Category: Community

All about community management

What does a Developer Relations Ecosystem team do?

Some companies have evolved the Developer Relations area to a point they have a specialized orgs. Google is one of them, and I work under the Developer Relations Ecosystem team. What does we do?

Sticking to the broader DevRel goal (see the definition from my colleague Reto), I consider ourselves a connection layer. On the one side, there are the different Google Product Areas (PAs) like Android, Cloud, Assistant, etc, and we solve for them the complexity of dealing with local tech ecosystems. This scales global initiatives by engaging local developers. On the other side, that “articulated” tech ecosystem, where we’re often seen as the “last mile” between them and Google, brings valuable insights back.

How do we connect these two sides? We apply a 1:few:many interaction model. I see us (the one) as “passion multipliers“. We take Product Areas goals and, with a touch of magic, translate them for the “influencers” in their local context (the few), supporting them in doing even more of what they love doing. It could be organize tech communities, share their knowledge on Google techs, run amazing 3rd party tech conferences, solve people’s needs in innovative ways using company’s products, deliver best apps to clients and much more.
The more successful our audience is pursuing their passions, the more vibrant, mature and fun the company 3rd party tech ecosystem becomes (the many). A win-win situation I love and a way to implement Google’s philosophy “Focus on the user and all else will follow”.

We’re a tech team in the relationship business, at scale. Thanks to the trust component of our relationships, we have the rare privilege to be exposed to global and reliable first hand insights about developers all over the world. They let us know who they are and where they are; what they love and hate about our company’s technologies; emerging and descending trends; how they’re organising tech communities in every country; their success stories supported by our technologies. Because of this knowledge, we can be even more effective in building relationships and matching PAs needs, creating a virtuous circle.

Diversity is also deeply embedded in our team culture: there isn’t a project that can scale worldwide without considering how diverse the world is. For example, mentorship activities are very effective in some cultures, and totally against the mindset of others; developer and community dynamics in cities with millions of people are very different from cities with thousands; running a hackathon in Italy is different from running one in Nigeria, etc.
So, we naturally recognize the value of diversity and we focus on it, across our programs and audiences. What does diversity mean? Gender, culture, race, religion and many more.

From a team structure point of view, we approximated the complexity of the tech ecosystem splitting it in several audiences, like tech communities (GDG and all the other communities), Tech Experts, Startups and their developers etc.
Thus, we created work streams to deal with each one of these audiences, organising ourselves around two main roles. One gathers Program Managers that work on these streams at a global level, defining the infrastructure, strategy, goals, tools, budget etc. The other is made by people like me, called Regional Lead, in charge of executing these programs locally. It’s the implementation of “Think globally, act locally” strategy.
Maintaining a bi-directional communication channel between the roles is fundamental. Global work streams cannot evolve without the inputs, knowledge and experience from the local ecosystems provided by regional leads, while high-level directions from global allow us to operate in an aligned way despite we spread all over the world.

The most difficult challenge is linked to Ecosystem’s core: in fact, building these relationships at scale is a never-ending, tailor-made and time-consuming process, as the ecosystem is a living creature in constant evolution. In addition, after a certain point, we suffer from “reach-ability bandwidth” saturation: we simply cannot interact with additional people anymore and with all the amazing stuff they’re doing.

Apart from company PA goals, I personally see another important behavior for being a good citizen of the ecosystem we deal with: act as superb connectors. Pentland wrote in his book “It is not simply the brightest who have the best ideas; it is those who are best at harvesting ideas from others. It is not only the most determined who drive change; it is those who most fully engage with like-minded people. And it is not wealth or prestige that best motivates people; it is respect and help from peers.”
Connecting people with similar passions helps the ecosystem to grow and improve in the mid-long term. It’s something you cannot control or measure, but years later, someone that has done something worthwhile your admiration will tell you: “Thanks to your suggestion all those years ago, I’m here now”. Priceless and crucial, this is one of my duties, and my passion!

If you’re curious about my life in Google, there are other posts to read.

Sense of Community: what transform a group into a community, CLSXItaly

During this talk I spoke about latest behavioral science theories describing the essential elements able to transform a group of people into a community, in person or online, commonly known as Sense of Community. Studies and practical cases to understand how a community builder can have even more success doing their work.

(Talk in Italian)

(Community Leadership Summit “X” Italy, 25 November 2017)

Improve the Italian community management landscape

There is one element we’ve heard loud and clear from the retrospective of the three CLSxItaly events organised so far and attendees feedback: the Italian community management scene is in its early stage, with fragmented connections across the “professionals” of this world, especially if compared with other European countries. I have no doubt time will improve the current situation, but simply waiting for the good to come is something outside my way of doing. What if all these community managers working in and/or for the Italian landscape are dots, and we can do something to accelerate the organic process that will better connect them over time?

At its core, CLSxItaly platform was born with this vision in mind, but in-person events alone haven’t provided the speed we expected. So,we decided to start a new project, to proactively scout, highlight and connect all these people and strengthen relationships inside this community of practitioners we all are part of. Please welcome the CLSxItaly interview series.

The idea is to run a short interview with the many people working with communities in Italy, transcribe these conversations and give them back to our community. Here the list of the question we want to ask:

  • Who you are and how are you connected with the Italian community landscape?
  • What’s the best thing you’ve seen happening inside the community, or thanks to it?
  • What has been the toughest challenge you’ve managed building the community?
  • What’s your best tip for a person that wants to start as community manager/leader/builder, for profit or for fun?
  • If you had a magic wand, what you would change or improve in the Italian community management scene?
  • What’s your community superpower? (thanks to Community Roundtable podcast folks for this question)
  • Who is the next person you know we should interview?

As you can see, nothing terribly complex, probably the conversation will end in less than 10 minutes. Of course, feedback to the questions are welcome.

So, there is a simple call to action if you are a community manager working in or for the Italian context: please reach me (or any other member of the CLSxItaly team) and we’ll be happy to have with you such conversation. Or suggest us one of these people to interview, if you aren’t. In any case, see you at the forth CLSxItaly, Nov 25th in Rome.

Community management podcasts I follow

I still consider podcasts a primary element of my information diet, and here a list of the ones I listen with a sharp-focus on community management topics. Not in a particular order and with no mention to other great resources on social media, online marketing and other similar stuff: just for hard-core community managers :)

Community Signal: Interviews to discuss what’s happening around the community word, tales from community managers, lessons sharing and much more. Transcripts, quotes, links and follow-up resources available on the website. Conduct by by Patrick O’Keefe, a new episode every week – Stitcher, iTunes, RSS

Community Pulse: A lot of discussions and insights on the art of community management, with an eye also on the wider world of Developer Relations. Conduct by Jason Hand, Mary Thengvall, PJ Hagerty, mostly monthly – Stitcher, iTunes, RSS

Conversations with Community Managers: every episode a different interview with a community manager, generally telling the story of her community, challenges and wow moments. They end the show with a the question: “What’s your community superpower”, same I now always ask at the end of the job interviews I run. Conduct by The Community Roundtable folks, rather quite at the moment – iTunes,

FeverBee Podcast: Another source of community management related topics. Conducted by Sarah Hawk, now discontinued but old episodes still have relevant content – Stitcher.

 

Conference Tips: badges that work

How often happens that, talking with a person during a conference, you take a look to her badge to remember or check the name. And, as consequence of Murphy’s law, the badge is flipped on the wrong side, the one without the name.

Two possible solution to solve this situation: print badge both sides with the same information, name of the attendees included. The drawback is the lost of half of the informative space (used generally for sponsors, conference map or agenda etc). Otherwise, simply connect the badge to the lace in two points instead of one, so the badge won’t flip anymore. It may cost a little bit more, but allow space to print information both sides of the badge and makes it rock-solid.

Thanks to Codemotion for this tip, part of the “Event Tips” series.

More Community Leadership Summit X (CLSx) events in Europe!

The blooming of European CLSx event in 2016 (Milan, Paris , Rome, London, Madrid) has laid the foundations for one of my 2017 bets: help growing this network, organizing more and more Community Leadership Summit X (CLSx) events across Europe and, why not, the rest of the world.

Why this idea?

There are several reasons, and the most important is I’m not alone believing time has come to make it real.

Since October, in fact, Jono, Alessio and I have been discussing about a plan, and one of the first activity we did was validate it, reaching several other community managers spread all over Europe to get their feedback. Well, they all agreed on the genuinity of the vision, offered concrete support for running a CLSx event in their own city and added some important suggestion to the basic format. I’m happy when people feel empowered by an idea and offer their time to contribute!

Another element supporting the plan was the lack of similar european-wide initiatives to share, discuss and peer-learning about community management topics. Of course, we can be wrong here, so please comment with the experience you’ve: we really want to be collaborative, and not competitive, with other groups already acting in this field.

Also my personal passion plays an important role here: half of my soul is deeply committed to the world of communities, so want to jump on this challenge both as an occasion to improve in this field and to give back.

Strengthened by all this backing, we consolidated the idea of having more and more events in Europe about the art of community management, with a special, but not unique, focus on online and offline (face-to-face) tech communities. Have a preferred target is important, but all the other kinds of communities are welcome: non-tech, open-source or co-working oriented, just to mentioning a few. And, of course, the nature of Community Leadership Summit X events will remain the same: very localized, “for people, made by people”. We’re all volunteers and there are no companies or economic interests behind. Passions and self-improvement drive us in pursuing this vision. And the licence frames very well the boundaries.

How do we want to reach this goal

We have a plan in mind, but it’s a draft plan and so we want to iterate on that. Right now is made by three major steps.

As first move, we’re reaching our connections asking if they would like to facilitate the organization of a CLSx event. We’ve already received positive feedback from cities like Amsterdam, Berlin and London, in addition to previous CLSx event locations in Italy (Rome and Milan), France (Paris) and Spain (Madrid). It would be great to have 10 or more CLSx events happening in European cities in 2017.

Secondly, we want to make the organization of a CLSx event as effortless as possible: an event-in-a-box guide to use as template, global sponsorship agreements to cover the very basic expenses like food, site templates, graphical resources to use for printing t-shirts, roll-up, mentorship on what works and what doesn’t  etc, so event organisers can focus on the most important thing: create the local network, invite people, fire-up the discussion, enjoy while doing all of that.

Third, we want to create a “place” where share, discuss and improve our own knowledge on community management topics: a community of community leaders and passionate. In our mind it should be an online community with an initial focus on Europe, with CLSx events as the occasions to strengthen relationships through face-to-face interactions: we’re social beasts, after all.

Forth… well, let’s start from that, and then iterate ;)

 

Do you like the idea? Do you see missing points? Do you want to propose yourself as facilitator for organising an event in your city? Are you already part of a similar movement? Ping us, we’re eager to receive your feedback.