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wikiblogarden/repetition/growth/readme.md

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+# It comes in waves
+
+Every now and then, I'm fortunate enough to witness a community grow. Here's my theory about how that happens.
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+## The spark
+
+It can be anything. Communities can start out of seemingly nowhere. But there's often one thing / one seed / one tiny moment that causes a community to start to grow. 
+
+It can be something someone has made. It can be something someone has written, or said. It can be anything.
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+Sometimes, that tiny spark, whatever it is, can be sitting dormant, unnoticed for quite a long time. It only takes one small burst of interest or discovery to turn it into—
+
+## The rise
+
+After discovering a spark, interest can spread very quickly.
+
+Virality is when one person tells many, then many tell many more. Some viruses spread quickly and some have a bit of an incubation period. But whatever their speed, they spread. 
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+<br>
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+<br>
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+During the spread, many more sparks can occur, which can cause many more spreads, and a cycle happens.
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+Interest generates around a thing, which causes other things to happen, and these things generate interest of their own, taking away interest from the original thing. 
+
+## The fall
+
+Time passes and your chronological distance from the original spark goes longer. And interest in it fades.
+
+"Perhaps it was just a fad."
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+"I'm glad it had its moment but I'm sad that it's over."
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+"I miss the time when people were interested in [that thing]."
+
+## The pit
+
+I have learned to not worry about the pit.
+
+There was a time in my life when I worried about people losing interest in my own work, or other things I care about. 
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+However: If something caused a spark before, it is likely to cause a spark again, for whatever reason. It is only a matter of time before that happens. 
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+So, as long as the original thing is still around, then it's soon time for—
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+## The spark
+
+The second spark will not be the same as the first. It's a new rediscovery of a thing. It'll see the thing in a different way / under a different light. 
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+And again—
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+## The rise
+
+The sparks spread around, gathering more people into the moment, some from the first spread, and some new. 
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+And this means that new sparks will form, sending people elsewhere, towards—
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+## The fall
+
+Interest will fade again, as people get sent onto other things by all the generated activity.
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+And the original thing may become stagnant. People may become tired of it / fatigued by it. 
+
+"I remember the good old days when we were all [doing thing]."
+
+"It's such a shame that interest in [thing] died down."
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+"I don't like to admit it but I'm actually a bit tired of [thing]."
+
+## The pit
+
+Don't worry. It's good for things to die. It makes space for something else. It's the natural ebb and flow of the world. 
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+We trim the twigs and leaves of our plants because we love them, and we want them to grow. 
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+Sometimes a period of calm is good for a community. Everyone needs a rest and time to think and reflect on *whatever it is that just happened*.
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+Take a moment. Don't rush back in. Let it sit in death.
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+<br>
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+<br>
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+<br>
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+My theory is that community is all about timing.
+
+I think that some communities fail to grow because people don't let them die down, to make room for regrowth.
+
+<br>
+
+## The spark
+
+A new spark will happen again. It could come from someone else, or from you. 
+
+I try to give sparks a good balance of old and new. Yes, you may be nostalgic for previous peaks, but no one will care about your spark if its only promise is to be the "same as before".
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+With every spark, you need to be able to answer the question of "Why is this time unique?"
+
+If you can answer that, then—
+
+## The rise
+
+The community will buzz. The spread is a good time to introduce new people to the community because it's an exciting time / a time when the community is showing off its best.
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+Boost boost boost! Lift up your fellow community members. Make it easy to contribute, and make it rewarding. Give credit! Make space for other people by making yourself small. 
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+All the way to—
+
+## The peak
+
+The peak is the reward / punishment of the rise. It'll probably be hard to keep up with everything at this point. And sparks will fly off the edge into other communities.
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+I don't think the peak is a good time to change the community, because it's a time when many people are loving it, and some people are hating it because it's different to the previous peak. So there's a chance for conflict. 
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+And besides, there's no chance for the community to change at this point, because it's not... changing. It only changes when it's rising or falling. Never at the peak or pit, the static times.
+
+## The fall
+
+As excitement fades, it's a good time for reflections and learnings. 
+
+"What just happened?"
+
+What was so good about it? What's so good about this community? How welcoming is it? 
+
+Is there anything you wish you had while you were on the rise or at the peak? 
+
+## The pit
+
+The pit is the default state of the universe. Nothing happens.
+
+So you end up with some spare time. Now is the time to prepare for the next rise. Don't worry. It'll happen. 
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+<br>
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+<br>
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+I see some communities fail because people give up on it at the first pit. They think that there must be something wrong with the community, and that's why it died down. But they're wrong.
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+These people lack patience, and resilience.
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+<br>
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+Sometimes it can take years.
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+But by all means, throw out a spark and see if people are ready. If they are they are. If they are not, then do something else. 
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+I think it's helpful to see a community as a living system— computation, because it is one.
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+A community is like a plant and growing a plant is all about timing. You have to water it at the right time and cut it back at the right time. 
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+If it grows too much, it'll tire itself out and die for good. So let it die a little bit, to keep it in balance. 
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+If you need to rehome it, do it when it's healthiest: When it's growing. But you might need to get the new pot ready before then. 
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+Its fruits or flowers or seeds can spawn new plants, but you'll want to place them carefully. Don't let them land too close, or there won't be enough space. 
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+<br>
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+<br>
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+See? 
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+## The spark
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+<br>
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+<br>
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+The world is made of cycles.
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+But time is not a circle. It's more of a spiral line.
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+Because growth doesn't mean getting bigger. It means change!
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+<br>
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+Back to the [wikiblogardenite](/wikiblogardenite).