18/01/2026
Stop Calling Everything a Community
Most âcommunitiesâ online arenât communities. Theyâre audiences with a group chat.
Iâm saying this as someone who works remotely and spends a huge chunk of life inside digital and hybrid spaces. Iâve joined free groups, paid groups, founder circles, VA circles, creator circles, solo living groups, reddit, etc..
Same word keeps showing up: community.
And I get why.
âCommunityâ sounds like trust. It sounds like support. It sounds really good to most people.
But hereâs what Iâve noticed: when we call everything a community, we end up building the wrong thing.
A lot of leaders think they have a community problem (âwhy is no one engaging?â), when what they actually have is a structure problem.
Because an âaudienceâ runs on content. A ânetworkâ runs on connections.
But a âcommunityâ runs on relationships, shared norms and members helping members.
When you mix those up, youâll keep pushing content harder, posting more, doing more âengagement promptsâ⊠and it still wonât feel like a community. People might react, but they wonât attach.
So this is the working definition Iâm using moving forward:
A community is a bounded group of people with a shared identity and shared norms, who interact repeatedly over time in ways that create mutual support and a felt sense of belonging.
If that feels âtoo strict,â good. Itâs supposed to be strict.
Because the label matters.
If what you truly have is an audience, then your job is clarity and consistency.
If what you truly have is a network, your job is introductions and light facilitation.
If what you truly have is a community, your job is culture, safety, norms and getting members to build value with each other.
Two quick tells I use when Iâm assessing any group:
If most conversations are still admin â members, itâs usually not a community yet. If the group goes quiet the moment the admin stops posting, itâs usually not a community yet.
Again, ânot yetâ doesnât mean âbad.â
Some of the most valuable spaces are audiences. Some are networks. Some are marketplaces.
The problem starts when we expect community outcomes from a non-community structure.
And I think this is why so many groups feel tiring to run. The leader becomes the engine. The members become the audience. Then everyone wonders why âbelongingâ isnât happening.
Iâm posting more about this because I keep seeing the same opportunity hiding in plain sight: if we can get the label right, we can get the build right.
If youâre running a group right now, try this one question (no overthinking):
When members have a problem, do they look to the admin⊠or do they look to each other?
That answer tells you a lot.
So what do you think?
Do you have an audience, a network or a community?
By Jalanie Tawantawan (written with ChatGPTâs help for structure and editing. The ideas and framework are mine.)