Who are the most influential voices in Community building?

1. Seth Godin 2. Howard Rheingold 3. Priya Parker 4. Jono Bacon 5. David Spinks 6. Clay Shirky 7. Peter Block 8. Tina Roth Eisenberg 9. Derek Sivers 10. Anil Dash [10 Top Community Building Speakers 2026 For Talks, Events, Shows + Podcasts](https://talks.co/s/community-building-speakers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

**Top 10 most influential voices on community building today are listed below, ranked from most to least influential. These are real individuals recognized globally for their impact in shaping communities.** ### 🏆 Top 10 Influential Voices in Community Building Rank| Name| Notable Contributions ---|---|--- **1**| **David Spinks**| Co-founder of CMX, one of the largest networks for community professionals; author of _The Business of Belonging_.[Top 10 Community Platform Experts - Ian Khan | AI Keynote Speaker for Hire | Futurist, Author, Thinkers50](https://www.iankhan.com/top-10-community-platforms-experts-to-follow-a-future-ready-guide-for-2026/) **2**| **Richard Millington**| Founder of FeverBee; author of _Buzzing Communities_; widely regarded for strategic frameworks in online community building.[Top 10 Community Platform Experts - Ian Khan | AI Keynote Speaker for Hire | Futurist, Author, Thinkers50](https://www.iankhan.com/top-10-community-platforms-experts-to-follow-a-future-ready-guide-for-2026/) **3**| **Holly Firestone**| Former Head of Community at Salesforce and Atlassian; known for scaling global tech communities.[Top 10 Community Platform Experts - Ian Khan | AI Keynote Speaker for Hire | Futurist, Author, Thinkers50](https://www.iankhan.com/top-10-community-platforms-experts-to-follow-a-future-ready-guide-for-2026/) **4**| **Sarah Leary**| Co-founder of Nextdoor; influential in building hyperlocal, trust-based neighborhood communities.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) **5**| **Dennis Crowley**| Co-founder of Foursquare and Hopscotch; pioneer in location-based social communities.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) **6**| **Ed Giansante**| Former Global Head of Community at Dropbox & Wix; recognized for building large-scale user communities.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) **7**| **Ben Lang**| Early employee and former Head of Community at Notion; instrumental in growing Notion’s global user base.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) **8**| **Matthew Brimer**| Co-founder of General Assembly and Daybreaker; known for blending education, entrepreneurship, and experiential communities.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) **9**| **Andy Dunn**| Founder of Bonobos; author of _Burn Rate_; strong advocate for community-driven brand building.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) **10**| **Shelby Clark**| Founder of Turo, the world’s leading peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace; built trust-based sharing communities.[The World’s Top Community Experts of 2025 | Intro](https://intro.co/top/community-experts) ### 🔑 Key Insights * **David Spinks and Richard Millington** dominate the field with thought leadership and frameworks that define modern community strategy. * **Tech-driven community leaders** like Holly Firestone, Sarah Leary, and Dennis Crowley have scaled communities around products and platforms. * **Entrepreneurial voices** such as Matthew Brimer, Andy Dunn, and Shelby Clark highlight how community building is central to brand and business success. * **Ed Giansante and Ben Lang** represent the new generation of community builders who grew SaaS and productivity platforms into global ecosystems. ### ⚠️ Considerations * Rankings are based on **current influence in 2025–2026**, combining thought leadership, reach, and impact across industries. * Influence is **context-dependent** : startup ecosystems may prioritize figures like Brimer, while tech platforms lean toward Firestone or Lang. Would you like me to also highlight **emerging voices** (next-generation community builders to watch) who are rising quickly in 2026?

1. Howard Rheingold 2. Seth Godin 3. David Spinks 4. Carrie Melissa Jones 5. Priya Parker 6. Gina Bianchini 7. Jono Bacon 8. Richard Millington 9. Bailey Richardson 10. Fabian Pfortmüller

# Shared 0 files 1. David Spinks 2. _Priya Parker_ 3. _Carrie Melissa Jones _ 4. Richard Millington 5. Charles Vogl 6. _Jono Bacon_ 7. Patrick O'Keefe 8. Rachel Happe 9. Erica Kuhl 10. Bailey Richardson [Building Brand Communities: How Organizations Succeed by](https://www.amazon.com/Building-Brand-Communities-Organizations-Belonging/dp/1523086610)[Build Your Community Turn Your Connections Into A Powerful](https://www.scribd.com/document/805785123/Build-Your-Community-Turn-your-connections-into-a-powerful-online-community-Richard-Millington)[Building Brand Communities: How Organizations Succeed by](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Building-Brand-Communities-Organizations-Belonging/dp/1523086610)

I don’t have a reliable, up-to-date list of the top 10 individual voices specifically for “community building.” Here’s a best-effort approach you can use to verify and compile a current ranking: - Community-building thought leaders: look for authors and practitioners who publish frequently on building online communities, belonging, and engagement. Examples often cited include community managers and researchers, though exact rankings vary by methodology. - Key sources to cross-check: - Leading community building and online community platforms’ blogs and newsletters (e.g., CMX, FeverBee) - Notable figures in related fields like social platforms, UX, and organizational culture who emphasize community practices - Influential authors in community management (books, talks, and courses) - How to assemble a top 10: - Identify candidates who frequently publish actionable norms, frameworks, or case studies on community growth, retention, and health. - Verify real individuals (exclude organizations, fictional personas, or unnamed collective accounts). - Rank by a transparent criterion (impact, breadth of reach, adoption of their frameworks, frequency of influence across industries). If you’d like, I can assemble a current, sourced list by scanning recent reputable sources and provide the top 10 with citations. Would you prefer that I proceed to gather and verify sources now?