Why Should You Join Remote Work Communities in 2024?

As humans, we have spent our entire lives growing up in social communities and learning how to live in them. And our belonging to these communities or networks affects our identities. It contributes to who we are as social beings.

All aspects of our lives are somehow influenced by the people in our social networks. And we, in turn, influence the other people in our networks. So, given our strong need for social interaction, it should come as no surprise that social networks and online communities exploded as technology became widely available.

According to Buffer, 97% of remote professionals are happy to recommend remote work to others. And UpWork reports that by 2028, 73% of all teams will be made up of remote workers. So remote work is becoming more and more popular, and remote work communities are becoming more and more in demand.

Remote work can sometimes be a lonely world. Especially when you’re just starting out and making the transition from being part of a team to working essentially alone. And these communities can help alleviate that and provide you with some great contacts to work with.

Let’s talk about the value of remote work communities and first, what a remote work community is and why you should care about it.

What is a remote work community?

Communities are groups of people who share a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better by sharing ideas on a regular basis. Basically, a remote work community is an online platform with employees or freelancers discussing ideas, sharing best practices, talking about ways to collaborate and cooperate, sharing projects and advice. They can also meet like-minded people.

It’s easy to find the platforms and communities that work best for you. There are a variety of websites that cater specifically to remote workers. Most of them are specialized in specific fields: for marketers, web developers, writers on a specific platform or whatever. Some of these platforms also offer offline communities that host events where you can meet in person and make connections.

A strong community is characterized by the fact that it is usually led by a leader or an expert who knows a lot about a certain topic and also knows how to keep people engaged. A leader can be an individual or represent a company or team.

So we will tell you who needs an online work community.

Do I need a remote work community?

The following questions will help you to find out whether a remote working community is useful for you personally.

Are you passionate about remote work and could spend all day doing it and talking about it?

Do you have a product or service you want to sell, but you’re constantly struggling to convince people to buy it?

If you answered “yes" to any of the above questions, this is a good sign that you need a remote work community.

They will reach a point in your career where you may want to seek help from other remote workers. Online communities are a fantastic way to find people who like your skills, who you have something in common with and who you would like to work with.

If you were already employed, you may have had a professional development plan or a framework for your ongoing training and development. Now, as a remote employer, you naturally want to keep improving. There are many ways to do this, for example through online courses, but communities are also a good place to learn.

In remote working communities, you can learn from case studies and work examples from others. Also, people in these communities share best practices in terms of their approach or updating certain platforms, channels and algorithms. So communities are a great way to keep your finger on the pulse in terms of development, especially as a remote worker.

Each community has its own way of communicating with each other. Once you get a sense that it’s your space, that it’s a platform you want to be involved in, and that it seems to be a group of like-minded people, it's best to answer any questions.

Most of these platforms and communities have a small channel, section or forum with questions. So you could ask the next question, “I have this problem with customer X, how would you approach it?”

If you have something to offer or have had this experience, you can answer these questions, give your perspective and add value to the community.

Many conversations take place. You can set a date or two in your calendar to participate in these communities. Just find out what current questions people are asking and provide value.

If you work with other remote employers, you can ask them to participate in communities as well.

Reasons why people join online communities

There are a number of reasons why it is better to join a remote working community:

• to meet like-minded people;
• share best practice;
• build relationships;
• become a valuable resource.

You can become known within your community as a valuable resource. People may even come to you with requests, and then you can build those relationships. People may want to learn about your skills and services, and a job opportunity may even arise.

Summary

An online community is a place, usually based on a specific platform, where people with the same interests can share opinions and ideas on a specific topic. If you are looking for the best high-paying remote jobs in 2024 or want to working remotely worldwide, Swapp Agency can help you with your employment process in over 170 countries.