--- title: "Online Communities: The Great Equalizer?" id: "36849" type: "post" slug: "online-communities-the-great-equalizer" published_at: "2017-02-03T22:28:14+00:00" modified_at: "2017-02-03T22:28:14+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/02/03/online-communities-the-great-equalizer/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/02/03/online-communities-the-great-equalizer.md" excerpt: "Online communities offer communication channels between entry-level employees and leadership. Also: Be inspired by your past successes to promote change in your association." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Data Organization" - "Leadership" - "Membership" - "online communities" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Online Communities: The Great Equalizer? In most organizations, there is a clear hierarchy. The associate answers to the manager, who answers to the director, who answers to a VP, and so on. Most entry-level or midcareer employees simply won’t have a direct line of communication to the people at the top. [Over at the Rasa.io blog (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.rasa.io/how-an-online-community-levels-the-playing-field) , CEO Bryan Kelly points out that “one of the great features of an online community is that it gives members the opportunity to be on an equal footing with each other.” He adds, “Everyone is much bolder, more honest in the relatively anonymous realm of the internet—which can sometimes be painful, but it’s also a good way for leadership to find out what members and employees are *really* thinking.” Association execs should make sure to be active participants and leaders in their online communities. “He or she knows they’re more likely to get the unvarnished truth online—something they can’t be certain of getting when they meet members face to face.” Kelly encourages leaders to ask questions of their members and staff to gain valuable insights from entry-level employees who can help guide the association. Check out Kelly’s [blog post for more (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.rasa.io/how-an-online-community-levels-the-playing-field) . ### Look to the Past for Inspiration > Sometimes the past can provide the best insights for leading change in the future. [@TalentCulture (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/TalentCulture?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [@royosing (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/RoyOsing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/FaEb3Xwtmy (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/FaEb3Xwtmy) > [pic.twitter.com/fR8xn9gjex (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/fR8xn9gjex) > > — Nonprofit HR (@nonprofit_hr) [February 3, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/nonprofit_hr/status/827577784134463489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Chances are, your organization** has no problem brainstorming a bunch of “big ideas.” But great ideas don’t turn into action easily. So many of them last only as long as it takes for someone to erase a conference room whiteboard. [Roy Osing from TalentCulture says (opens in a new tab)](http://www.talentculture.com/how-to-lead-change-by-looking-at-the-past/) change management is overly based on the future. “It focuses on what needs to be done differently in order to meet expected new environmental and competitive shifts.” But Osing warns that “the risk here is the implicit internal message that can be sent that somehow the past (and by implication the people who were there) is ‘bad’ and is responsible for the jeopardy leadership says the organization faces.” Osing offers up a fix [here (opens in a new tab)](http://www.talentculture.com/how-to-lead-change-by-looking-at-the-past/) . ### Other links of note **Easier email:** Looking for a Gmail template solution? Try this [Chrome add-on (opens in a new tab)](http://www.templatesforgmail.com/) . **Don’t be afraid to try video:** *Association Success* offers up a [beginner’s guide (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/the-beginners-guide-to-creating-video-content-on-a-budget) to creating video content. **Data visualization:** *Business 2 Community* tells us how to be [better data storytellers (opens in a new tab)](http://www.business2community.com/brandviews/act-on/data-visualization-101-make-better-pie-charts-bar-graphs-01764978#05SzDklQqZxid1Ai.99) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Data Organization](https://associationsnow.com/tag/data-organization/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#online communities](https://associationsnow.com/tag/online-communities/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) - [PodcastWhy Associations Must Rethink Learning and Community TogetherMarch 26, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/03/26/why-associations-must-rethink-learning-and-community-together/) - [PodcastWhy AI Certification Matters for Association LeadersFebruary 26, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/02/26/why-ai-certification-matters-for-association-leaders/) - [VideoInnovation Impact Survey Informational WebinarSeptember 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/09/18/innovation-impact-survey-informational-webinar/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F02%2F03%2Fonline-communities-the-great-equalizer%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !