Couverture de Building Thriving Online Communities in 2026: Why Skool Is Changing the Game for Content Creators

Building Thriving Online Communities in 2026: Why Skool Is Changing the Game for Content Creators

Building Thriving Online Communities in 2026: Why Skool Is Changing the Game for Content Creators

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 In 2026, community won’t be a nice-to-have—it will be the critical difference between brands that grow and brands that disappear. While most online communities are loud, very few actually make a lasting impact. As social media platforms continue to change their algorithms and restrict features, content creators, educators, and entrepreneurs are discovering that building communities on platforms they don’t own is like building a house on rented land.In a comprehensive live discussion, me and community-building specialist Jim Fuhs explored why traditional social media groups are failing creators and how platforms like Skool (with a K) are revolutionizing the way we build, engage, and monetize online communities. If you’re a content creator, educator, coach, or entrepreneur looking to build meaningful connections with your audience in 2026, understanding the shift from volume-based content to community-driven engagement could transform your business model entirely.The Fatal Flaw of Building Communities on Social Media PlatformsFacebook Groups: The Illusion of OwnershipFor years, content creators have invested countless hours building Facebook groups with thousands of members, only to discover a harsh reality: you don’t own your community—Facebook does. Jim highlighted a critical turning point that occurred approximately two years ago when Facebook began systematically restricting group features that creators had relied upon.“Facebook started removing the ability to live stream into groups, then they limited how long your live videos would remain accessible,” Jim explained. “Creators who had built their entire community strategy around going live in their groups suddenly found their content disappearing after 30 days unless they jumped through multiple hoops to restore it.”The situation reached a crisis point when Facebook’s AI moderation systems began taking down entire groups overnight—sometimes groups with tens of thousands of members—for alleged community standards violations that made little sense. While many groups were eventually restored, the incident exposed the vulnerability of building your business on someone else’s platform.The most devastating consequence? Many of these community builders had never collected email addresses from their members. When their groups were threatened, they had no way to communicate with or recover their community outside of Facebook’s ecosystem.LinkedIn Groups: The Missed OpportunityLinkedIn groups represent an even more dramatic failure in the community platform space. Despite being acquired by Microsoft with significant resources behind it, LinkedIn has never properly invested in making groups functional or valuable.“Every once in a while, I’ll check LinkedIn groups I’m part of—groups with thousands of members,” Jim noted. “If somebody has even posted recently, which is rare, the engagement is practically zero. They’re all ghost towns. LinkedIn had a huge opportunity and completely missed it.”The pattern is clear across both platforms: when you build your community on social media, you’re subject to their priorities, their algorithm changes, and their business model—none of which are designed to help you build meaningful, lasting relationships with your audience.Why Most Online Communities Fail: The WIFM PrincipleBeyond platform limitations, many communities fail because creators lose sight of a fundamental principle: WIFM—What’s In It For Me (from the member’s perspective).The Broadcast TrapJim identified the most common failure pattern: “Where communities fail is people forget what their community was supposed to be about. They stop asking ‘What value am I providing to members?’ and it becomes more of a broadcast channel—essentially a social media profile under a different name.”A true community needs to:* Solve specific problems for its members* Provide valuable resources that help people get better at something* Foster genuine connections between members, not just between members and the creator* Create engagement opportunities beyond passive consumptionWhen your community successfully helps members overcome obstacles and achieve their goals, those members become your best advocates, inviting others who face similar challenges.The Time Investment RealityAnother reason communities fail is that creators underestimate the ongoing commitment required. You cannot create a community and do nothing. Building a thriving community requires:* Consistent content creation that addresses member needs* Active engagement and response to questions and discussions* Regular events or touchpoints (live sessions, Q&As, workshops)* Curation of valuable third-party resources* Recognition and elevation of active community membersThe algorithmic challenge compounds this issue. On platforms like Facebook, if the algorithm doesn’t surface your community content in members’ feeds, and members don’t check their email...
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