The Art of Community

IntroductionThe Inspiration for This Book

One sunny day in June, I sat in a bustling downtown San Francisco taqueria with Kevin Lin, a cofounder and chief operating officer of Twitch. Kevin oversees a billion-dollar online gaming brand that each month attracts tens of millions of visitors. Over a tostada and iced tea, he told me how his user numbers continue to explode. In just three years, his brand had almost accidentally created a meeting place for people who love video games.

To Kevin, it had become clear that users desperately wanted to be part of a community that represented their identity, values, and shared interests. The company had recently invited one thousand of these users to “partner” with the brand. They were extended privileges ...