Sense of belonging
Overview
A sense of belonging refers to the subjective feeling that you're a member of a particular group or community. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it corresponds to the social need, which comes after physiological needs and safety needs. People tend to want to avoid isolation and to feel that they "belong" somewhere.
With the spread of social media, the places where a sense of belonging forms have expanded from offline to online. Being a follower of a particular account, using a particular hashtag, and taking part in a particular community can each be one of the elements that shape a sense of belonging in the digital age.
The sense of belonging a question box creates
A question box nurtures a unique sense of belonging between the person answering and their followers. Followers send questions regularly and read the answers. This repetition is behind the feeling that "I'm a member of this community." Some regulars (people who send questions often) feel their question box is a place where they belong.
When the person answering notices a regular as "that person again" and shows it in an answer (for example, "You sent me a similar question before"), it's one factor that strengthens the sense of belonging. This is a feature of the ongoing exchanges in a question box, unlike a one-time anonymous message board.
The bright and dark sides of belonging
A sense of belonging helps you keep running a question box for a long time. Followers feeling that "this is a place where I belong" may raise the quality of questions and the box's value as a community.
However, a sense of belonging that's too strong may breed exclusivity. Inside jokes only regulars understand can push new senders away. The feeling that "this question box belongs to us" can lead to coldness toward newcomers. The person answering needs to value regulars while consciously keeping an atmosphere where new senders can easily join in. The attitude of the person answering affects where the line between an open community and a closed one falls.