Smau Bologna

1. @ale_fattorini
CREATING A COMMUNITY AROUND
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME
Alessio Fattorini

2. @ale_fattorini
ATANASOFF-BERRY COMPUTERATANASOFF-BERRY COMPUTER

3. @ale_fattorini
JOHN VINCENT
ATANASOFF

7. @ale_fattorini
SHOCKLEY - BRATTAIN - BARDEEN

8. @ale_fattorini
THOMPSON - RICHIE

10. TO GO FAST, GO ALONE.
TO GO FAR, GO TOGETHER.
African Proverb
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND

11. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
ALESSIO FATTORINI
▸ Work at Nethesis (Italy)
▸ NethServer Community Leader
▸ Linux Sysadmin and Project manager
▸ Build Welcoming Communities
▸ Connect People and work with Open
Source
▸ Prosecco Evangelist

12. @ale_fattorini
COMMUNITY?

13. @ale_fattorini

14. @ale_fattorini
COMMUNITY IS THE KEY TO GOING FAR

15. @ale_fattorini
WHY?

16. @ale_fattorini

17. @ale_fattorini
THE BEST WAY TO HAVE A GOOD IDEA IS
TO HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS
INNOVATION

18. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
INNOVATION
▸ Having different points of view
on your product is essential
▸ How many disrupting ideas can
a company like Nethesis create?
▸ Ability to invite the entire world
to continuously improve the
product

19. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY = IDEAS FACTORY
▸ No matter who you are, most of
the smartest people work for
someone else.
▸ 90% of all community feedback
is crap, this means 10% is gold!
(J. Atwood)

20. @ale_fattorini
DEVELOPMENT
THE IVORY TOWER

21. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
THE IVORY TOWER DEVELOPMENT
‣ It’s dangerous to create an
environment where developers
have no idea who the users are
‣ Developers assume everyone else
is a developer
‣ A community brings developers
back to the reality and helps to
stay grounded.

22. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
FROM THE OUTSIDE
▸ Enable the product/company
to look at itself from the
outside
▸ Catch your strengths and
weaknesses
▸ Who the product audience is

23. @ale_fattorini
NETHSERVER IS AN OPERATING SYSTEM
FOR LINUX ENTHUSIASTS, DESIGNED FOR
SMALL OFFICES AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE

25. @ale_fattorini
NETHSERVER IS AN OPERATING SYSTEM
FOR LINUX ENTHUSIASTS, DESIGNED FOR
SMALL OFFICES AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE

26. @ale_fattorini
NETHSERVER IS AN OPERATING SYSTEM
FOR LINUX ENTHUSIASTS, DESIGNED FOR
SMALL OFFICES AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE

27. @ale_fattorini
COMMUNITY BENEFITS

28. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
▸ Feedback

29. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons

30. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons
▸ Testing and bugs

31. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons
▸ Testing and bugs
▸ Content

32. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons
▸ Testing and bugs
▸ Content
▸ Support

33. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons
▸ Testing and bugs
▸ Content
▸ Support
▸ Spread the word

34. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons
▸ Testing and bugs
▸ Content
▸ Support
▸ Spread the word
▸ Development

35. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
▸ Feedback
▸ Comparisons
▸ Testing and bugs
▸ Content
▸ Support
▸ Spread the word
▸ Development
▸ Translations

36. @ale_fattorini
LOYALTY
IN COMMUNITY YOU’RE BUILDING CONNECTIONS
WITH PEOPLE WHICH IS WAY MORE POWERFUL
THAN FEATURES

37. IT’S MUCH MORE HARDER TO LEAVE A
GROUP YOU’RE CONNECTED TO THAN
FACELESS PRODUCT/COMPANY
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND

38. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO BUILD A COMMUNITY?

39. @ale_fattorini
IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WON’T COME

40. @ale_fattorini
BUT MY PROJECT IS A GREAT IDEA AND MY
CODE IS SOLID!

41. @ale_fattorini

42. @ale_fattorini
WHY?

43. @ale_fattorini
KEEP YOUR
VALUES ALWAYS IN CHECK

44. @ale_fattorini
START SMALL AND
GROW ORGANICALLY
DON’T LAUNCH A
COMMUNITY

45. @ale_fattorini
AN EMPTY PLACE
DON’T INVITE PEOPLE TO

46. @ale_fattorini
CREATE ACTIVITY
YOU MAY NEED TO MANUFACTURE THE FIRST
INTERACTIONS

47. @ale_fattorini
CREATE A FOUNDERS GROUP

48. @ale_fattorini
BRING EVERYONE THERE
CREATE A UNIQUE PLACE TO CONGREGATE

49. @ale_fattorini

50. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
BE WELCOMING
▸ First experience is critical
▸ Feel acknowledged
▸ Know what to do first
▸ First post -> prompt response

52. IT DOESN’T MATTER
HOW FUN AND AMAZING
YOUR PROJECT IS. IF
PEOPLE DON’T FEEL
SAFE THEY WONT’
CONTRIBUTE.

53. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
BE INCLUSIVE
▸ Create an environment where
people feel safe
▸ Be humble - don’t patronize
▸ Read the fuck manual is not an
answer (RTFM)
▸ Create some rules and lead by
example

54. @ale_fattorini

55. @ale_fattorini

56. @ale_fattorini
ATANASOFF-BERRY COMPUTER
Thank you Toolset

57. @ale_fattorini

58. @ale_fattorini

59. @ale_fattorini

60. @ale_fattorini

61. @ale_fattorini
BE SUPPORTIVE

62. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
BE SUPPORTIVE
▸ Be responsive
▸ Close the loop

64. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
TRAIN YOUR COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT
‣ They join community to get
help not to give it
‣ Social Debt -> Offer
opportunities to members to
give help in return
‣ Call upon specific people to
help other specific people

65. @ale_fattorini
AUTONOMY

66. @ale_fattorini
DOCUMENTATION, MANUALS

67. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
LISTEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY
▸ You will tempted to steer the
discussion too much
▸ Be open-minded and be ready
to change your mind
▸ Be ready to discuss and ask
people to do the same

68. WHEN WE’RE CLOSE TO IDEAS, WE HEAR
CRITICISM. WHEN WE’RE OPEN TO
CRITICISM WHAT WE GET IS ADVICE.
Simon Sinek
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND

69. @ale_fattorini
AND ASK PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME
BE READY TO DISCUSS

70. @ale_fattorini
HALF BAKED IDEAS

71. @ale_fattorini
ATANASOFF-BERRY COMPUTER

72. @ale_fattorini

73. @ale_fattorini

74. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT
▸ Introducing community is a
huge cultural shift
▸ You will tempted to keep your
discussions private. Tell your
people to stop doing that.
▸ Try to work out loud

75. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT
▸ Show what kind of
contributions your looking for
and how much they matter
▸ Document everything.
Document clearly
▸ THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU!

78. @ale_fattorini
OPENESS?
HOW DO YOU PRACTICE THAT

79. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
OPEN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
▸ All bugs, roadmap and development planning are completely public on
our github (Input from others to reproduce the problem)
▸ All feature requests are collected on our community platform
▸ Refine proposal, members can start working on ideas
▸ Make beta and Rc versions of NethServer regularly available.
▸ Follow development
▸ Early feedback

80. @ale_fattorini
DRAWBACKS

81. @ale_fattorini
DEFINITELY TAKES SOME
TIME AND RESOURCES
SUPPORTING YOUR MEMBERS
AND LEADING THE DISCUSSIONS

82. @ale_fattorini
WHEN THEY LOOK AT IT AS A TACTIC
COMPANIES FAIL AT COMMUNITY

83. @ale_fattorini
A CORE PART OF THE BUSINESS
PHILOSOPHY
INSTEAD OF MAKING IT

84. @ale_fattorini
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A
COMMUNITY AROUND
COMMUNITY IS NOT
▸ Marketing
▸ An efficient short-term strategy
▸ Very small representation of
the full potential value

85. @ale_fattorini
HOWTO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT AWESOME BUILDING A COMMUNITY AROUND
IT CAN DO SO MUCH MORE
▸ Completely set your business apart
from every company in the field
▸ Redefine markets
▸ Inspire milions of people
▸ Give them a sense of belonging
▸ Make them feel an incredible bond

86. @ale_fattorini
A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY
IT CAN MAKE YOU

87. @ale_fattorini
WILL ALWAYS WIN
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN COMPANIES

88. @ale_fattorini
THANK YOU
@ale_fattorini
alessiofattorini
nethserver.org
nethesis.it