This document provides 10 tips for building a tech community from Jen Looper's experience managing communities like NativeScript Community and Vue Vixens. The tips include finding the right platform to host the community, setting the right atmosphere, providing tools for members, cultivating community helpers, running activities and contests, amplifying contributions, featuring community members, giving rewards and badges, helping members develop careers, modeling positive behavior, and referring to a code of conduct. The overall message is that building a community takes time and empathy but can be very rewarding.

1. Building a Tech
Community

2. Communities I’ve managed:
NativeScript Community
Vue Vixens
Front-End Foxes
Front-End Foxes School

4. MSA
Community
word
association

5. Everything I
know, right
here!
industry-shredding tips!
top-secret hints!
any more, and you'd have to
sign an NDA!

6. Teams works!
Other platforms might be a ‘culture
fit’ like Discord for game-friendly
audiences
Tip 1: Find a platform to
grow your community

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

8. Make sure folks know about student-
friendly or beginner-friendly content to
get folks up and running
Stay on the lookout for interesting
initiatives and giveaways
Tip 3: Get people the
tools they need

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

10. appreciation
is key

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

12. Behavior
al role
models

13. 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

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

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

16. Tip 8: Send swag,
stickers, and
badges
Virtual badges work!
Make your own with
Canva

17. Tip 9: Build careers
Run mock interviews and resume
workshops. Cloud Advocates can help!
Participate in Global Diversity Speakers Day
to polish presentation skills. Practice in
meetups

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

19. Epilogue

20. Sometimes you
will get crazy
people

21. trolls
you

22. 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

23. Protect
yourself!
Publish and refer to a
Code of Conduct

24. Recommended
reading

25. It will be
ok!

26. The rewards are real!

27. And one bonus tip…try
to improve.

28. How are YOU building your
tribe?
Chat with me on Teams!
Jen Looper, Cloud Advocate
Lead, Academic Team