Glossary

Every key term from this course, in plain English. No jargon left unexplained.

Community

A group of people who interact with each other around a shared purpose — not just with you. The test: if you stopped posting for a month, would members still talk to each other?

Founding members

The first 20–50 people you recruit personally. They set the culture, model the behavior you want, and become your core. Never skip this phase.

Onboarding

What happens when someone joins: the welcome, the orientation, the first action you ask them to take. Good onboarding converts joiners into participants.

Engagement ritual

A recurring activity members expect: a weekly wins thread, a monthly challenge, a daily check-in. Rituals are the heartbeat of a community.

Moderation

Keeping the space healthy: enforcing guidelines, handling conflict, removing bad actors. Light but consistent beats heavy and random.

Lurker

A member who reads but never posts. Most communities are 90% lurkers — the goal isn't zero lurkers, it's converting a few into contributors.

Power user

The small percentage of members who post, answer, and welcome newcomers. Identify them, thank them, give them roles — they're your unpaid staff.

Churn

Members leaving over time. Some churn is normal; sudden spikes mean something broke — usually onboarding or relevance.

Platform

Where the community lives: a forum, a chat app, a social group. The platform should match how members already communicate.

Guidelines

The 3–5 rules that define acceptable behavior. Short, specific, enforced. 'Be kind' isn't a guideline; 'no self-promotion outside the Friday thread' is.

Ambassador

A member given a visible role: greeter, expert, organizer. Ambassadors scale your presence without scaling your hours.

Retention

Keeping members month after month. The metric that matters more than growth — a leaky bucket can't be filled.

Critical mass

The point where the community sustains itself — enough active members that conversation happens without you starting it. Usually 50–100 engaged people, not thousands of silent ones.

Value loop

The cycle: member contributes → gets recognition or help → contributes more. Communities die when the loop breaks.

Cohort

A group that joins together and moves through something together (a challenge, a course). Cohorts bond faster than open enrollment.