My community talk, retooled for post-pandemic rebuilding.

1. RE-Building a
Tech Community
…post-pandemic
https://jenlooper.com

2. NativeScript Community
Telerik/Progress Developer Experts
Vue Boston
Vue Vixens
Front-End Foxes
Front-End Foxes School
Worked with Microsoft Student Ambassador program as DevRel
Soon launching AWS Cloud Clubs for postsecondary learners worldwide
Communities I’ve managed

4. Everything I
know, right here!
1. Strategies on how to build
back better
2. Tips on managing a healthy
community
3. Demo: a platform-agnostic
icebreaker

5. Microsoft
Student
Ambassador
Community
word
association

6. But over the pandemic, engagement slid
Boston JavaScript Slack

7. The defunct tech community
• Why did communities ‘die’ or ‘go dormant’
• Were they ‘too local’? (Boston JavaScript)
• Were they too siloed for health? (Boston Vue.js)
• Why did some continue to power through?
• BAWSton AWS Meetup’s strategy – monthly meetups, all online all the time
and continuing to do so
• Front-End Foxes pivot from in-person workshops to a new bootcamp model
• How can we rebuild in a new paradigm?
• Regroup
• Rebuild
• Respect

8. Constant engagement – the story of FEF
Front-End Foxes Slack

9. The future-proof tech community
• Think locally -> act globally
• If you have to retool your raison d’être, do it
• We successfully moved from an in-person to an online model. Now
we should move to a hybrid model
• What does a hybrid community look like?

10. Hybrid best practices
• Think locally, act globally
• We moved from an in-
person to an online model.
Now we should move to a
hybrid model
• Think ‘radical inclusivity’
• What does a hybrid meetup
look like?

11. Houston, we have a serious problem
We have to rebuild from scratch. Fannnnnnntastic.

12. Remember Foucault!
• Power is spread throughout
society
• We all risk acting as unwitting
conduits of power structures
• Power doesn’t tell us what to do, it
also tells us whom to be
• Be aware of how dominant power
structures maintain superiority
over the margins

13. Hybrid Power Structure 1: Hub and Satellite
• One big local group with one or very few remote individual
participants. Here the remote participants are heavily
outnumbered and likely to be disadvantaged.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/the-new-future-of-work/articles/hybrid-meetings-guide/

14. Hybrid Power Structure 2: Hub and Spoke
• One local group with many remote endpoints that may have
individuals or groups of participants. Here the numeric
distribution is more equal or remotes may outnumber local
participants, but the hub is still likely to be treated as a center of
power.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/the-new-future-of-work/articles/hybrid-meetings-guide/

15. Hybrid Power Structure 3: Dumbbell or
Constellation
• Each location has a group of roughly the same size. This is often
more equal in terms of power, although there is usually a key
‘host’ hub. Such meetings are likely to schism, with more
attention being paid to local versus remote participants.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/the-new-future-of-work/articles/hybrid-meetings-guide/

16. Mechanisms to upend power structures:CHARMS
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/the-new-future-of-work/articles/hybrid-meetings-guide/

17. Slack? Teams? Discord?
Tip 1: Find a platform to
grow your community

18. Use Apps!
Donut on Slack
Kudos apps on Teams
Bots on Discord
Tip 2: Set the
atmosphere

19. Make sure folks know about the type of
content they need to get up and running
Stay on the lookout for interesting
initiatives and giveaways
Tip 3: Get people the
tools they need

20. Tip 4: Cultivate your
helpers
Appoint community manager
helpers as a
“Welcome Wagon”

21. appreciation
is key

22. Grow the next
generation of
helpers
Model > Coach > Care

23. Behavioral
role models

24. Tip 5: Spin up contests
and activities
Example: Secret Santa bot on
Slack to pair people for kudos
Try a mini-hackathon
Meet for virtual
coffee/networking
Blogging contests

25. Tip 6: Amplify blogs &
great contributions
RT, repost

26. Write a blogpost
about them
Tip 7: Feature a
community
member

27. Tip 8: Send swag,
stickers, and
badges
Bingo => for stickers!
Virtual badges work too
Make your own with Canva

28. Tip 9: Build careers
Run mock interviews, LinkedIn reviews and
resume workshops. DevRel and Engineers
can help! Practice speaking skills. Take pro
headshots. Practice in meetups

29. Shout-out your
community!
Tip 10: Model acts
of love and joy

30. Epilogue

31. Sometimes you
will get crazy
people

32. trolls
you

33. Toxicity
some people are rough around the edges
some are inexperienced
some want to help but don't know how
empathy and kindness take time

34. Protect
yourself!
Publish and refer to – and
enforce - a Code of
Conduct, consider an
Accountability Ladder

35. Recommended
reading

36. It will be
ok!

37. The rewards are real!

38. And one bonus tip…try
to improve.

39. Let’s try an activity!

40. How are YOU building your
tribe?
Reach out and let’s chat!
@jenlooper