Wait! Come back! If you’re looking for a discussion on online community and social networking, you’re in the right place. I promise, this is not really about plants and dirt. (Besides, my apartment building doesn’t have a lawn or a garden, and I have a pretty black thumb. Seriously, I killed a cactus once.)

So, why is this blog named “Community Gardening” if it’s not really about a garden? Well, it is. Let me explain.

The inspiration for this blog name, and my philosophy about community management, comes from my friend Howard Rheingold (author of The Virtual Community, Smart Mobs, and The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online), who said “Communities don’t just happen automatically when you provide conversation tools: under the right conditions, online communities grow. They are gardened.”

In my years of community management, I have found this to be true. Sure, if you threw some random seeds into a patch of dirt and leave it alone, something might grow there. It might even look okay. Or it could be a horrible mess. If you don’t take care of your patch of dirt, eventually the weeds will kill anything that did grow there. Your patch of dirt would have been a lot better off if you took the time to plan your garden (what to plant, what plants go well next to each other) and tend to it, making sure it got enough water and sun, and a good weeding. You would have a better, more sustainable garden. And communities are the same way.

How are you gardening your communities? Drop a note in the comments and share.