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3h (edited) • Communities
Why Are People Joining My Community But Not Participating?
Listen… I wonder if we’re looking at this from the wrong angle.
When members join but don’t participate, it’s easy to assume they aren’t committed.
Or they aren’t motivated.
Or they’re just lurkers.
But what if that’s not what’s happening at all?
A few weeks ago, I joined a community because I genuinely wanted help.
I used the product.
I watched the training. 😵💫
I attended the calls.
I asked questions.
I wasn’t trying to lurk.
I was trying to learn.
But somewhere along the way, I found myself sitting quietly on the sidelines.
Not because I wasn’t interested.
Not because I didn’t see value.
Not because the owner didn’t care.
I simply couldn’t figure out where I fit into the journey.
Then it hit me…
What if we’re accidentally teaching Algebra 2 to a second grader?
Not because we’re bad teachers.
Not because our content is bad.
But because we’ve been doing this for so long that we’ve forgotten how much knowledge we’re carrying around in our heads.
The next step feels obvious to us.
The language feels normal to us.
The path feels clear to us.
Meanwhile, our newest members are standing at the front door trying to figure out where they’re supposed to start.
🤣 Now here’s the funny part.😜
I asked AI to create a simple image:
A teacher teaching Algebra 2 to people at wildly different learning levels.
Three generations later, we’re still arguing about desk placement, neck angles, and whether two of the students are mentally at the beach. 😂
The more I looked at the image, the more I realized…
This is exactly how some member journeys feel.
Everyone is technically in the same room.
Everyone is technically getting the same lesson.
But they’re all having completely different experiences.
One person gets it immediately.
One person is trying desperately to keep up.
One person is wondering if they belong.
One person is afraid to ask a question.
One person doesn’t even know enough yet to know what question to ask.
One person is hoping their mom packed pizza rolls for lunch. 🤤
And if that’s true…
The problem might not be participation.
The problem might be that we’re missing a bridge.
A bridge between where our members are and where we’re asking them to go.
That’s the lens I’ve been looking at communities through lately.
Not: “How do I get people to engage?”
But:
“What experience are people having after they join?”
Curious…
What bridges have you discovered were missing in your own community?
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If this conversation feels like one you’ve needed to have for a while, or if you’ve never looked at your community through the eyes of a brand new member, let’s talk.
That’s exactly what I do during a Community Support Call.
We’ll look at your member journey together and find the places where people are getting stuck, confused, or quietly drifting to the sidelines.
We’ll get curious about the experience & map out the next steps together.
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Why Are People Joining My Community But Not Participating?
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