Summary

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David Spinks yearned for connection, he couldn't understand why as a youngster he was bouncing around from one social group to another. At a time when it was still taboo to talk to strangers online, David leaned into what he saw as a future means of interaction. He talks about how his passion for a video game online eventually led to the launch of a forum that took off and opened a world of opportunity. He built this comfort level with online communities well before the age of social media and that comfort ultimately catapulted into idea construction. David shares his career journey that began with an unpaid opportunity as a Community Manager and in short time he earned the opportunity to join a rocket ship as a Director of Community. On the outside everything looked rosy but on the inside, he admits he was in over his head, he struggled to contain his ego, and ultimately he started sinking to the point he was fired. His Mile 40 moment gave him two choices: He could have gone home to the comfort of those who would support him or He could stick it out on the west coast and chase down his dream. The Universe made the decision for him and on this episode David shares how he resurrected his career and how he established a name that ultimately became synonymous with Community.

David Spinks launched his first online community at 14 years old for his favorite video game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4. Today he’s become a prominent leader in the community-driven business movement and the author of the best-selling book, The Business of Belonging. Spinks writes a popular weekly newsletter for community creators and trains and advises community teams at companies like Google, Facebook, Udemy, Impossible Foods, Waze, and Airbnb. His life’s purpose is to help others learn how to build thriving, meaningful communities. Previously he was the cofounder of CMX, where over 20,000 community professionals gather to learn and support each other, and the host of CMX Summit, the largest conference in the community industry. In 2019, CMX was acquired by Bevy, where Spinks served as the VP of Community.

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