community-building

Files (2)

• README.md
• SKILL.md

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Community Building

This skill helps you build and manage developer communities on Discord, Slack, forums, and other platforms. Covers channel structure, onboarding, engagement programs, handling toxicity, and community-led growth.

---

## Before You Start

**Load your audience context first.** Read `.agents/developer-audience-context.md` to understand:

- Who your developers are (role, seniority, interests)
- Where they already hang out (to avoid competing platforms)
- What problems they discuss (community topic focus)
- How they communicate (formal vs. casual tone)

If the context file doesn't exist, run the `developer-audience-context` skill first.

---

## Platform Selection

### Comparison Matrix

| Platform | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|----------|----------|------|------|
| **Discord** | Developer tools, gaming, OSS | Real-time, rich features, free | Can be chaotic, less enterprise |
| **Slack** | Enterprise, B2B SaaS | Professional, familiar | Expensive at scale, message limits |
| **GitHub Discussions** | OSS projects | Integrated, async, searchable | Less community feel |
| **Discourse** | Long-form, searchable | SEO, threading, ownership | Maintenance, hosting costs |
| **Circle** | Courses, paid communities | Courses integration, clean | Paid, less developer-native |

### Decision Framework

| If your audience is... | Consider |
|------------------------|----------|
| Individual developers, OSS | Discord |
| Enterprise teams | Slack |
| Technical, async-preferred | GitHub Discussions |
| Mixed, need searchability | Discourse |
| Course/education based | Circle |

---

## Channel Structure

### Discord Channel Template

```
📢 INFORMATION
├── #welcome — First landing, rules, links
├── #announcements — Official updates (admin-only posting)
├── #rules — Code of conduct
└── #introductions — New member intros

💬 GENERAL
├── #general — Main discussion
├── #off-topic — Non-project chat
└── #show-what-you-built — Share projects

❓ SUPPORT
├── #help — General questions
├── #troubleshooting — Bug help
└── #feature-requests — Suggestions

🔧 TECHNICAL
├── #backend — Backend discussions
├── #frontend — Frontend discussions
└── #devops — Infrastructure discussions

🤝 COMMUNITY
├── #jobs — Job postings (if allowed)
├── #events — Meetups, conferences
└── #content — Blog posts, videos

📚 RESOURCES
├── #learning — Tutorials, courses
└── #tools — Useful tools and libraries
```

### Slack Channel Template

```
# welcome
# announcements (admin-only)
# general
# help
# random (off-topic)
# jobs (optional)
# introductions
# feedback
```

### Channel Guidelines

| Channel Type | Posting Rules | Moderation Level |
|--------------|---------------|------------------|
| **Announcements** | Admin only | N/A |
| **General** | On-topic discussion | Light |
| **Help** | Questions welcome, be patient | Medium |
| **Off-topic** | Anything goes (within CoC) | Light |
| **Jobs** | Structured format required | Heavy |
| **Introductions** | One post per person | Light |

---

## Onboarding Experience

### New Member Journey

```
Join Server
    ↓
Welcome Message (DM or public)
    ↓
Read Rules / Accept
    ↓
Verify (optional: GitHub, email)
    ↓
Introduce Yourself

From jonathimer/devmarketing-skills, MIT.

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