A Community That Meets Together

Flourishes Together

 

 

Mike Jang

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Technical Writer

  • Identity and Access Management

  • Author (look on Amazon)

CC0

@theMikeJang

 

Side Gig: Write the Docs 

Meetup Lead

 

Open Source Summit, 2019

@theMikeJang

Supports My Work With

Open Source Communities

@ForgeRock

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Audience

  • Organizers

  • Meetup Leaders

  • Community Managers

  • Want to Learn

@TheMikeJang

Follow Along

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups/live#

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Online Copy

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Action Plan

  • Document

  • Delegate

  • Facilitate

  • Simplify

  • Secure

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

My Story w/r/t Communities

  • My First WtD Conference

  • Starting a Meetup

  • Helping Other Meetups

  • Lessons Learned -- Action Plan

Write the Docs

A global community of people

 

who care about

 

documentation

 

Slack Network > 7000

 

 

Conferences: 3 Continents

 

 

 

44 Meetups

(11 time zones)

 

 

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Meetups ~ Communities

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

My Start

One of these things is not like the other

My Tribe

Write the Docs Conference, 2014

I can't quit you 

Continue the Conversation

Community

  • Lone writers who feel isolated

  • Common result: sense of belonging

  • Writers in groups who need a "reality check"

@theMikeJang

@ForgeRock

Open Source Summit, 2019

Running My First Meetup

A Story 

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

I can't quit you 

Taking the Plunge

@theMikeJang

@ForgeRock

Open Source Summit, 2019

30 members

Popularity

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

So When's Your First Meetup?

Typical Meetup

  • Speaker

  • Food / Sponsor

  • Facility

  • Publicity

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Success!

Meetup.com

Distilling a Formula

  • Speaker

  • Food / Sponsor

  • Facility

  • Publicity

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Finding Speakers

Be Present

 

Understand What Your Members Do

 

Go Beyond Your Membership

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

  • Lightning Talks

  • Unconference Sessions

  • Panels

Overcoming Fear

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Would You Speak to Our Meetup?

Food?

Do you have to feed attendees?

Alcohol?

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Facilities

Location,

Location,

Location

@theMikeJang

google maps

Publicity

  • Meetup.com

  • Local Tech Calendars / Social Media

  • Word of Mouth

 

 

(Depends on location)

 

 

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Today

meetup.com

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Community Organizers

public domain, nps.gov

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Community Organizer

Inspiration

Lessons for Other Meetups

 

Not Quite

 

 

writethedocs.org

Video

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

2015: "Start Your Own Write the Docs Meetup Group"

I thought

I had the

answers

Giphy

Leaders Find Their Own Path

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Community

A Feeling of Fellowship

What's In Common

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Shared Problems

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Shared Solutions

Open Source

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

The Write the Docs

Meetup Story

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Write the Docs

2014

Created with mapcustomizer.com

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Write the Docs

2016

Created with mapcustomizer.com

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Write the Docs

Today

Created with mapcustomizer.com

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Meetup Locations

  • Amsterdam
  • Ann Arbor
  • Austin (ATX)
  • Australia
  • Bangalore
  • Barcelona
  • Bay Area (SF)
  • Berlin
  • Brussels
  • Boise
  • Boston
  • Boulder/Denver
  • Budapest
  • Cambridge
  • Chicago
  • Cincinnati
  • Dallas
  • DC
  • Durham (RTP)
  • Fredericton
  • Hamburg
  • Houston
  • Ireland
  • Istanbul
  • Karlsurhe
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Moscow
  • Munich
  • Nashville
  • New York City
  • Novosibirsk (Siberia)
  • North England
  • Ottawa (YOW)
  • Paris
  • Portland
  • Rhineland
  • St. Petersberg
  • Salt Lake City
  • Seattle
  • Seoul
  • Stockholm
  • Tel Aviv
  • Toronto

Many Solutions

 

One Community

 

Action #1

Document

Accommodate Multiple Solutions

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Diversity

Portland != San Francisco != Boise

!= Paris != Leeds != Bangalore

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Facilities

Location,

Location,

Location

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

google maps

HOWTO

Start a Meetup

Sustai nability

FAQ

@theMikeJang

www.writethedocs.org/meetups

Better Docs

Any Docs > No Docs

@theMikeJang

www.writethedocs.org/meetups

Action

Document Your Communities

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Doc Success Metric

New Meetups

Appear Without Warning

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Action #2

Delegate

 

Every Meetup

Multiple Organizers

Help Meetup Leaders

Help Each Other

 

 

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Helping Pack Leaders

Lower right photo taken by speaker; others CC0

@theMikeJang

@ForgeRock

Action

Help Your Leaders Get Help

Reduce Workoad

 

Succession Plan

 

 

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Action #3

Meetup Leaders

Understand Each Other

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Facilitate

A Community of Leaders

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Help Your Leaders

Help Each Other

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Gather Your Leaders

  • Online

  • Video Conference

  • In Person

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Recognition

  • Online

  • At Conferences

  • Swag

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Action

Help Your Leaders

 

Help Each Other

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

 

Add Recognition

 

Action #4

Simplify Most Meetups

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Typical Meetups are Hard

  • Location

  • Food

  • Sponsors

  • Speaker

  • Audience

  • Publicity

  • ... 

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Some Leaders Thrive on Complexity

 

Celebrate

 

 

Recruit for

Conferences

 

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Simplify!

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Some Leaders Have Little Time

How?

Simplify? A Meetup?

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

The Boulder Solution

Live Q and A

 

Conference Video

 

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Coffee Klatch

 

Easy

(everyone buys their own)

 

 

Community

 

The Seattle Solution

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Happy Hour!

 

Community

 

Sustainable Meetups

Goal:

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Non-Traditional Meetup Options

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

For Sustainability

Encourage Simplicity

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Action #5

Secure

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct

A Sense of Security

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Code of Conduct

Simple

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Complex

Code of Conduct

Don't Overdo It

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Michelle Gelfand's Keynote

Cultural Codes that Drive Behavior

Code of Conduct

Keep it Simple

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

  • One Line Statement

 

 

  • Link in the Meetup Page

 

(when your meetup != conference)

Avoid Excessive Detail

Code of Conduct

Small Groups

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

 

 

 

Be Excellent to Each Other 

{group} is open to everyone and does not tolerate abusive behavior on its mailing lists or at its meetings.

 

 

  • Be respectful

  • Abusive behavior is never tolerated

  • We're here to help

Action

Create a Code of Conduct

 

Avoid Walls of Text

 

Don't be Too Prescriptive

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Tip

 

Let Meetup Leaders

Find Their Own Path

 

 

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Centralized

Control

Sponsors

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Make It Easy

Support Easy Payments

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Describe Your Audience

* Open Collective

* Community Bridge

Source

"What Sponsors Want"

Josh Berkus (@fuzzychef)

@theMikeJang

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Action Plan

  • Document

  • Delegate

  • Facilitate

  • Simplify

  • Secure

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

Bonus

You Can Help Your Communities Flourish

@Katie_The_Dog

Open Source Summit, 2019

@theMikeJang

Sources

http://www.writethedocs.org/meetups

 

The Business Value of Developer Relations

(Mary Thengvall)

 

"What Sponsors Want"

(Josh Berkus)

 

@katie_the_dog

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

@theMikeJang

CC0

@theMikeJang

Supports My Work With

Open Source Communities

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

Thanks!

https://slides.com/mike-1/global-meetups

@theMikeJang

Open Source Summit, 2019

 

Questions

Code of Conduct Details

  • Expo Hall?
  • Not publishing a video? (What if there is no video?)
  • Contact hotel security? (At a coffee shop?)
  • No Refunds? (Do your meetups charge attendees?)

Unsuited to Meetups

Possible Post Talk Discussion

Traditional Meetups

Coffee Klatches

Mini Conferences

Lunch

Possible Post Talk Discussion