SocialHerder received an email this afternoon from someone we’ve never met in person, but connected with several months ago over threaded comments at change.org. At the time, we exchanged brief, but interested conversation. Having learned about SocialHerder, they came out of the woodwork today and offered to connect us with a potential client looking for online community management. That’s a lucky break for a lot of companies. For us, it’s an important reminder that each person you meet – online or offline – is a substantive opportunity to connect, learn and grow. That understanding is a basic tenant for any online community manager.

In the busy world of online communities it can be a challenge to stop, listen and make a genuine connection. Do it every chance you get. Your community will strengthen and you never know when one of your members will pop up, surprise and connect you.