Communities

Community profiles are designed for groups focused on engagement, collaboration, and collective growth. They share the same technical foundation as organization profiles but emphasize community-driven features.

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Community vs Organization

While both use the same profile system, they differ in focus:

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Creating a Community

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Community Features

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Membership Tiers

Communities typically use membership levels for engagement:

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Referral-Based Growth

Communities thrive on member-driven growth: Referral Workflow: Voting Guidelines:

Score Meanings

• 4: Strong yes, excellent fit
• 3: Yes, good fit
• 2: Neutral, uncertain
• 1: Hesitant, concerns exist
• 0: No, not a good fit

Communities should document their scoring rubric publicly.

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Discussion Forums

Communities leverage discussions heavily: Use Cases:

• General community conversations on profile
• Comments on community stories/announcements
• Event planning discussions
• Project collaboration threads

Moderation:

• Maintainers can pin important announcements
• Hide spam or off-topic comments
• Lock resolved threads
• Track engagement metrics

See Discussions for full details.

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Community Events

Use Activity stories for community events:

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Team Organization

Communities use teams for interest groups: Example Team Structures: Team Benefits:

• Members can join multiple teams
• Filter member directory by team
• Assign resources to teams
• Team-specific announcements

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Engagement Features

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Points System

Communities accumulate points through:

• Member contributions (stories, comments)
• Community growth (new members)
• Event attendance
• Resource creation

Points displayed on community profile showcase collective impact.

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Q&A Module

Enable Q&A for community support:

1. Members ask questions
2. Community provides answers
3. Best answers can be marked
4. Searchable knowledge base builds over time

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Contribution Tracking

Relations module showcases:

• Top contributors (by points)
• Recent contributions
• Member activity timeline
• Contribution types (stories, events, resources)

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Member Communication

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Mailbox Integration

Communities can use mailbox for:

• Welcome messages to new members
• Event invitations
• Community announcements
• Direct member communication

See Mailbox for details.

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Bulletin Board

Members can subscribe to community digests:

• Daily, bi-daily, or weekly
• Telegram or email delivery
• Curated community content
• Event reminders

See Bulletin Board for setup.

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Telegram Integration

Communities can link Telegram groups: See Telegram Bot for detailed integration.

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Community Moderation

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Moderator Roles

Maintainers (Level 5):

• Moderate discussions (hide, pin, lock)
• Review referrals
• Manage member issues
• Curate content

Leads (Level 6):

• Strategic decisions
• Moderator management
• Community direction
• Partnership decisions

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Moderation Tools

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Community Growth Strategies

Onboarding New Members

1. Send welcome message via mailbox
2. Invite to Telegram group (if applicable)
3. Assign to relevant teams
4. Share community guidelines
5. Introduce in community feed
6. Pair with mentor (if program exists)

Encouraging Contributions

• Recognize contributors publicly
• Award points for contributions
• Feature member stories
• Create contribution opportunities
• Lower barriers (good first issues)
• Provide templates and guides

Maintaining Engagement

• Regular events and activities
• Weekly/monthly digests
• Member spotlights
• Community challenges
• Open discussions
• Feedback loops

Scaling the Community

• Promote active members to moderators
• Create sub-teams for specialization
• Document processes and guidelines
• Delegate responsibilities
• Use automation (bulletin board, bot)
• Maintain culture through values

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Community Governance

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Decision Making

Communities can implement various governance models: Benevolent Dictator:

• Founders/leads make final decisions
• Community provides input via discussions

Consensus-Based:

• Major decisions require member consensus
• Use referral voting system for proposals

Representative:

• Leads represent member interests
• Regular elections for lead positions

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Transparency

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Success Metrics

Track community health:

• Growth: New members per month
• Engagement: Comments, reactions, event attendance
• Contributions: Stories, resources, helpful answers
• Retention: Active members vs. total members
• Distribution: Contribution spread (not just few power users)

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Example Communities

Developer Community

Structure:

• Teams: Frontend, Backend, DevOps, Mobile
• Membership: Referral-based for contributors
• Events: Monthly meetups, quarterly conferences
• Communication: Telegram + discussions

Features:

• Public relations (show all members)
• Q&A for tech support
• GitHub integration for projects
• Weekly bulletin digest

Local Interest Community

Structure:

• Teams: Events, Content, Outreach
• Membership: Open followers, member referrals
• Events: Weekly meetups with date proposals
• Communication: Telegram + email bulletins

Features:

• Public discussions
• Activity stories for all events
• Member contributions featured
• Local business links

Learning Community

Structure:

• Teams: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced
• Membership: Open followers, graduated members
• Events: Workshops and study groups
• Communication: Mailbox + discussions

Features:

• Q&A knowledge base (public)
• Tutorial series
• Mentor matching via teams
• Points for helping others

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Best Practices

Building Community Culture

• Define and document values early
• Lead by example (founders set tone)
• Recognize and reward positive behavior
• Address issues quickly and fairly
• Celebrate wins together
• Make everyone feel welcome

Managing Conflict

• Have clear code of conduct
• Respond to reports promptly
• Use private communication for sensitive issues
• Document moderation decisions
• Be consistent in enforcement
• Give people chances to improve

Sustaining Long-Term

• Avoid founder burnout (distribute responsibilities)
• Develop leadership pipeline
• Document everything (“bus factor” of 1 is dangerous)
• Regular retrospectives
• Adapt to community needs
• Stay true to core mission

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Next Steps