Have you ever wondered what makes some communities thrive while others struggle to maintain engagement?
As a VP of Community Engagement at Oracle with over two decades of experience, I've had the privilege of witnessing the evolution of community-led growth firsthand. From the early days of the Java community at Sun Microsystems to managing diverse technical and non-technical groups today, I've learned that successful communities share certain fundamental principles.
Throughout my career, I've applied community-building strategies to various technical and non-technical groups, from the Java and MySQL communities to nonprofit organizations.
This article shares some of the key insights I've picked up along the way about community engagement, motivation, and values that can help you elevate your community leadership:
- The foundation of successful communities
- Engaging and motivating community members
- Launching your community for success
- Strategies for long-term community growth
- Measuring and evolving your community
1. The foundation of successful communities
Community values: The bedrock of engagement
When it comes to building a thriving community, I always start with a fundamental principle:
"Community is all about human contact and human connection."
It's easy to get caught up in metrics and tools, especially in the tech sector, but we must remember that at its core, community is about people.
To create a strong foundation for your community, begin by defining your values. These should be high-level, practical principles that’ll remain consistent over time. For example, in the Java platform community, we've maintained a focus on "quality and security, performance, maintainability of code, compatibility, and ensuring we have community" for over two decades.
Take the time to have authentic conversations about these values, both internally and with potential community members. Remember, one of the most crucial aspects of community building is listening. As I often say, "You should listen more than you speak, and that's especially true with your community efforts."
Establishing governance and structure
Once you've defined your values, it's time to consider the fundamentals of your community structure. This includes:
- Types of membership
- Governance models
- Contributor agreements
- Hosting platforms
These elements should remain relatively stable over time, although they can evolve. It's crucial to have strategic conversations about these aspects before launching your community. Discuss them with your management chain if you're working within an organization, and get feedback from potential community members.
Creating member personas
To truly understand and serve your community, it's essential to map out member personas. Who are the people you're trying to reach? What motivates them? What benefits will they gain from joining your community?
In my experience, communities often have multiple types of personas. For instance, in a technical community, you might have:
- Business-centered folks
- Technology-focused developers
- Consumer developers
- Contributing developers
- Designers or data scientists
Understanding these different personas will help you tailor your engagement strategies and ensure you're meeting the diverse needs of your community members.
2. Engaging and motivating community members
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators
When it comes to community engagement, I've found that focusing on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators is key. Intrinsic motivators are particularly powerful, as they tap into people's internal drives and personal goals.
Two significant intrinsic motivators I've observed in technical communities are:
- Career growth: Participating in a community to enhance skills and visibility, boosting career prospects.
- Impact: The ability to influence and help people beyond immediate circles is a powerful motivator.
I've been able to impact people in my community career on all seven continents. I've even heard from people in Antarctica! This global reach is a testament to the power of community engagement.
While intrinsic motivators should be your primary focus, don't neglect extrinsic motivators. These can include gamification elements, physical rewards, or recognition programs. These external motivators can complement the intrinsic benefits and provide additional incentives for participation.
Designing clear contribution pathways
One of the most critical aspects of community engagement is providing clear pathways for contribution. I like to think of this as creating an "on-ramp for contributions."
Here's a simple step-by-step process I recommend:
- Help members choose a topic or project aligned with their interests.
- Provide a platform for members to introduce themselves.
- Encourage members to educate themselves about their chosen area.
- Facilitate communication between new members and project leads.
- Agree on specific tasks or contributions.
- Provide tools and guidance for completing the work.
- Ensure there's a clear process for sharing and communicating results.
Remember this: What's really important in community is engagement. By creating these clear pathways, you're making it easier for members to move from passive observers to active contributors.
Inclusive design and usability
To maximize engagement, it's crucial to design your community platforms and tools with inclusivity and usability in mind. Conduct regular usability studies and gather both quantitative and qualitative feedback from your members.
These studies serve a dual purpose: They help you improve your community experience and provide valuable data to support your community initiatives when presenting to management. As a Community Manager, having facts and figures to back up your qualitative observations can be incredibly powerful.
3. Launching your community for success
Preparing high-quality content
When launching a new community, it's essential to start with a solid foundation of high-quality content. You don't want to present an empty community to your first members. Collaborate with other teams or external contractors to create engaging, value-driven content that aligns with your community's goals and values.
Collaborating with internal teams
If you're launching a community within an organization, engage with other departments such as marketing, sales, and engineering. Make sure they're aware of the community and can point potential members in your direction. Remember, community building isn't done in isolation – it requires collaboration across the organization.
Building external partnerships
Partnerships are crucial for community growth, even if you have a large organization backing you. Consider partnering with:
- User groups
- Ambassadors
- Influencers
- Related organizations or communities
These partnerships can help you amplify your message, gather feedback, and scale your community more effectively.
4. Strategies for long-term community growth
Scaling from one-to-one to one-to-many
As your community grows, you'll need to transition from one-on-one interactions to a one-to-many approach. This is where having a strong network of ambassadors and influencers becomes crucial. These community leaders can help spread your message, provide feedback, and engage with members you might not have time to interact with personally.
However, I always stress the importance of maintaining some level of one-on-one interaction, even as you scale. These personal connections are invaluable for understanding your community's needs and maintaining a human touch.
Leveraging ambassadors and influencers
When selecting ambassadors or influencers, look for members who embody your community's values and set positive examples. These individuals should be:
- Welcoming toward new members
- Active contributors
- Exemplars of the behaviors you want to encourage
Remember, "Visibility is really key as you advance your career personally, but it will also be important as you manage and lead your community." Your ambassadors and influencers play a crucial role in increasing the visibility and reach of your community.
Adapting to community preferences
As your community evolves, be prepared to adapt your tools and strategies to meet changing preferences. For example, I've found that different communities prefer different communication channels:
- Some rely heavily on mailing lists
- Others prefer Slack or Discord
- In some countries, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger might be more popular
The key is to meet your community members where they are, using the tools they're most comfortable with.
5. Measuring and evolving your community
Gathering quantitative and qualitative feedback
Regular assessment is crucial for community growth. Implement both quantitative and qualitative surveys to understand:
- The benefits members are gaining from the community
- The usability of your tools and platforms
- Areas for improvement
These surveys, combined with your one-on-one interactions, will give you a comprehensive view of your community's health and needs.
Transparent governance evolution
As your community grows, you may need to evolve your governance structure. When making changes, always:
- Be transparent about the reasons for change
- Seek input from community members
- Communicate clearly about the process and outcomes
Balancing consistency with necessary changes
While evolution is necessary, it's important to stay true to your core values. Any changes should be deliberate and well-communicated. As you evolve, continually reinforce the benefits of participation to your members.
As I often remind my Community Managers, make sure that you're communicating with your community members and letting them know that you're taking their feedback that their feedback matters, and that this is a two-way street.
This article is based on Heather's keynote presentation at Community-Led Summit Virtual in February 2024.
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