Newsletters. Customer community programs. Premium memberships. Local events. They’re all on the rise.

The 2010s were about radically open social media platforms — a gigantic, unmanageable mess.

Next 10 years? Pendulum swings back. Niche communities of interest & purpose.

Community revenue models: Direct sponsorship. Tiered membership fees. Affiliate commissions. Paid experiences (events, retreats).

Brands need to get in on this. Flip from audience to community. Rally people around a topic or purpose that aligns with the brand mission.

The flip from audience to community:

Imagine you’re presenting to a room of people. The Audience. Row upon row, all facing you.

Break em out. Round tables so they’re facing and sharing and talking to each other.

Now you’re facilitating, hopping from table to table.

Aside, as an old school forum admin: There’s a reason we’re cantankerous about active moderation and community guidelines. You need to enforce those boundaries to keep things under control.

So much of it is nuance and dealing with people 1:1. You can’t scale that artificially.