Creating a Home on the Internet
Especially when first moving to a new place, my favorite spot to feel at home is online, and that’s been the case for years. I started getting really into making the internet my home back in 2007. Probaby going to sound terribly hipsterish saying this, but I really think that was the golden age of the internet. Vlogging was new and not a thing yet, and the world seemed so much smaller. People knew each other. “Famous” people online were accessible. It’s so different now. Despite that, I still feel at home on the internet. My friends are here. People I can turn to and talk to about anything. Over the last few months, I’ve been loving the little home that I have on the internet, and I hope that you can create you own!
Listen to diverse voices.
This is, in my opinion, the hardest, and one that I’m guilty of often. It’s easy to listen to people that think the same way as you do. It creates a better experience, and widens the world, if you are interacting with people who live differently, think differently, and come from different places than you do. This is hard for me as well, but allowing multiple perspectives in has helped me a ton. Now, you don’t have to agree with these alternative perspectives, but it’s still good to know about them.
Participate in an active, not passive, way.
If you see something you like…a video, a photo, a blog post…respond to it. Leave a comment, not just a like. This is one of those places where the more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. Sometimes this means reaching out and sending that DM.
Keep it positive, but honest.
It’s easy to find groups that are overall negative in tone. It’s easy to be there, and to talk down about things or other people. It’s so much more rewarding to talk about things that you love than things that you hate. Find something that you love, and find that community. But, not everything is positive always. It’s okay to be honest and authentic in your conversations. Just remember to be a good person. There are real people on the other side of the screen.
Create something.
If you’ve been an active consumer, and want to take it a step further, create something. This doesn’t have to be complicated. A blog post. One photo. A short video. Even a comment or response. Again, you get in what you get out, and communities are built on created things.
How do you build community?