Women Are Gaining From Maslow-fied Internet

I am on this flight from Chennai to Delhi. My co-passenger is this woman, just about my age and we get chatting. Primarily because we are both glued to our laptops and we are very happy the middle seat is vacant!
 

She runs a software company offering Agile and ERP services.
 

We introduce ourselves and she immediately shares that she is a member of the SHEROES community. She logged in a couple of years ago when she was evaluating life and work options for herself. She even knew names of some of our team members. 
 

A little further into the conversation, turns out she has been hiring using the platform and has key employees from SHEROES. She is also checking out different new products and services we have for enterprises. 
 

I am not surprised as I learn about her but surely pleased. 
 

I get a lot of people telling me they are SHEROES members or have found some connection via the platform a lot especially when I walk into large groups of women across the country. Like one at Ahmedabad, about a week ago. 
 

But this was rather interesting. Randomness pinging as proof of burgeoning community. And an affirmation of some of my assumptions as a founder.
 

It led me to reflect more on communities and what makes them tick! 
 

• In a standard internet platform, the relationship between entities is defined in binary. An e-commerce user will always log in to buy. A gaming user will play games. A food app user will order and leave. That defines the MAU’s, DAU’s as the case may be. 
   
• In communities, fundamentally entities have a life cycle role. Users take on one role and graduate to others – invariably completing the circle. A user may engage passively one day and more actively next, depending on variables like their need, interest and available options among other things. 
   
• Tech communities like Github, Reddit and some offline communities are a clear proof of this phenomenon. 
   
• Communities also run a bit like musical chairs – your position in the circuit keeps changes. Like in SHEROES Community – some day you are a taker – looking for something actively – advice, information, opportunity, support, some days you are a giver – advice, goods, connections and some days you are a passive lurker, who is picking up low hanging fruits like conversations and content. 
   
• Communities also have a fundamental mission centricity. Every person who joins because of a sense of resonance – a connection with the purpose – in our case, it is women and their growth aspirations and the community members engage in diverse capacities to make that happen. 

I am a strong believer that future of the internet is connection, empathy and circles of support. A departure from internet 1.0 – Information and 2.0 – Transaction. It also is central to getting more and more women adopting the internet as their natural home of growth.
 

Internet is being Maslow-fied and it is community members like my fellow passenger who are providing the proof of the pudding.