In communities this focus on the “we” in fact can play against some of the very features that make a network attractive. For instance in a network, I create my space – its all about me – first then I link to friends and others. The conversation is secondary. In a community, a person is coming to learn from the “we”, and while a person might build out their profile, the most important part is sharing, giving to others in the community. The “me” part builds out later (in most cases).

In the past year, I have seen a lot of people responsible for social media strategy thinking that they should focus on the desire for a user to come to their website and connect with other people that have bought or are thinking of buying their product and leading with the networking/”me” features. That is exactly the opposite that is true. People come first to see if they can find an answer or share their knowledge then they promote themselves.
Thanks for highlighting this important distinction.