The Power of Community Building in Social VR
What does it take to build a thriving online community? How do we move beyond friend groups into intentional spaces that foster genuine connection, growth, and inclusivity? In a recent Leadership Roundtable, community leaders from BridgeMakers, Fireside, and Curious Connections shared their insights on the challenges and rewards of building strong social VR communities.
This conversation dives deep into core values, leadership lessons, and the evolving landscape of online connection. Below, we highlight some of the most compelling moments from the discussion, featuring insights from Ren, Tim, Curious Kibble, and Dr. Ruth Diaz.
The Biggest Mistake Community Builders Make
One of the most common mistakes new community builders make is assuming that a friend group automatically functions as a community. Curious Kibble explains how this often leads to unstructured spaces where new members struggle to integrate. Instead, successful communities have clear structures, purpose, and pathways for inclusion.
Kibble’s Insight:
“Something I hear all the time is like, ‘It’s just a friend group,’ and they don’t apply community-building principles to it. And they treat it like a friend group—like, ‘Oh, you guys will all come into a world, and we’ll just hang out, and then that’s it, it’s a community.’ But when you do it like that, you put all the responsibility on the new people to integrate themselves into the group.”
This distinction is crucial: friendships form organically, but a community needs active facilitation.
How the World Supports Your Community Values
Community spaces aren’t just about the people; the design of a world itself can either support or hinder its values. In this discussion, the panel explored how VR environments shape interaction, from spatial arrangements that encourage conversation to layouts that unintentionally exclude newcomers.
“We have to ask, who is this built for? And who might feel excluded?”
Understanding how people interact within digital spaces ensures that the design of a world supports inclusion rather than creating barriers.
How Do Values Guide Your Community Building?
Every strong community is anchored in shared values. But how do you ensure that those values aren’t just words but actively shape the culture? Fireside and BridgeMakers both emphasize a human-first approach, ensuring that every decision and interaction aligns with the core values of inclusivity, curiosity, and connection.
BridgeMakers – Human First Value
BridgeMakers embodies a human-first approach to leadership, ensuring that individuals come before organizational roles. This value creates a space where people feel safe, heard, and empowered to engage in meaningful conversations and personal growth.
Community Values: Authentic Connections, Inclusivity, Curiosity… and Grit?
Authenticity, inclusivity, and curiosity are widely recognized as essential community values, but grit is often overlooked. Curious Kibble highlights how resilience is a necessary component in building sustainable communities where members feel empowered to push through challenges rather than disengaging at the first sign of difficulty.
In Conflict, How Do You Work With Different Values in the Community?
When conflicts arise, values can either divide or guide a community through resolution. This discussion explored how leaders navigate differences while maintaining the integrity of the community’s core values.
Fire-Starters vs. Fire-Builders
Dr. Diaz introduced the metaphor of Fire-Starters vs. Fire-Builders, describing how some people introduce disruptive energy into a space, while others cultivate flames that create warmth and connection.
“A fire starter is someone who throws a burning branch into the middle of a space and hopes someone else turns it into something productive, but it often just burns things down. A fire builder is someone who brings their flame into the room but is conscious of how it burns others, how it spreads, and whether it creates warmth or destruction.”
The Origin Story of Fireside: Building Emotional and Social Intimacy
Fireside was created as a space for deep emotional and social intimacy, offering a structured yet organic way for people to engage in meaningful conversations.
How Do We Grow Intimacy in Community?
Ren explains how intentional friendship is the key to cultivating genuine connection, emphasizing that friendships should be built on a foundation of trust and shared purpose rather than just proximity.
The Reward of Community Leadership – Tim, Cofounder of Fireside
Tim reflects on the unexpected joy of seeing members grow and transform within the community, reinforcing the idea that leadership is about fostering growth in others, not just managing a group.
Curious Connections: A New Approach to Social VR Community
Curious Kibble shares the mission behind Curious Connections, a space dedicated to fostering deep conversations and exploration in social VR.
Conclusion: The Future of Social VR Communities
These insights reveal a fundamental truth: community building is an art. By leading with values, intentionality, and a commitment to authentic connection, we can create digital spaces that truly feel like home.
Leave a Reply