Do You Have a Community?

In June, I had the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual Dallas Black Bloggers’ Conference here in Texas. During that time, I connected with bloggers, influencers, and entrepreneurs. It was very informative, but also fun! We laughed, we joked, and we overall had a great time. Although our content may have had some differences, we all had something in common…we create content for our audiences. That connection allowed us to have conversations about what we do, and get feedback from each other about how we can improve our brands. I recognized the importance of being around these people, and the importance of community in general.

When working with clients, one of the things I always check in with is who they surround themselves with. Who are their people? We may hear things like “All I have is myself” or “People are unreliable” and although there may be some truth to that…being alone is lonely. When you have a community, you have people who share some aspect of your interests with you. Building connections is important because from conception we have relied on a connection to keep us thriving.

If you don’t have a community, there are different ways you can find them! Here are 3 different ways you can find a community:

Facebook Groups

One of the quickest and easiest ways to join a community is through Facebook groups. Different groups have been created depending on interests, and it’s relatively easy to search your interest and find a group you may be interested in. This is the main way I connect with people who have similar interests.

Meetup

The Meetup app is another way to find people who may have similar interests, and meet them in person. Interested in art? They may have an event where you get together and do a sip and paint.

Go to Events Alone

The scariest option for a lot of people is to just go to events alone. A lot of times, someone will see you are alone and strike up a conversation with you. If it’s a reoccurring event and you continue to go, eventually there will be others who are frequent attendees who will recognize you and talk with you. Just because you don’t have someone to go to events with you (yet) doesn’t mean you have to miss out on those events.

Are there any other ways you all have found your community? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!