By Sarah Smith If you build it, they will not come. Creating a thriving online community takes a lot of effort, listening, and strategy. But it’s incredibly rewarding. More than mere traffic, an online community has a personality and momentum all its own. It’s a place people come to share and express their passion. Because people feel so strongly about the activity or topic the community is built around, it’s difficult to get their buy-in and easy to alienate them along the way. Here are a few steps on one possible path to building a community that people are proud to be a part of, and in which they’re eager to invest their time and energy. Really Know Who You’re Serving If you’re thinking about creating an online community, you’re probably already part of the community you’ll be serving, or at least adjacent to it. You may think you know a lot …