Author: Matthew Revell
Compiled by: Zhuang Qi
Developer communities come in various types, but it can help you identify whether your strategy fits a particular archetype.
Effective developer relations strategies depend on understanding the motivations, structures, and rewards of the developer communities your program touches. However, the problem is that developer communities come in all shapes and sizes.
Thankfully, most developer communities can be categorized into these broad types. Once you identify which type applies to your developer community, it becomes easier to understand the roles that programs and communities play with each other.
So, what are these types?
Barn Raisers
As the original developer communities, barn raisers exist to build something. These communities tend to:
- Be non-commercial, but may have individual members who are sponsored by third parties;
- Distribute power through community contributions;
- Exist primarily to solve specific needs through software.
The name “barn raisers” comes from people with the idea of building a barn community gathering together. Although not everyone has the same motivation for participation, the ultimate goal of building the barn (or delivering software) guides the community, otherwise the barn would never be built.
Examples of barn raiser communities include Debian, Apache Kafka, and the Ruby programming language.
Guilds
Some guilds look very similar to the barn raiser pattern. However, in barn raiser communities, members’ motivations are secondary to the overall mission. Guild-type communities exist to promote their members’ interests in software.
Guilds typically have the following characteristics:
- A commercial or non-profit entity that ultimately decides product direction;
- Power to influence the product is granted by the controlling entity, other powers may come from the community or entity;
- It is understood that people and companies participate to promote their own interests;
- For those who wish to sell services related to the software, participating in community activities may be a sign of proving their legitimacy.
The name “guild” comes from those medieval guilds that were seen as sources of learning and legitimacy for specific trades.
Examples of guild-type communities include React and OutSystems developer communities.
Academies
Academies are developer communities that exist primarily for exchanging knowledge. Typically, they:
- Involve gaining social capital/karma through point systems;
- Are supported by commercial entities;
- Grant power to those who have been in arguments the longest or are most tenacious;
- Are characterized by bridging the knowledge gap between those answering questions and those seeking help.
Examples of academies include Stack Overflow and many large encrypted chat groups.
Ambassadorial
Ambassador communities exist to help vendors bring their products to market. In most cases, this is not exploitative, as both sides benefit. Community members gain professional status, skills, and expanded networks. Academy-type communities tend to:
- Be managed by community professionals funded by vendors;
- Distribute power from top to bottom, although larger communities may diverge from the vendor;
- Gamify participation, whether explicitly through point models or more subtly through engagement;
- Help members achieve their own goals;
- Struggle with long-term deep member commitment, as members’ ongoing returns often diminish once their initial needs are met.
Ambassador communities are common. For example, almost all communities organized around API products on the market.
Is There a Fifth Type?
True communities provide an authentic experience where all members have the opportunity to contribute and feel they benefit from participation. However, there is a fifth type that shouldn’t be called a community, but people often mistakenly think it is.
The fifth type is “Your Cousin’s Wedding.”
- Think about it. The similarities are striking:
- You only said you’d go out of politeness;
- A group of people you don’t know;
- Lots of cheap wine;
- You know it’s a facade that won’t last six months.
If you haven’t attended such a developer meetup, you need to ask friends who have. Some projects call themselves developer communities but aren’t true ones; they misdefine the complete meaning of community.
If you’re worried your community might become this type, ask yourself two questions:
- Can my community members communicate with each other without me/my company’s involvement?
- Does what happens in my community benefit members but not necessarily me or my company?
If the answer is no, then you need to find a way to turn your promotional activity into a community. If the answer is yes, but you still feel worried, it might be time to reflect on your developer relations program to find room for improvement.
English original: https://devrel.net/community/four-types-of-developer-community
Reposted from: Developer Relations »
