Words Worth Thinking About

n a recent Sunday, I was listening to my friend and brother talk incessantly about World of Warcraft.
I was just starting to get frustrated by the conversation when, between the "there's dozens of gankers outside Karazhan" and "the DRUID just ninja'ed another blue," I heard something that I not only understood, but that made a lot of sense to me.
It was in that moment that I learned that online game communities have ecosystems much like the ecosystems that I work with every day. These ecosystems can be your greatest strength as an entrepreneur (or as a rogue in WoW) – but they require conformity to a basic set of rules.

Three rules for building and maintaining an ecosystem – real or virtual:
1. Cry more, noob
This was my favorite rule especially as it applies to start-ups. It was translated to me as, "don't start by complaining about game mechanics before you know how the game works. Ask questions and get guidance before you assume the game is broken. Most likely the problem is that you do not know how to play the game. If you are inexperienced, show some humility – be willing to learn."

2. Pay it Forward
"Don't ask until you have helped others. People are more inclined to help you once they know you and see you as part of their ecosystem."

Simple and beautifully said.

3. There are no good secrets

Oh, man, this one was great – and so counter-intuitive. These two were chatting away about all of the game secrets. They shared their learning from within WoW and from the many postings outside of Wow (yes, these two are real game geeks). They were actively tapping in to each other's genius – in order to help themselves and to solve the problem set of the day.