyone who'd be into this?" after each session, ask your attendees to bring one friend next time. organic growth through trusted connections. ### the target list make a list of 20 people you'd love in this community. reach out to each one individually. expect a 30-50% yes rate. don't be discouraged by no's — some people aren't joiners. ### the public posting (use sparingly) a tweet, a slack message in a relevant community, a post in a group chat. works for getting volume but not for getting commitment. anyone who shows up from a public post should be treated as a trial — they need to experience the value before they'll commit. ### the anchor event host one great [[event-formats|event]] with a specific purpose. "i'm hosting a demo day for side projects — 5 people presenting, 15 watching, then drinks." use the energy from that event to recruit for the recurring community. --- ## scaling from 10 to 50 once you have a working community of 10, growth is different: - **promote from within.** find 2-3 people who are as invested as you are. give them ownership of something — hosting duties, comms, a specific role. this is your insurance against organizer burnout. - **maintain the format.** the temptation is to "improve" things by adding speakers, panels, workshops. resist. the format is what people signed up for. - **create tiers of involvement.** not everyone needs to come every week. some people are core (every week), some are regulars (2x/month), some are occasional (monthly). all three are valid. - **introduce slowly.** when new people join, have a regular [[introductions|introduce them]] or pair them with someone. don't let newcomers feel lost in a group of friends. - **fork, don't bloat.** if your dinner party grows past 12, don't try to seat 20. start a second dinner. if your co-working session hits 30, encourage someone to start a tuesday edition. --- ## community builders worth studying - **socratica** — the co-working demo day format, now in 40+ cities - **build irl** — supports IRL club builders with tools and grants. their insight: 5 committed members beats 500 fleeting attendees. they emphasize membership, contribution, and "closing the door" on uncommitted attendees. - **sunday dinners** — the recurring meal-based gathering format - **south park commons** — SF community for people in transition, exploring what to build next - **the stoa** — online community built around philosophical dialogue - **recurse center** — "writer's retreat for programmers" — a masterclass in community design through self-selection and norms