ChristianKl comments on What has .impact done so far? - Less Wrong

7 Post author: peter_hurford 31 March 2014 05:50PM

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Comment author: ChristianKl 02 April 2014 01:36:02PM *  0 points [-]

There's a reason why for-profit organizations do this - it actually works.

It costs them huge advertising budgets and gets less effective as time goes by.

For-profit organization actually do this because they don't have a cause to rally around. Making more money for shareholders isn't giving anyone a feeling of community.

Steve Jobs got rid of focus groups telling him what the people want and build products to fit his own standards. As a result Apple has managed to develop a strong brand.

And if you won't agree with a worldview, you aren't going to join the community just because it's active.

But you might switch to self identifying yourself as EA because there are people on Skillshare doing nice things for you without asking for something in return.

That self identification will then improve the chances that you are doing other things to advance EA. It helps with retention.

Comment author: mbitton24 02 April 2014 02:15:45PM -2 points [-]

I'm saying it helps with retention but barely at all with recruitment - and that it may even get in the way of recruitment of casual EAs. I don't think Skillshare favours will make people want to self-identify as EA. Only a minority of people even require the sorts of favours being offered.

Comment author: ChristianKl 02 April 2014 11:04:35PM 0 points [-]

The best way to recruit is to have people who are passionate enough about a subject that they tell their friends.

Comment author: mbitton24 02 April 2014 11:28:35PM -2 points [-]

Yup - although in the case of EA, that's still likely to be a very slow process. This isn't the sort of thing that can go viral. It takes months or years of cultivating before someone transfers from complete outsider to core member.

Comment author: ChristianKl 03 April 2014 08:57:23PM 0 points [-]

Yup - although in the case of EA, that's still likely to be a very slow process.

I don't think that's a problem. We don't need to think in terms of corporate quarter results but are free to think more long-term.

Focusing on quick fixes isn't what successful movement building is about.

Comment author: peter_hurford 03 April 2014 02:05:09AM -1 points [-]

To clarify, Skillshare was not created with new member recruitment in mind.