Growth Are smaller communities better than larger online communties?

[Cpvr]

Smaller communities often feel more close-knit and welcoming because most members are familiar with each other and are accustomed to regular conversations. In contrast, larger platforms may have thousands of users active at the same time, making it more difficult to connect and interact with familiar faces. What are your thoughts on this topic?

Do you think smaller online communities are better than larger ones?



Why or why not?

 

[Num7]

I used to think big communities were better and that I should aim at that. How wrong was I.

Some forums become huge, others don't. Those that succeed in becoming huge, achieve it thanks to different factors in play. Some of those factors are hard work and clever admins. But sometimes it's also a lot of luck and perfect timing. All those huge sites deserve their success. My point is that there's not necessarily a recipe for success.

Over the years, I've come to learn that small and medium sized communities are the best. They may not have the numbers the big ones have, sure. But they're a place where you can connect and participate in quality exchanges. There's way less noise, overall. You're much more likely to find super high-quality, niche content in a small or medium sized community.

And most of those small and medium communities, old and recent ones, often have a charm that the big ones do not. Maybe that's just me!

 

[Bryn]

Smaller communites are better, because there's a better chance you'll get to know everyone there, as long as it's active enough though...

 

[Al]

Smaller communities offer a tighter sense of belonging, where members get to know each other well. This creates a strong sense of connection and leads to more focused discussions. It's easier to maintain the tone of the forum and it means moderation is more manageable. Interactions can feel more personal and direct. But there are some drawbacks. The lack the diversity of opinions that larger groups can bring can leave smaller forums feeling a bit like an echo chamber, with no dissenting voices to challenge established ideas. Activity will be slower with fewer responses and longer wait times between replies.

I usually find that larger online communities provide a wider range of perspectives and more diverse discussions. A higher number of active users makes it easier to get fast responses and keeps the momentum going. These communities also offer opportunities for niche topics and subgroups that might not thrive in a smaller setting. Essentially, a larger community can be composed of several smaller communities who occasionally cross paths. Of course, the size of the community can make it harder for members to form close connections and maintaining the quality of conversations can be more challenging due to the difficulties in moderating. Larger communities require more intense moderation to manage issues like spam or trolling.

It really depends of what you're looking for. If personal connection and focused discussions are priorities, smaller communities might feel more rewarding. If you value fast-paced interactions and diverse viewpoints, a larger community might be a better fit. Let's not kid ourselves. 99% of forum admins run a small community and wish they were running a large one. To say different is a cosy self-delusion.

 

[Cory]

I prefer running and being a part of smaller communities due to some of the reasons mentioned above. I don't like when communities are so fast-paced that you can't keep up with everything going on. If you want to go with the masses, that's where most people use social media over message boards. Some people use social media due to its massiveness where it becomes nothing more than a popularity contest. I value discussions you can keep up with and people you can get to know more easily. Having a super large community used to be everyone's goal so it seemed, but I think that was mainly because there were so many younger people using message boards at the time for the sake of a popularity contest. Nowadays, you hear more young adults or older people using message boards.

 

[InMyOpinion]

I think it all depends on the kind of forum you want. If you're looking for more people and less intimate conversations than a bigger active forum is what you're looking for. If you want a more community like feel with not a lot of different faces than a smaller community is what would be best for you. It all depends on the person and what they are looking for.

As for me, I prefer a bit of a middle ground. I enjoy the smaller community feel but I also want to meet new people every now and again. It also helps when I'm not the only one posting or replying to threads. So I'm looking for the sweet middle where it isn't too busy and hectic but there is some activity on the forum.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

They can be.

I have a Facebook Group with 46K members.

Back when I first started it, everyone knew each other. It felt like a tight-knit community.

46K+ members later, it's too big to know everyone there. Conversations are going on that I don't even know about aside from ensuring nothing against the rules is occurring.

I've noticed the same with forums. However, we have our cliques and groups that we identify as being part of but often with that comes hesitation of letting others in, which makes large communities hard for newbies.

 

[Cory]

46K+ members later, it's too big to know everyone there. Conversations are going on that I don't even know about aside from ensuring nothing against the rules is occurring.

That's what I dislike about big groups/forums. They are too hard to keep up with and it's like you're talking more to strangers than online buddies.

I want an active forum, but not to the point where I can't keep up with everything or have multitudes of staff to keep it in check at all times.

 

[Bawse]

I like bigger communities better, but with an active team that gets rid of all the spam. I've seen forums fade away, because the staff stopped being active.

 

[Al]

As much as I'd love a Big Board I am happy with a small community. I think we would all love to have a forum with thousands of members, it just doesn't happen very quickly.