Some thoughts about forming a community after talking with @yo-yo and @littlenewthings.

It was indeed a great experience on Steemit that we are able to meet different people with a diverse background that could share valuable experience with each other. That is nothing like on social media where we just share what we think is the most appealing side of the day for showing off, like going for a vacation, meeting a famous individual, partying, marriage, getting awards, etc. Nonetheless, there is no wrong on doing so as it is human nature, which even I am doing that too. On Steemit, we do social but in a more in-depth way that I enjoyed more.

To have a core value that everyone believes in.

This is the most important point of forming a community, which is the core value that is upheld by the founder at the very first place. The founder must be very firm on the core value that the community needs to have. Besides, the founder will also need to be consistent in ‘preaching’ the core value to the community so that everyone is clear about it and embedded in everyone’s mind.

Well, there are some of the best ‘preachers’ out there that I admire like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jack Ma, Robert Kiyosaki, Luo Zhen Yu (founder of Dedao iGet APP in China) and Bjarke Ingels (Denmark Architect). There is a similarity among all of them which is they believe in a core value which they keep repeating in their writings, in their company and even on screen. Of course, the core value need not be rigid and can be upgraded from time to time until we come to the ultimate value that it is the most fundamental like Elon’s first principle of finding the fundamental of the issue.

Another thing is that the core value has to be simple to understand. For example, Jack Ma preaches that Alibaba strives to help the SMEs; Tony Fernandes preaches everyone can fly which he did well with his low-cost airline; Luo Zhen Yu preaches that any knowledge can become a product that appeals to everyone.

As for me, I have always believed in sustainable lifestyle that includes our built environment, nature and also our own body. It is important that we learn how to appreciate all that is around and within us. With that, only we will have a sense of belonging and passion to better it for the future. Thus, the goal for me to set up @archisteem is to promote the appreciation of the built environment specifically so that more and more people can learn about their living environment. In addition, the 1001 Places to Remember Project also acts a more casual way to understand a place through storytelling. It needs not to be very technical, but it needs to be emotional, like why is it so important to someone?

To establish trust between members.

Trust is like a piece of paper, once it is shredded, it will be hard to put it back again. Thus, it is important that the community trust each other and be genuine. In my own perspective, I tend to trust the person who shows sincere intent to collaborate at the early stage. If he or she shows their true intent and betray the community, I will immediately cut off the malignant from causing further harm to the community. To minimize the loss, the process of cutting off must be merciless and without hesitation. This is a lesson that I picked up from several mentors of mine in management, finance and investment.

Like how @neoxian the banker in Steemit raised the issue of having scammers lately, which he then increases the collateral that the borrower has to offer. As a lender, it is logic and rational to raise the bar which will significantly reduce his risk of defaulting the loan. If the bank ‘trust’ you with high credibility, then the cost of lending will be significantly low which is a win-win for both sides. Being in the blockchain, we must take trust as the ultimate token to access the system and the more credibility you have, the more resources you can have access to.

Just happened to talk with @littlenewthings about her @dses (Decentralized Sustainable Ecosystem) which emphasizes the trust between members and create a sustainable financial aiding system. The system is to help those in need of fiat to sell off their cryptocurrency which will then help them to pay their bills or another emergency. She also suggested that the system ideally could be a small 4 pax group that maintains the commitment for a few months. With the agreed rate, the group member will then trade in a rotation to help each other liquidate the cryptocurrency. This is a good way for those in need to have a grasp on how much the system can help them. (a bit off topic but it relates closely with trust, then only the system will work)

Still, I would like to elaborate a few more words on trust. No matter how trustworthy a person is, there will be a possibility that in a desperate time, he or she will eventually turn ‘evil’. In my opinion, this is very natural as it is all about survival. Therefore, it is best that there is some sort of smart contract that binds the members together in the group to kickstart anything. This extra move of ‘signing’ and agreeing on the smart contract will become the last defense line for those who may be thinking of breach the system. Also, being streetwise is another key skill to protect ourselves which we have to minimize the risk and loss that we may face if anything turns bad. That is the nature of our real world after all (not to say that the world is bad as it is very subjective to every person whether it is good or bad).

To share resources between members.

In a community, there are surely people with a different background that have different resources. For example in @archisteem, there are great photographers, writers, artists, and so on. Some of them run their own business which also can offer different products and services to the group like @fionasfavourites is able to cook and offer food to the local and she can share her recipe among the community! @manoldonchev is a great photographer who can share his skills with those who are keen to learn photography. When we share such resources around, indirectly we are creating a better bond for the group and help others to improve too.

In @archisteem, I am envisioning the community sharing their resources which is their personal expertise and knowledge to help more people to understand and appreciate their built environment. With that awareness, this will eventually create more demand for a better quality built environment which will drive more development and a better one.

To empower and grow together.

In a community, I always believe that no one should be a passenger, and everyone must take their lead to contribute something back to the community so that all of us can grow together. Of course, the above statement is non-mandatory but understandable throughout every successful community. If one is not doing any good for the community, eventually he or she will get kicked out or forgotten (even worse) whereas the ones with passion will be embraced by the community. This somehow reflects on how our country works too. As a citizen, we should not just rely on our ‘entitlement’ but work for it. In a corporate, it is the same that if you provide no value, eventually you will get kick out.

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In a nutshell, forming a community is not an easy feat at all! The founders have to be really resilience and keep the community alive so that it can reach a point where the snowball starts to roll into a bigger portion. The early stage is definitely dreadful but I do enjoy the journey and growth.

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