One of the great things about creating and moderating a chat is the feeling of community that we get from it. It’s a bit of a crap shoot, let me tell you! Although I don’t recall ever having a chat fail completely, we’ve had a couple of miscues at #SMXChat. But you know? Many times when I feel like we may have really missed the mark on a topic, or on the questions, our community comes through. It builds us up. And it makes the chat what it is.

I think this feeling of community also extends to other settings in social media, like brands and businesses. It also seems to for some celebrities. And a fleeting example is also sporting events, like Sunday’s Super Bowl in the US.

When we attend a chat, or interact with a business or brand, or join a hashtag discussion we are joining communities. I wonder, do we think about what that means? <Chuckling aloud…> Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it.

As Ehsan says that social media has been with us through the ages, since primitive humans scratched drawings onto cave walls, as if to say, ‘I am here.’ We could draw some humorous parallels to social media as it exists today, i.e., the scratchings and ramblings we see a lot of, but the psychological foundation of Ehsan’s thesis is sound – we have always sought out communities that we feel safe and valued in, and we yearn to contribute our share in giving back.

Q1) How many makes a social media community? Do they include those that don’t self-identify as members?

Q2) What draws us to social media communities? To business and brand communities?

Q3) Do we seek out like-minded people in social media? Why?

Q4) Does diversity (in thought, age, ethnicity, education) enrich or detract from social media communities?

Q5) Do we owe an obligation to social media communities we join? For example?

Q6) Do social media communities transcend cultural/societal norms?