About the number of "hits" assigned to this website… Which would you rather have?
Quality or quantity?
In general, the two can tend to be mutually exclusive. It all depends on what you want, attracting a lot of people, or attracting potentially compatible members who fit in with the established belief systems of this forum.
Now consider that roughly half of the electorate will vote for Democrats and the other half will vote for Republicans. Since politics in this country is so polarized at the moment, there aren't a lot of topics sharing common ground with both. However, even within the two sides, there's even more polarization. But in spite of this, there are beliefs that all of us on the left, from the center to the far fringe, share.
That's what's you're looking for, what connects all of us, what makes us more inclusive than exclusive. Despite the urge for engage in political distillation and conduct purity tests, your goal would be to seek common ground, even with other people ON THE LEFT who do not share all of your own views.
Open and shared beliefs and willingness to seek common ground, that is what makes a community. Not to mention a little emotional detachment from time to time, because it's not always about you. You don't have to assume that you're being judged all of the time. It's better to wait until you're called out BY NAME.
If you want to maintain relevance, then you want to establish a place where people are able to relate and feel welcome. You want to share a common goal, which would mean that some of your own personal pet projects may have to take the back burner for the common good. Not entirely and permanently, but until the most opportune time. Those whom you have helped should remember what you did for them and will more than likely help you in return. If your character judgement is sound and your cause is just and does the most common good, then they will be on your side when it's your time to advance your own causes.
It's always best to start with the basics, the general things that connect to most, if not all of us lefties. It's best to recognize when false "allies" show up to disrupt and derail unity for their own nefarious purposes. It means that you have to trust FIRST sometimes, until you know for a fact that you don't have a reason TO trust. Sometimes it means that you have throw in a little quid pro quo, even for causes not completely your own, but in doing so, does not harm the overall unity of the group.
Sometimes you have to let go.
Again, quality is not always mutually exclusive from quantity… But usually, the BEST QUALITY increases quantity by attracting the best in all people. Appeal to the best in all people and the numbers will eventually grow.
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