Jermaine Dupri and Global 14 have put community back into social media. That’s what I have to say in an interview conducted recently with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. But a community needs to be visible in order to thrive. Throughout the Q&A, I provide an update on how Dupri’s Global 14 social media community has grown in popularity and visibility through an innovative co-branding relationship that I manage at iCrossing. For instance, iCrossing and Dupri have collaborated on the co-creation of thought leadership and the launch of earned media activities. (Recently we worked together to introduce Global 14, which Dupri founded in 2011, to European and Latin American markets, as I noted in an iCrossing Great Finds blog post.)

Ultimately, what we’re doing is helping Dupri build a community of 37,000 people (and counting) who care about each other and share common interests ranging from sports to hip-hop. My main take-away: you might join Global 14 because of Dupri — but you’ll stay because of the people you meet. I have more than 700 Global 14 friends. I met all of them on Global 14 rather than importing those relationships from elsewhere. And I doubt I would have met my fellow Lifers (as Dupri refers to Global 14 members) had it not been for Global 14. Isn’t meeting new people and sharing with a community what social media is all about?