Original article by: Neil Perkin

Countless blog posts have been written about digital community practice, usually containing words like 'open' and 'transparent', and phrases like 'be human'. But what does it all really mean, in practical terms? Here are 10 key principles:

1. The community should have a purpose

   A community without a purpose is not a community. Purpose gives people a reason to be there, provides common ground, motivation, and helps them to connect with likeminded people. And it's not necessarily what you assume it to be. When asked about how you build a digital community, Mark Zuckerberg famously answered that that was the wrong question: "Communities already exist. Instead, think about how you can help that community do what it wants to do."