Let me say this first - I’m not against self-promotion, you can’t be when you are a one-person business, but I believe there are boundaries and when they are pushed it aggravates me.

I’m writing this as a lament because recently one of the most supportive groups I’ve been involved with has been hijacked by people promoting their new products and services. When I joined it was a place to ask questions, get feedback or recommendations and share ideas. But those kinds of posts are now few and far between, and I miss it. I miss the safe space among peers to ask for, and offer, help.

I know it doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve been, and am (thankfully), part of at least one community that has succeeded in maintaining a peer support space free from marketing. From what I’ve observed, the reason it succeeds is that all of the following are in place:

  • clear and visible community guidelines
  • multiple channels for different topics, rather than a single stream
  • active moderators, who challenge guideline breaches

Why does this feel so rare though?

This is day 21 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com