Dull thoughts in a sharp world.

Organic Communities:

• Are borne out of passion
• Seem to pop up overnight and attract “like” people that immediately provide conversation/content
• Don’t typically self promote and grow organically by word of mouth
• Have a culture that is specific to their community
• Feed off one another (self-induced psychological pressures, “I want that!” “I need to share this!”)
• Raise up people who contribute to and enhance the community
• Help one another via cross pollination of information
• Encourage sub-communities to form
• Don’t like to be controlled
• Get protective when people interrupt the natural flow of the community through disruptions (the community will self-heal in one way or another)

Inorganic Communities:

• Are created for a specific reason (i.e. to promote, sell, research, connect customers, listen, customer service, etc.)
• Need to work harder to attract members and need to create conversation/content to induce new conversation/content (that ol’ chicken & egg syndrome)
• Often rely on self-promotion to grow
• The culture is that of the company that created it (i.e. passionate about a particular company, cause, etc.)
• The organizers tend to be the experts
• Are more focused and controlled
• Have rules of engagement for members

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I like how Beth makes clear distinctions between an organic and an inorganic community, though think the lines can be blurred at times.   Overcoming a cold start is a issue with both communities, but I think without regulation, the community has a much better chance to grow virally.  Similar to real life, if your conversations are not monitored or there is not the perception of being “hovered” by company marketing directors, the passion of a conversation is revealed.   Compare your conversation with a co-working at a bar vs. with a co-worker in front of your boss.  

So the question is, how much does an advertiser on the site affect the conversation.  Yelp.com has done a tremendous job with building a community where users do not feel like they are being hovered by business owners (Though I think many businesses are starting to email Yelp users after a bad review is posted.  Interested to see what will happen if lots of business owners start doing that).  

Drawing from personal experience, I would say that having a structure keeps the conversation and content focused, making it more useful, searchable, and logical.  However, the downside is that the conversation may have your boss interjecting.