Jeffrey Keefer asked “I have also been thinking about the word “Club” in the title here, and wonder the history of the thinking behind that.” in the comments on my post about why I think the term for the industry/movement/era is ‘Social Media’. I was so focused on the term Social Media, that I neglected to explain the reason I thought it best to call what we are doing a ‘Club’ instead of an Association or something else. It really follows the same pattern of thinking I referenced in looking at 37 Signals and is reflected in my third post to this blog, Building the Social Media Clubhouse and the first post The first rule of Social Media Club is…

Merriam Webster defines a club as:

3 a : an association of persons for some common object usually jointly supported and meeting periodically; also : a group identified by some common characteristic club> b : the meeting place of a club club> c : an association of persons participating in a plan by which they agree to make regular payments or purchases in order to secure some advantage

Funny that the reference they use is ‘nuclear club’ isn’t it? For me personally though, it harkens back to a simpler era in my childhood - when I thought about clubs as simply groups I might belong to. I definitely don’t want to be thought of as a traditional association, but it is intended to me more than just an informal group. We want to find that middle ground - not too much structure and formalities, but just enough to ensure sustainability.

Still, we have been dinged by a few people over the past several months who think of the term “club” in terms of exclusivity - but then again, most of them did not do their homework in discovering that we have an open/free membership in addition to professional memberships. We think of this as an exclusive club because of it’s inclusivity. People are not joining because it is a limited opportunity only available to those with the most money - they are joining because there are like minded folks who realize that the amount of money you have does not determine the value you can contribute to the conversation.

Whether your purse is from Prada or Kirkland really does not make a difference in regards to whether or not I want to hear from you. Instead, what matters is your desire to find better ways to do things, to learn from each other, and more specifically, to expand the understanding and practical usage of Social Media across society - inside the enterprise, amongst individuals and between the individual’s and organizations.

It is a club in the spirit of comradery and common purpose - where tolerance, open-mindedness, truthiness and a willingness to engage in respectful dialogue are the most important values shared by its members. Hopefully, we are fast becoming the community center for the Global Neighborhood of people who are passionate about Social Media.