Connectivists are catalysts, too, who also need a goal–something to accomplish with others. I’ve started a handful of Google Communities and Circles that have gone not far because, I believe, there was no shared goal to sustain engagement even though I know the members of the forums I created were supportive of what I was doing, there wasn’t enough shared interest in the outcome.

I know, Debs, you’re part of #etmooc and there’s a lot of energy in our sessions generated by our discussions. We share a common interest in learning about the education technologies under discussion, and when a participant gives expression to what she’s learning it helps others recognize the value of what they’re learning, too.

In terms of staying positive, I do my best to empathize with the instructor. I really believe that “schooling” (in the Ivan Illich sense) has profoundly damaged us, and that this instructor is a victim of multiple years of schooling, and is teaching based on what she or he was taught and/or had modeled. Although anyone who finds themselves in a professional teaching role has a responsibility to explore best practices (and to stay on top of emerging new ones), I know that professional development opportunities aren’t always great, time constraints are huge, other family commitments can get in the way, etc., etc. I try to bring that sense of empathy into step #9 and hopefully can make a small difference.

I’m certainly no expert, and am always to trying to learn ways to be a better online community manager. One resource I find valuable is FeverBee’s Online Community Guide. There is a lot of useful stuff here! Good luck with your community.

I have had to forge my own connectivist ties in spite of some of my instructors, and I would say number 8 is the most difficult thing to do! Once I have gone beyond an instructor due to frustration, I find it so difficult to make her/him a major (trusted) node in my learning.