3 Rules for Success from World of Warcraft

Sharon Vosmek writes on VentureBeat how unspoken rules in World of Warcraft could apply to entrepreneurship. Listening to her husband and brother-in-law talk about WOW reminded her of the way entrepreneurial ecosystems work.

Sharon offers three guidelines, which might apply equally well even if your only startup is You, Inc.:

1. Cry more, noob (or “less QQ, more PEWPEW”).

2. Pay it forward.

3. There are no good secrets.

Drawing from Sharon’s explanation of these rules, here’s how I understand them:

1. Learn from experienced community members before complaining about how things work. Just because you can do everything on your own doesn’t mean you should, and don’t go whining about the game before you’ve done your due diligence to learn how it works. Online communities make a vast array of role models and coaches available to you. Startup founders, for example, might want to take advantage of Web Worker Daily’s sister site, Found+Read.

[Note: I’m not a WOW user, but with the help of the Urban Dictionary I translate “less QQ, more PEWPEW” as “less crying, more fighting.”]

2. Contribute first to join the community; your benefits come later. Figure out what you have of value for the community you want to join and give it to that community. This is the best form of self promotion there is, and it will likely get you a lot further than just demanding help without first showing your value as a community member.

[Note: This is different from the usual conception of Pay it forward.]

3. Secrets aren’t a major source of advantage; sharing is. Don’t think your ultimate success hinges upon your ability to keep all the good info and ideas for yourself. The world of the web works on collective action and multiplying brainpower.

What have you learned from working in online communities?

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