Communities Flow Around Ideas Now, Not Locations

TweetIf you look at the make-up of any urban area in America, you will find that people of similar ethnic backgrounds, race, religion and sexual preference bind together geographically.

In Saint Louis, there are communities of Italians, Bosnians, African Americans, homosexuals, Whites, Mormons, twenty-something partiers, granola loving tree huggers and Tea party Republicans.

There are people gathering in their living rooms, coffee shops and in parks to play Canasta, discuss string theory or play bocce ball.

Each group is bound by their ideas and values and also by GEOGRAPHY.

It goes something like this —-

Hey, I am a granola loving tree hugger and you are a granola loving tree hugger and we live 5 minutes from each other, let’s get together.

People have built businesses around this idea of community —- providing what the community needs and putting it in the right location.    Do you think we could make a living running a bar and grill in the twenty-something party community?  Ummm… yes.

But communities that are bound by geography have to have enough members to be an actual community.  This meant that most communities bound by geography are organized around broad ideas and topics.

Now, remove the geographic barrier.

Replace it with only one barrier, an Internet connection — which is hardly a barrier in this country any longer.

Understand that today, ideas can be fragmented down into the tiniest niche and communities can be built there. Businesses can and are being formed there.

There may not be enough people to form a community that is really into the History Of Bocce Ball in Provo, Utah but there is certainly enough people interested in the entire world.

Where are you setting up a community?  What is your niche?