What I Learned about Community from Sending 300+ Emails Manually

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27 points·kylejordan··6 comments

I've done this. It's very strange how growing instead of learning can feel like the right thing to do sometimes. It seems, at least in my mind, like some instinctive reaction to develop a position of strength (dumb animal), rather than to pursue a valued purpose (intelligent animal). In the times when I've made this mistake, it matches closely with when I'm simply trying to make something popular, rather than when I'm pursuing of a deeper purpose I really care about.

This article makes me think that the founder here has essentially identified a fundamental litmus test for the motivations of startup founders (purpose/fame).

Thanks @samcollins! That's a really thoughtful observation. I think you nailed the feeling I had initially when I couldn't shake the brute force urge to see the numbers climb.

I don't know if it matters, but in thinking about Dwilly as a community rather than customers, I find myself thinking very differently about how it operates, what it stands for, etc.

I am a part of an existing community (http://www.worldvista.org) but am constantly looking for ways to strengthen the community. Thank you for the insight in this article.

Hope it helps! Meaningful use is a great topic to build community around because it's so complex

A great instruction manual for applying a personal touch to a new startup!

Thanks Justin! I think it's worth all the extra effort

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