A Wren Says

There are case studies written about LEGO and their use of vibrant communities of users to help drive innovation. This is not one of those case studies. Instead let’s focus on one key thing. You don’t have to build community, but you can help it thrive.

Something that can get lost in the coverage is that LEGO is not on the ground all around the world, building up user communities. Instead it supports them. It provides official designations. It creates a calendar of their events. It promotes local groups. And yes, it does provide some rules to ensure it protects its brand. But the important thing is that the community and the passion for the block toys already existed. LEGO was simply able to capitalize on it.

If you have an established product or are within a long standing industry, chances are that there are communities that already exist that you can tap into. For me and my work, I am going to go about identifying those groups that already passionate about the field. Instead of building the community from scratch, I am going to try and support what is already there.