(User Group talk) Building, Dismantling, & Re-using Community Initiatives

NOTE: This is a talk I wrote for a small, local community manager user group! I note this because the production level on the deck isn't as high for this reason. It's also not parseable as a deck, apologies! For my conference talks I make sure the deck is followable even for folks who weren't present. Still, it was fun to write and I'm posting it here.

Building a successful Community program is a wonderful experience at the core of Community Management. What happens, however, when programs inevitably decline? This talk is about the equally important steps of eliminating outdated initiatives, deconstructing your favorite successes, and rebuilding from their foundations. Kara Sowles will take us through some concrete examples from her 5 years at a single company.

Transcript

1. Dis t g a R -us Com t I it i s … over time ...
2. Abo M Twitter handle: @feynudibranch Fav Community Management frameworks + trainings: Community Roundtable Fav meetup: Donut.js Fav tool: Boomerang Fav Reminder: Community Leadership Summit is in Portland in July Animal of the Month: Saiga Antelope
3. Kar es f o Pup @feynudibranch on twitter if that’s your thing
5. Eve n In e m a Us + Con b o s Pro l Eve n ??
6. In e m a /ad c ev f on b o s ... 40% at d e be n ?
10. Eve n In e m a Us + Con b o s Pro l Eve n ??
11. Eve n Beg r + In e m a Us Pro l Eve n ?? Now : Con b o s
12. ?? ??? ?
13. t i - a-t o ??? ?
18. #pu t ha ??? ?
19. Inheritances
20. #pu t ha ??? ?
25. ME AB
26. OH AS LE
36. An ow, it’s i t ay… Is the Program Broken or is the World Broken?
38. 2011: company 1 creates general-purpose user groups 2012: company 2 creates tool-specific user groups 2012 la s : user groups in tech industry are flourishing and growing 2017 la s : user group proliferation and event fatigue across the tech industry greatly reduce participation in tool-specific groups Yup, t i s e s ha l ! Cli t l o t t o n pa .
39. So y , t e r s ok .
40. ??? ? #pu t ha un t qu he h !
47. l5
49. #pu t ha
53. Is the Program Broken or is the World Broken? Im em ti su ? Use c g ? Wor c a g ? We w ro b u r hi ?
54. Is the Program Broken or is the World Broken? Im em ti su ? (t i - a-t o ) Use c g ? (pu t p) Wor c a g ? (us r u ) We w ro b u r hi ? (ev d )
56. us -to-us m u c i c ne
58. Think about how things might end Not ay fa s i , bu wa to en h e
59. Don’t give other people trash Or a s e h t a w a t
60. Don’t tie your identity to specific projects Py a d e t s, ri t?
61. “Getting Free of Toxic Tech Culture” by Valerie Aurora and Susan Wu Step 1: Deprogram yourself from the cult of tech Recognize your unconscious beliefs Experiment with your self-identity Avoid unsupportive people Make friendships that don’t depend on tech https://blog.valerieaurora.org/2018/01/17/getting-free-of-toxic-tech-culture/
63. Tha yo ! Kara Sowles Puppet @feynudibranch karasowles@gmail.com
64. Abo M Twitter handle: @feynudibranch Fav Community Management frameworks + trainings: Community Roundtable Fav meetup: Donut.js Fav tool: Boomerang Fav Reminder: Community Leadership Summit is in Portland in July Animal of the Month: Saiga Antelope