Note: this post was written by Frank Garcia and posted on the Zwift Riders Facebook group. You may view it here.
Zwift – From One Community to Many
I have watched over the past few weeks some of the various conversations occurring on Zwift Riders. There have always been certain conversations that were a bit off from the norm of the Zwift community. But lately, that feels a bit more prevalent, and the tenor seems a bit more off.
I can see some concern and some frustration. There are some people wanting to keep the great community atmosphere, other people struggling with some who are serious, and yet others trying to deal with those who are not. Some are focused just on training, others want to race. I imagine there are a whole bunch of people in the middle to whom the serious, the casual, those training, those racing, those “flying” and so on, just don’t mean that much. They just want to get on Zwift, ride and enjoy.
Are we losing the Zwift Community? No. It is just expanding from a single community into a diverse set of communities, each with its own focus, but each equally grounded in the virtual world that is Zwift.
While we are all in the same virtual world, we now live in different communities. Some of us are focused on training, some on racing, some on getting a jersey, others just on riding. Some are focused on inclusiveness, others on competitiveness. The great thing is that Zwift is big enough for all of us.
I hope we can all keep this in mind as we communicate with one another, be that messaging in the virtual world, or on social media. You don’t have to try and make everyone fit in your community and you don’t need to point out that you think their vision is not the right one. If they are not in your community just let them be. If you do reach out to them just be nice, no need to try and force them to convert to your vision. If someone tries to force a particular vision on you just ignore them.
Lastly, I used to worry about what might happen to things I was concerned with, such as, how races were conducted and how things like zPower might impact them. But I am confident in what I have seen. Each community is forming well. Each community has leaders and groups that guide it and establish its norms. It is not perfect at any given moment, but it seems to be continually improving.
The neatest thing about Zwift used to be its community, now it is its communities. Instead of criticizing a different community, try and respect them.
I tend to be a bit more serious and more focused on racing, and that is the community in which I “live.” One of my best days on Zwift, however, came from when I visited the “we don’t leave anyone behind” WSR community.
Welcome to the world of Zwift. It is my sincerest hope, that you can #RideOn through its many communities, enjoying the one where you live and the ones you choose to visit.
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