The Digital Campfire
Jul 13, 2020
Owning the influence you have over the community you keep and the culture you cultivate is powerful. It can also be a little intimidating.
The idea of a ‘digital campfire’ can help you baby step your way into this posture.
Of course, an in-person meet-up works too. But a virtual one can be a less intimidating way to start.
To build a digital campfire is to create an online meet-up for those you already know and seek to help more directly.
The challenge is to be specific and focused both on who is invited and the gathering’s intention. Avoid giving attendees a roasting stick, but nothing to stick on the end of it to toast.
Craft and construct a digital campfire that’s intimate, immediate, and fulfilling. Build it for people whose attention, trust, and permission you've already earned. These events are designed meet-ups created on and for a purpose.
Some digital campfires are for sharing ideas and insights, others for asking or answering questions, still others are for discussing ideas or to work on shared challenges.
The possibilities are endless.
Stealing attention and transaction is not part of the digital campfire ethos. The point is not a bait and switch operation intended to sell overpriced hotdogs and marshmallows.
You're assembling to encourage connection, belonging, and enrollment. As the convener, you are the community organizer or cultural guide.
And remember, campfires are where we tell stories. Stories about where we come from and who we are and, most importantly, where we’re going and who we aspire to be.
A sale or service inquiry may result, but that is a side effect, not the ultimate aim. The motivation is to see, hear, and connect those you serve and create inspiring, insightful, and fulfilling experiences for them.
Focus on the people you're already surrounded by and serve them generously and wholeheartedly by inviting them to congregate around a digital campfire.
The effort will be at least as rewarding for you as for those who attend.
What digital campfire can you organize today?
This is an excerpt from Onward: Where Certainty Ends Possibility Begins.The audio comes from the audiobook edition available on Audible.
Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose
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