Community, or not?

What do we hope for when we join a community? What do we expect from a community? Many has probably written about this topic before, and possibly polls have been created for this topic too, but today, I feel like freewriting about this.

At the beginning, I wasn't sure what to expect when I join a community. But, not knowing what to write, what to do around here felt quite lonely and aimless, like a headless chicken. Just give it a try, I thought and see what happens. Some community jive, some don't. For the ones that jived, it is mainly because of the members, the support given, the engagement, the interaction, the contests within the community, chatting with those of the same wavelength.

Most importantly, is the sense of belonging and a sense of direction. Being in a community that jives with us, be it in conversation or the topics discussed or the contests hosted gives a feeling like you belong to a "home" on this platform and you would like to go "home" to, whenever you have the chance.

But when it comes to expect, should we expect something from a community? Personally, I disagree that we should expect. Firstly, most moderators, hosts and all who helps around the community are volunteers. They are not paid by Steemit, they are not paid by anyone. Yes, they earn from the curation and authoring work that they put in but they are still volunteering their time and effort to the community. So, why should we expect the community to give back to us?

"Hope" on the other hand is more appropriate in my opinion. No obligation, no expectation. And when we hope, we should also contribute our part in building a community. Give and take. What goes around comes around. Karma. Treat people the way you want to be treated. While we hope for support in terms of upvotes, comments, we should do our part too in giving our support to others within the community by upvoting, commenting, engaging too. When you expect but you don't do your part, that is purely selfish. In such cases, why should anyone support you? If you don't take a moment to read other's posts and comment or engage with members, why should anyone read yours and comment on your posts?

It is a straightforward concept isn't it? Do our part, be part of the community that we choose. Be there. Be present. Engage because you wanted to, not because you expect something in return and grow together with the community, in the community.

Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash

Just my thoughts...
@marblely