Even Michael Skoler who leads Public Radio International’s interactive activities was surprised by the huge turnout for Ira Glass’ live version of his popular radio show, This American Life.

Wrote Gigaom’s Mathew Ingram, “More than 30,000 watched the first digital show at hundreds of theaters across the U.S. and Canada in the spring of 2008. The next year, 47,000 turned out. They came to be with other fans, experiencing something they all loved together.”

Hint: Host a road tour or gatherings where your online community members can meet face-to-face and collectively hear from their stars, their most valued members.  Unlike associations and civic clubs, many online communities haven’t provided an opportunity for in-person conversations and celebrations.

Conversely many of the traditional clubs aren’t maximizing their opportunity for members to socialize and to learn from members in other chapters – both online and in-person. As sister chapters and organizations get networked via the opportunity to see meet online and in-person, diverse ties deepen. Serendipitous friendships, breakthroughs and collaboration are more likely to happen.

What if, for example, Rotary International invited its members to create short video stories about their inspiring, first-hand experience in civic projects in their community and in other parts of the world? Next, what if Rotary, asked members to vote for their favorite video stories?

Then Rotary could host its own multi-city, simultaneous “film festival.” Invite members and their family and friends to gather locally in public auditoriums, homes and theatres to see and talk about those favorites.

Right afterwards it might host an online, vote-this-hour, People’s Choice contest so that worldwide audience could choose their Top Ten.

With Rotary’s squeaky clean, altruistic image, I’m thinking that many major companies would leap at the chance to underwrite the costs and/or provide the technical support to make this community-building dream come true.

Consider how instructive, heart-warming and member and media attracting that could be for a member-based organization with chapters.

Of course other diverse organizations with avid members, stories to tell and a strong sense of community could emulate their version of this approach.

Off the top of my head, those organizations  include the Westminister Kennel Club’s dog show, college and corporate alumnae organizations, Student Youth Tour Association in partnership with high schools, and the Cyclists’ Touring Club in the UK.

One of the smartest moves a company could make would be to launch and host an online community that becomes the most popular place for its kinds of customers to join, exchange ideas, co-create and otherwise collaborate.

To strengthen ties, understanding and value between members and between the company and members, that firm would, of course, host in-person events in formats that most serve that kind of community’s interests.  Those formats can be as varied as talent contests, mutual mentoring sessions, speed consulting, Pecha Kucha, Ignite or collectively viewing and voting on their favorite, member-created videos on the topics that brought them together.

A company-hosted online community that includes in-person events could be competition for some associations, accustomed to controlling the programs for their members, inviting “vendors” to pay to play yet often not giving them much of a say on how to participate for the greater good of members and vendors.

Have you heard of inventive ways that members of online communities are meeting in-person?

Do you belong to a club, association or other organization?  How could it bring members closer by enabling them to enjoy meeting both online and in face-to-face gatherings?

… do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them?”  That’s one question in Gallup’s recent poll of 140 countries. It turns out that the wealthier and more stable your country the more likely it is that you have friends to whom you can turn. 

(Guess which country tops the list, despite its recently reduced economy.)

This makes intuitive sense to me. Yet Foreign Policy’s Christina Larson wrote, “Poor countries are often assumed to have relatively weak government safety nets, but also strong social networks—extended families and friends who can pitch in during hard times.”

But the desperately poor, surrounded by conflict, don’t have the luxury of helpfulness.  The more stable a political and economic culture the more able citizens are to be supportive of each other. If you lost your home long ago and don’t know when you and your children will eat next, it’s difficult to find time to help someone else.

As Steve Crabtree observed last year, “Money can’t buy happiness — but it sure seems to buy a lot of life satisfaction,” at least relatively speaking.

One side note in seeing the poll results: I’m tempted to re-visit Ireland. By country, here are the percentages of poll respondents who answered “yes”:

48% Pakistan

54% Afghanistan

62% Cambodia

62% Iran

80% China

95% United States

98% Ireland

… you may fall “in like” with kindred spirits who are interested in meeting you. In fact you’re likely to make lifelong friends. Here’s how.

Rather than scouting guidebooks for your next dream vacation, hoping to discern not only the best sightseeing spots but the undiscovered foods, customs and places only the locals know about, why not trade homes?  Even if you don’t find romance as the women played by Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet did, using this site in the movie, The Holiday, you may meet interesting locals who know the owners of the home in which you get to stay. And all that money you save by not staying in a hotel means you can splurge on your trip or take more trips. (What recession?) Yet, if you’re like me, the first fear that pops in your head is, “What! Let strangers stay in my home! Are you kidding?” Yet more and more people are swapping homes.

Hear how the founder of the first home exchange community, Ed Kushins, has built into his system two vital traits to grow a loyal online community:

1. A clear, compelling reason to join and participate: trade homes for a more interesting and relaxing and less expensive way to vacation.

2. A way to establish trust with another member before trading homes: exchange emails to get to know each other, check out referrals from their past exchanges, read closely their self-written descriptions of their home and themselves and view the unlimited number of photos they can choose to display.

Members can exchange homes, for short or longer times, and advice about what to see and do, and who to meet, “when you’re here in my town.” Deeper friendships have sprung out of common interests as diverse as runners, amateur historians and foodies. As a hiker, author, glass lover with a lifelong interest in urban design and behavioral science I am diving into the new world of trading homes.

Yes it means I can afford to see more places but, more than that, I’ll be able to find people in other parts of the world with whom I can exchange ideas and share experiences.  Finding those matches will be simpler in an online community than on my own as this charming man and this anonymous person are apparently doing on their own. Everyone loves value, even the ultra-rich.

Who’s Your City? Instead, some avid home swappers appear to become citizens of the world. As my semi-retired, world-traveling friends, Shari and Bob put it, home exchange is a captivating way to create world peace by getting to know each other better.

Got a minute for a recap of what’s happened so far? See the lecture offered by University of Pennsylvania intellectual historian, Alan Charles Kors. Unfortunately, you’ll need Real Player to view it. Below is a written summary. Hopeful notes: (for some) irrigation strengthens community and (for more of us) the many benefits inherent in the “cooperation of strangers.”

• First, tribes: tough life.
• The defaults beyond the intimate tribe were violence, aversion to difference, and slavery. Superstition: everywhere.
• Culture overcomes them partially.
• Rainfall agriculture, which allows loners.
• Irrigation agriculture, which favors community.
• Division of labor plus exchange in trade bring mutual cooperation, even outside the tribe.
• The impulse is always there, though: “Kill or enslave the outsider.”
• Gradual science from Athens’ compact with reason.
• Division of labor, trade, the mastery of knowledge, plus time brought surplus, sometimes a peaceful extended order and, rules diversely evolved and, the cooperation of strangers – always warring against the fierce defaults of tribalism, violence, and ignorance.
• No one who teaches you knows what will happen.

This is not the first time Kors has stirred lively conversation about “our” behavior. Yet it may inspire you to explore more of the remarkable research at SAS. Now what do you recall from your past history with others?

Last Friday the members in my audience at EMC Venues’ MEET voted on questions I asked and saw their cumulative votes appear on the screens on either side of me soon thereafter. They loved it. I only wish audiences had more ways to share and compare all year long. That’s what moms in medicine are doing.

Whatever your profession or industry in which you work you probably get invited to join one or more professional associations. And if you have attended the annual conference you know, first-hand, the power of meeting peers face-to-face to keep up with the latest trends in your work world. Plus some of your closest friendships may have blossomed through gathering at those conferences year after year. That is especially true if you are a boomer or older. Let’s not fall into the Status Quo Trap.

Younger generations are accustomed to text messaging and emailing each other all year long, checking out each others’ profiles on FaceBook, LinkedIn and other social networks. In short, they are forging friendships and finding work contacts online. In fact, many of those entering college need a workshop to learn how to meet and talk in person.

So, like many sea changes, this gap between how people are used to meeting and collaborating is a two-edged sword. The burgeoning use of social media creates discomfort and opportunity. As a frequent speaker at conferences, I have been advocating more interactive meetings, storyboarding them to make them more meaningful and involving social media to deepen the in-person connections all year long. That’s why I wrote about the threat that association professionals face from “outsiders” if they don’t provide more ways for member to interact, as these have done. My fellow MeCo members have picked up the discussion as have Jon at Confabb, Amanda Fretheim Gates and Ben Zeitlin of West Glen.

As my friend Jeff Davidson notes, in this time of increasing social isolation we crave face-to-face meetings with our peers. The high tech of social media is getting user-friendly – even for non-geek boomers like me. That means the high touch of the conference experience can only get better as people can continue to get to know each other when they are not face-to-face.

I’m optimistic. Many of us predict that 2008 will bring a rush of social media adoption among some associations, opening the floodgates for more member organizations to jump in the pool. Certainly if a social media maven goes after an association’s members with an alternative offering, more meeting professionals will be shocked into taking a quick primer on blogs, wikis, vlogs, podcasts, social networks, online groups and more. Dan Parks, Corbin Ball, Joan L. Eisenstodt, Jeff De Cagna and others are leading the way for us. Research indicates this adoption will build trust and innovation. Not a small goal for 2008, eh?