I was talking with my good buddy Terry Starbucker this week about the upcoming SOBCon conference, and reminiscing back to the first event, with this year’s event being the 4th annual event. The photo in this article is from that very first conference.
What I love about SOBCon is the Big C Community attendees immediately become part of, and that they continue to be part of, once they attend one event.
It’s an amazing thing to me, this Big C Community. There aren’t a lot of places like this in my life. I’ve been part of a lot of organizations, and few have fulfilled my need to be part of this.
What’s a Big C Community?
A Big C Community is one in which a shared sense of purpose pumps through everyone in the organization, whether it’s a formal organization or an annual conference folks look forward to attending every year.
Why do Big C Communities matter? LOTS of reasons, but none more important than the 4 I’ll share below.
4 Cs of a vibrant Big C Community:
Collaboration – Members of a Big C Community work together, sharing their ideas, their talents, their passions, their love, with other members of the community.
Connection – Members of a Big C Community have a sense of connection and feel it even when they are far apart. Social media helps keep this connection piece of Big C Communities going long after the physical connection is over.
Consistency – Members of a Big C Community expect consistent display of the shared values from those who lead the community.
Communication – When you’re part of a Big C Community, you expect frequent communication from the leaders of the community and from others who are part of the community. You don’t expect to hear from someone only when it’s time for the next conference, but you expect to hear from others in the community all year round.
And to answer Rich Hand’s question, serving customers in social media does remain the same as serving customers offline: Customers don’t want to be treated like customers. They want to feel part of something bigger, and they want, no they CRAVE, to be part of a Big C Community.
I’m planning to go to 2 conferences that are Big C Communities to me: HDI2010 and SOBCon. Will I see you at either event?
