Communities are unstoppable because people choose to keep them alive.

"You've just stopped being a study group. You've now become something unstoppable. I hereby pronounce you a community." Jeff Winger, Community

Whenever I hear the word community, I don't think about marketing.

I think about the TV show Community.

Abed.

Troy and Abed in the Morning.

The Dean.

"Shut up, Leonard."

I love that show.

And honestly… Jeff had a point.

Communities are unstoppable because people choose to keep them alive.

Then I started thinking about all the communities I've been lucky enough to be part of.

The street I grew up on in Montréal.

I always joked Jeanne-Mance felt more like a small town than a street.

There was always someone organising the street party.

Someone helping a neighbour.

Someone who somehow knew everyone.

Then there were the Swifties.

Before Taylor Swift came to Stockholm, I joined one of the local Swiftie groups.

Complete strangers were helping each other find tickets, swapping friendship bracelets, sharing outfit ideas, answering questions, and planning meet-ups.

Nobody had to.

They just wanted to help.

That's community.

People helping people because they feel like they belong.

Which got me thinking about community management.

People often think it's replying to comments.

Sometimes it is.

But it's also welcoming new members.

Answering questions.

Helping customers.

Removing spam.

Keeping conversations respectful.

Protecting the community when things go wrong.

Comments are part of community management.

They're just one part of a much bigger strategy.

And yes… every community manager has probably had this moment:

"I'll just grab a coffee…"

Someone tags the brand.

A customer needs help.

There's spam everywhere.

Three hours later…

Where's my coffee?

Oh right.

Still in the kitchen.

Maybe that's why every brand wants a community.

Some have built them incredibly well.

Lovable built a place where people genuinely help each other learn, share ideas, and shape the product.

Alo Yoga built a community around movement, wellness, creators, and experiences people genuinely wanted to be part of.

People didn't stay because they were told to engage.

They stayed because they wanted to belong.

Maybe that's the real job of community management.

Not just growing a community.

Helping people feel like they belong.

Next post I want to talk about the other side of this.

Why I think brands are confusing community management with commenting on everything.