standing on the shoulders of giants by stack exchange's ana noemi

Standing on the Shoulders of GiantsHow We Can Borrow From Other Traditions and Level Up Our Game

CMX Summit East 2015

__________________

by Ana Noemi@anoemi

I <3 NY

Previously...

Work

Know what community managers do a lot of?

I’ve had the chance to see how community works in lots of orgs.

Justifying ourselves.

It’s exhausting.

Justifying ourselves.

What we do is a lot bigger than startups.

Community = getting a collection of individuals to view themselves as a cohesive group.

It’s easy to lose sight of our purpose when we’re facing a constant onslaught.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

If we look at communities outside our day to day, it helps us see deeper patterns and structures.

I want to help you think about community building outside your current constraints.

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Membership

Alignment of Desires

Customs and Rituals

Empowerment of Individuals

1) Non-Transactional Giving2) Self Identifying Members3) Alignment of Desires4) Customs and Rituals5) Empowerment of Individuals

These are the five traits of every vibrant, enduring community:

How do these five traits show up in strong, successful communities?

Alcoholics Anonymous1st Example:

“I have found that the process of discovering who I really am begins with knowing who I really don't want to be.”

Alcoholics Anonymous

What is it?

• “Mutual aid society” - members help each other face their relationship with alcohol, rebuild their lives

• Religious influence

• Free and inclusive to all

Alcoholics Anonymous

• Will not tell you whether you’re an alcoholic

• Sponsorship

• 12 Steps

Alcoholics AnonymousWhat is it?

The Five Traits in AA

Alcoholics Anonymous

The Five Traits in AA

Non-Transactional Giving

The Five Traits in AA

Sponsorship

Alcoholics Anonymous

The Five Traits in AA

Non-Transactional Giving

The Five Traits in AA

Self-Identifying Members

Sponsorship

AA doesn’t diagnose alcoholism

Alcoholics Anonymous

The Five Traits in AA

Non-Transactional Giving

The Five Traits in AA

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Sponsorship

AA doesn’t diagnose alcoholism

Working to get well

Alcoholics Anonymous

The Five Traits in AA

Non-Transactional Giving

The Five Traits in AA

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Rituals & Customs

Sponsorship

AA doesn’t diagnose alcoholism

Working to get well

Meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous

Non-Transactional Giving

The Five Traits in AA

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Rituals & Customs

Empowerment of Individuals

Sponsorship

AA doesn’t diagnose alcoholism

Working to get well

Meetings

Anyone can start a group

Alcoholics Anonymous

(image TBD)

Burning Man2nd Example:

“A Disneyland where the participants create all the rides” -- Michael Mikel, Co-Founder

Burning Man

What is it?

• 65K people in Black Rock Desert for a weeklong celebration

• Music, large scale art installations, partying, self-expression

• Bring your own food, water, shelter

Burning Man

• Theme camps

• Effigy burn

• Gifting

• Make a city, break it back down (“Leave no trace”)

Burning ManWhat is it?

Burning Man

Burning Man

Burning ManThe Five Traits in Burning Man

Burning ManThe Five Traits in Burning Man

Non-Transactional Giving Gift economy

Burning ManThe Five Traits in Burning Man

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Gift economy

Culturally abnormal activity

Burning ManThe Five Traits in Burning Man

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Gift economy

Culturally abnormal activity

‘Leave no trace’

Burning ManThe Five Traits in Burning Man

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Rituals & Customs

Gift economy

Culturally abnormal activity

‘Leave no trace’

Effigy Burn

Burning ManThe Five Traits in Burning Man

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Rituals & Customs

Empowerment of Individuals

Gift economy

Culturally abnormal activity

‘Leave no trace’

Effigy Burn

Theme Camps

3rd Example: Linux

“I think, fundamentally, open source does tend to be more stable software. It's the right way to do things.” -- Linus Torvalds, Project Lead

Linux

What is it?

• Open source alternative to Windows and OSX

• Free for everyone to use and modify

• Community & corporate symbiosis

• Leading operating system on servers

Linux

• Linux User Groups (LUGs)

• Community provides support to one another

• Strong countercultural, anti-corporate ethos

What is it?

Linux

The Five Traits in LinuxLinux

The Five Traits in Linux

Non-Transactional Giving Built by volunteers

Linux

The Five Traits in Linux

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Built by volunteers

Linux User Groups

Linux

The Five Traits in Linux

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Built by volunteers

Linux User Groups

Anti-corporate ethos

Linux

The Five Traits in Linux

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Rituals & Customs

Built by volunteers

Linux User Groups

Anti-corporate ethos

Lots. Of. Shouting.

Linux

The Five Traits in Linux

Non-Transactional Giving

Self-Identifying Members

Alignment of Desires

Rituals & Customs

Empowerment of Individuals

Built by volunteers

Linux User Groups

Anti-corporate ethos

Lots. Of. Shouting.

Pull requests

Linux

Let’s take an example that’s closer to home.

The Five Traits at Stack Exchange

Non-Transactional Giving We believe people want to help each other

Self-Identifying Members Give away content, no pressure to sign up

The Five Traits at Stack Exchange

Alignment of Desires Defining “on topic”

The Five Traits at Stack Exchange

Rituals & Customs Community documentation of our memes & inside jokes

The Five Traits at Stack Exchange

Empowerment of Individuals Creation of Meta Stack Overflow

The Five Traits at Stack Exchange

Communities are weird tangles of human interaction.

We are the pattern matchers.

If we don’t define what community building is, others will do it for us.

Not every company is going to embrace the five traits,or the true importance of community.

If you’re not being empowered to do your best work, find somewhere where you are.

Thank you!

@anoemi