Future Developers and Technology Leaders: Software Communities

In 2024, one of the biggest investments a student can make in themselves is to work on projects within their field and improve their skills. The most effective way to do this is through student communities. While these communities generally serve a single purpose, a well-designed and well-managed community can offer students the opportunity to develop in many areas through the departments it creates within itself. It's crucial that these opportunities are provided not only to students who want to become developers but also to those who wish to advance in fields like sales, marketing, project management, IT, and operations management. This is where you, as the community manager, come into play.

Challenges in Managing Software Communities

One of the most common problems faced by software communities today is that the executive team is often composed of software teams and leaders. A community, much like a company, has to operate in many areas, and among these, in my opinion, the most important is the public relations team. A strong PR team will be successful in covering the community's shortcomings and keeping the community's image high, which will benefit you in terms of growing your community and increasing the opportunities you create for students. It's important to remember that a student community is not a software agency, even though it will contain many developers both as members and executives.

Team Dynamics and Success Strategies in Community Management

At this point, I divide my community into two main teams:

• Project Teams: These are teams within the community, mostly consisting of developers but also including designers and students responsible for project management. These teams focus on submitting projects to competitions. We expect project teams to show maximum success in the competitions they enter and the projects they produce. To ensure the success of these teams, it is crucial not to burden them with additional responsibilities and to give them the freedom to operate.
• Community Managers: This group includes everyone else, from the social media team to the field operations team. Community managers coordinate, organize, and promote social events and training sessions. It's nearly impossible to keep a community alive solely through training or competitions. Therefore, it is important to keep the motivation of both members and organizers high.

In a somewhat straightforward explanation, software teams are focused on submitting projects to competitions, and while they mostly consist of developers, they also include designers and students responsible for project management. Meanwhile, community managers include everyone else, from the social media team to the field operations team. There's a very simple reason for this team distribution. We expect project teams to show maximum success in the competitions they enter and the projects they produce. The greatest value that team members can offer each other is this mutual support. Although a project team should not be entirely separated from the community, it is crucial not to burden them with additional responsibilities, to give them the freedom to operate, and to allow them to do their jobs without micromanagement, with the right superior-subordinate relationships in place where necessary. While I say that they should be kept somewhat separate within the community, it is important to ensure that no silo structure develops. There are many community management software options that can help you more easily track who is in what position, on what task, and with which team.

Community Managers, on the other hand, are what differentiate a community from a group of clustered software teams. Software communities cannot place all their members into a single team, send everyone to every competition, or invite everyone to every training session. To use limited resources and opportunities with maximum efficiency, they must follow different methods. Coordinating, organizing, and promoting events such as social activities and training sessions within the community is not a simpler task than participating in competitions on behalf of the community. It's nearly impossible to keep these communities alive solely through training or competitions.

The Importance of Belonging and Motivation in Communities

Gerek topluluk içerisindeki organizatör ekibi gerek de üyeleri motive tutmak bu noktada oldukça önemli. Bunu sağlamanın benim gördüğüm 2 yolu var. Birincisi  kanıtlı sonuçlar yaratmak; topluluk içerisinde aktif olan üyelerin günün sonunda buradan karlı It's very important to keep both the organizing team and the members motivated. I've seen two ways to achieve this. The first is to create proven results; if you can prove that active members within the community are benefiting in the end, your community remains active and functional. The other, which is actually applied by the majority, is to create a sense of belonging. If members can feel that they are part of something larger than themselves and if their desires are also considered within this structure, they feel like a part of the community. To achieve this feeling, it is important to organize social activities within the community, keep discussion rooms active, and gather student opinions when making decisions. Unfortunately, the moment a member feels like an outsider, your community starts to die. Many communities actually fall victim to this. There are many communities where the management and administrative boards are friends with each other but limit their interactions with outside members and only see their members as numbers, and the lifespan of these communities does not exceed 2-3 years. Arrogance within the community is the downfall of these organizations.

Managing Ego and Arrogance in Community Leadership

Another point to pay attention to is arrogance. Both as a Community Manager and as your team leaders and board members, you need to manage your arrogance. At the end of the day, it's important to remember that student communities are volunteer-based organizations. While everyone has different reasons for volunteering, the main goal of the events and projects is the benefit of the students. I volunteer in student communities to create opportunities for others, but someone else might do it for their career, or someone else might do it purely for socialization. If you and your team can't keep your egos in check, you will abandon your community to die, but I understand. Many community managers are experiencing their first management experience here, and it is understandable that you may start making tougher decisions when you begin to lose control. However, if you can't find the right balance in this toughness and can't keep your egos in check, you will not only harm your community but also your personal image. At this point, it will be healthy to step back and reflect.

The Balance of Trust, Authority, and Responsibility in Community Management

A good community manager should know how to take control even if they lose control of the community or things get out of hand. You can easily maintain control over the community by keeping internal motivation high or by establishing reward systems. Mistakes you make due to inexperience will definitely happen, but you need to learn to accept and take ownership of these mistakes. Moreover, it will also be beneficial for your community if you take ownership of not only your own mistakes but also the mistakes of your team in front of higher authorities. This brings us to the next topic.

Building trust within the team. A good community manager not only instills trust but also entrusts responsibilities. Creating space for your team leaders and members to take initiative is one of the most significant things you can do for them. A member who is allowed to take the initiative will take ownership of the task they can take the initiative on, and their motivation will increase even further. The critical point to pay attention to here is to whom, where, and how much space you give for initiative. As you can appreciate, it's not very feasible to make every decision yourself in a truly functional and active community; the right leader selections will save your life at this point. When making these selections, it is important to pay attention not only to the person's technical skills but also to whether they can take the initiative. It is especially important for the leaders of the operations/organization and public relations teams to be able to take the initiative; your operations leader should be able to organize and manage events without you, and your public relations team should be able to decide for themselves how a message should be responded to or how well a post aligns with the community's image. Of course, it is you who will create this space for these teams and their leaders. To ensure that your teams are successful, they need to be confident that they can rely on you, and therefore, they should not be afraid of making mistakes. You can give them this confidence verbally, but standing behind them when they make mistakes and, if necessary, taking the blame will further reinforce this. Ensuring that your team members trust you will not only motivate them to work harder but also maintain social order within the community.
 

The Path to Success in Community Management: Listening, Understanding, and Acting with Good Intentions

Alright, let's take a step back and see what we've discussed:

• Separating project and event teams while avoiding silo structures
• Keeping member and executive motivation high
• Proving success / Creating a sense of belonging
• Managing egos
• Maintaining control over the community with reasonable methods
• Creating an environment of trust within the community

There are certainly many more things to discuss, but these are the key points to consider for managing software communities. Of course, there are many different factors that will make you a better manager and lead your community to success. Some of these will depend on the internal dynamics of your community. So, listen to your teams and members, act with good intentions, and think positively.