Clark identifies that “online learning communities grow best when there is value to being part of them”.

Clark contends that “leaders are needed to define the environment, keep it safe, give it purpose, identity and keep it growing”. He gives a set of mantras for teacher/leaders in any online community: all you need is love control the environment, not the group lead by example let lurkers lurk short leading questions get conversations going be personally congratulatory and inquisitive route information in all directions care about the people in the community; this cannot be faked understand consensus and how to build it, and sense when it's been built and just not recognised, and when you have to make a decision despite all the talking.