Start an Online Community

Online communities bring together people who share interests, identities, or goals. Maybe you don't know anyone locally who shares your passion for indie game development, vintage cameras, or building businesses—but online, you can find thousands of like-minded people. Building spaces where these communities gather creates valuable assets.

For digital nomads, community building is inherently location-independent. You facilitate discussions, welcome new members, organize events, and cultivate culture—all from wherever you are. Many community leaders travel full-time while maintaining vibrant communities. The work is relationship-based and often energizing rather than draining.

The Reality of Community Building

Building a thriving community takes longer than most expect:

Phase	Timeline	Member Count	What You're Doing
Founding	Months 1-2	10-50	Personal invitations, seeding conversations
Early growth	Months 2-6	50-200	Daily engagement, hosting events
Critical mass	Months 6-12	200-500	Delegating moderation, scaling systems
Established	Year 2+	500+	Strategic direction, monetization optimization

The early months are most demanding. You're starting conversations, responding to every member, and creating the culture that will define your community. This requires consistent daily presence.

Choosing Your Community Focus

Not every topic works for community:

Good community topics:

• Shared professional identities (indie hackers, freelance designers)
• Skill-building with ongoing learning (coding, music production)
• Hobbies with depth (specific games, equipment, crafts)
• Life stages or challenges (new parents, career changers)
• Accountability-based goals (writing, fitness, building businesses)

Challenging topics:

• Very broad interests (too unfocused)
• Topics without ongoing discussion (solved problems)
• Very small niches (not enough potential members)
• Topics already well-served by existing communities

Your community needs a clear reason to exist that makes it better than alternatives.

Platform Comparison

Platform	Cost	Best For	Pros	Cons
Discord	Free	Tech, gaming, creators	Feature-rich, free	Complex for non-tech audiences
Circle	$39-99/month	Paid communities, courses	Clean UI, built for monetization	Monthly cost
Slack	Free-paid	Professional communities	Familiar to business users	Not designed for large communities
Mighty Networks	$39-119/month	Courses + community	All-in-one platform	Higher cost
Facebook Groups	Free	Broad audiences	Huge reach, familiar	Limited features, no ownership

Start with what your target members already use. Forcing people to learn new platforms creates friction.

Building the Founding Member Group

The first 10-20 members determine your community's trajectory. They set the tone, start conversations, and make the space feel alive.

Recruit founding members personally:

• Reach out individually to people you know
• Explain your vision and ask for their help
• Be specific about what you're asking (participate for 4 weeks, start 2 discussions, respond to 5 threads)

Source potential founders from:

• Your existing network
• Twitter/LinkedIn connections in your niche
• Existing communities where members seem to want more
• Email list if you have one

Don't open to the public until you have active founding members making the space feel alive.

Creating Community Culture

Culture happens whether you plan it or not. Better to shape it intentionally:

Set clear guidelines: What's encouraged? What's not allowed? Be specific and enforce consistently.

Model desired behavior: You get more of what you demonstrate. If you want deep discussions, start deep discussions.

Welcome every new member: Personal welcomes make people feel seen. Ask questions, help them connect.

Create rituals: Weekly threads, monthly AMAs, regular events. Rituals create rhythm and belonging.

Celebrate wins: Highlight member successes, promotions, achievements. Make the community a place where people feel supported.

Track community guidelines and event ideas in Notion. Store resources and member directories in Google Drive.

Monetization Models

Free community (monetize around it):

• Sell courses, coaching, or consulting to members
• Drive traffic to products or services
• Build audience for sponsorships
• Validate ideas with built-in focus group

Paid community ($10-100+/month):

• Access to the community itself
• Exclusive content and resources
• Expert access (AMAs, coaching)
• Accountability and structure

Hybrid model:

• Free tier for general access
• Paid tier for premium features, content, or access
• Works for balancing growth with revenue

Patreon or membership platforms:

• Tiered membership with escalating benefits
• Works for creator-led communities with loyal audiences

Revenue potential:

• 100 members at $20/month = $2,000/month
• 500 members at $50/month = $25,000/month
• These are best-case scenarios after 1-2+ years of building

Time Commitment Reality

Community building is not passive, especially early on:

Daily (founding phase): 1-2 hours

• Respond to new posts
• Start conversations
• Welcome new members
• Monitor for issues

Weekly (established): 3-5 hours total

• Host regular events
• Review moderation queue
• Strategic planning
• Member outreach

Monthly: 2-4 hours

• Community health assessment
• Content planning
• Moderator coordination
• Growth initiatives

This work happens from your laptop, on your schedule, from anywhere. But it requires consistent presence.

Managing Community While Traveling

Communities work well with the nomad lifestyle:

• Asynchronous by nature—conversations happen in your absence
• Time zones mean the community is always somewhat active
• Delegate to moderators as you grow
• Mobile apps let you check in during travel days
• Schedule events at consistent times (your members adapt)

The key is setting expectations. If you're offline for travel days, let the community know. Build systems and moderators so the community thrives even when you're not constantly present.

Is This Right for You?

Consider community building if you:

• Genuinely enjoy connecting people
• Have patience for 6-12+ month timeline
• Can commit to consistent presence
• Have or can build authority in your niche
• Find facilitation energizing rather than draining

Consider alternatives if you:

• Need income quickly
• Prefer working alone
• Don't enjoy interpersonal dynamics
• Can't maintain consistent availability

Related paths: Creating courses often pairs with community. Starting a forum offers more async, structured discussion. Email newsletters build audiences you can later convert to community.

Getting started: Choose a community you're genuinely part of—authenticity matters. Start by adding value in existing communities to build reputation. Launch your own space with a clear value proposition for members. Actively recruit founding members who will contribute, not just consume. Set expectations and norms early. Host events (AMAs, challenges, workshops) to create engagement. Be patient—vibrant communities take time to develop.