May 12th, 2008
Sourceforge missing community manager opportunity
Sourceforge community manager Ross Turk called today and we had a nice talk about the site’s Community Choice Awards, whose nominations opened today.
(Shown is the avatar of Socrates Jansma, community manager for OurVirtualHolland. Notice the nifty virtual tie with matching handkerchief. Every girl’s crazy about a sharp-dressed man.)
Last time we talked, in September, Turk was launching a complete review of Sourceforge’s mission. As more projects insist on building their own forges, in order to maintain control of their commuities, the original site must find its own way.
This led me to ask about Turk’s own role, that of community manager, and the growing professionalism among his peers. Turk said he’s sort of a “meta-manager, drawing out the communities that exist” within the site, but he’s seen the trend.
Why not take advantage of it, I thought. Instead of just honoring projects, why not organize and advocate for community managers, the profession Sourceforge has done so much to create?
Events are needed to help educate such people, to let them share tips, and to advocate for them, so they can gain the higher profiles and salaries they deserve.
Maybe we should have a community manager of the year, I suggested. Maybe a collection of such awards, for those who prove best at tamping down flame wars, implementing new technology, or just growing their communities.
A good place to start that work might be the Sourceforge community hub. Use a Wiki to create a handbook of best practices which could be distributed online, even printed and sold.
“We have 100,000 communities at Sourceforge which make heavy use of our community resources,” Turk said. “Community management is becoming a profession.”
Sounds like an opportunity to me.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for 30 years, a tech freelancer since 1983. You can follow Dana on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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