How Group Writing Projects Help to Build Community

April 6, 2009 · by Joanna Paterson · in

I’ve been reflecting on the community benefits of group writing projects after publishing the stellar results of the last project here.

These are the conclusions so far:

For the Participants

Taking part gives you:

  • Links back to your site
  • New vistors, readers and maybe subscribers
  • Comments from the organiser, and quite probably the other participants

Joining in:

  • Signals to others that you’re interested in participating in the wider blogosphere
  • Makes it easier for you to find others, and others to find you
  • Helps you connect up with writers with similar interests
  • Builds your confidence – projects often give you a challenge to stretch yourself a bit
  • Gives you a feel-good effect at being part of something bigger than you

For the Organiser

Running a project gives you many of the same benefits: comments, new readers, links back to your site.  It sends a signal to the blogging community that you’re interested in contributing, supporting, sharing and linking out.

It offers a challenge and a stretch, and will boost your confidence as an editor.

Projects are a lot of work though, and do require some care and attention.  Some of the lessons I’ve learned:

  • Keep it simple
  • Make it accessible to the widest number of people
  • Run your idea and draft announcement past someone else to make sure the instructions make sense
  • Ask others to help spread the word
  • You don’t need prizes: prizes make the whole thing more complex (random draw or judging, if judging, how?).  I’ve also noticed that people are more likely to take part when there are no prizes – it seems to free them up somehow
  • Issue reminders
  • Take the time to comment on every contribution
  • Take care with the round up post – as a courtesy to the participants and your readers you could provide an excerpt as well as a link
  • Be aware in advance that it’s a lot of time and work
  • Give people enough time to take part.  I’d suggest three weeks to give time for people to hear about it, think of a post to write, and then find time to work it into their schedule

The benefits of running a group writing project go beyond the links and the readership though – and that’s what makes them worth all this work.

It’ a little hard to put this into words, but it’s something like this.

When someone writes something for a project you’re running, it feels like a gift.

You don’t know what it’s going to be.  Everyone interprets the topic differently.  Creatively.  With wit, warmth, imagination.

And as  you open it up, you’re often overwhelmed with surprise and delight.

Because someone will have written something that will make you step back in wonder.

Will quite possibly make you want to cry.  Feel humbled that someone has written something so special, of such value, in response to your simple request.

The sense of connection, of community, with those of you who have conributed to the group writing projects here is very strong, and I am very grateful to everyone who’s taken the time and trouble to prove to me, time after time, that our words really do count.

What community benefits have you noticed from taking part in group writing projects?  If you’ve run them yourself, what were the main benefits you received?