Community is About Being Cost-Effective

One assumption underlying some client conversations I have is that community comes cheap.  It may have something to do with the hippy-trippy quality of the word. 

Unfortunately, it’s just not true.  As the splendid Community Guy notes it can often cost more than some traditional techniques – mainly because there is a start-up stage.  But this is really just an investment like any other.  One that, over time, will create a valuable asset.  However, the classic comment about open source software is highly relevant: "Linux is only free if your time has no value." 

Community building is about smart people spending time building relationships in a way that machines will never do.  Make no mistake community is all about being cost-effective – not cheap-and-cheerful.

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