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Streaming Audio: A Confluent podcast about Apache Kafka®

How to Build a Strong Developer Community with Global Engagement ft. Robin Moffatt and Ale Murray

A developer community brings people with shared interests and purpose together. The fundamental elements of a community are to gather, learn, support, and create opportunities for collaboration. A developer community is also an effective and efficient instrument for exploring and solving problems together. 

The power of a community is its endless advantages, from knowledge sharing to support, interesting discussions, and much more. Tim Berglund invites Ale Murray (Global Community Manager, Confluent) and Robin Moffatt (Staff Developer Advocate, Confluent) on the show to discuss the art of Q&A in a global community, share tips for building a vibrant developer community, and highlight the five strategic pillars for running a successful global community:

  1. Meetups
  2. Conferences
  3. MVP program (e.g., Confluent Community Catalysts)
  4. Community hackathons
  5. Digital platforms 

Digital platforms, such as a community Slack and forum, often consist of members who are well versed on topics of interest. As a leader in the Apache Kafka® and Confluent communities, Robin expresses the importance of being respectful when asking questions and providing details to the problem at hand. A well-formulated and focused question will more likely lead to a helpful answer. Oftentimes, the cognitive process of composing the question actually helps iron out the problem and draw out a solution. This process is also known as the rubber duck debugging theory. 

In a global community with diverse cultures and languages, being kind and having empathy is crucial. The tone and meaning of words can sometimes get lost in translation. Using emojis can help transcend language barriers by adding another layer of tone to plain text. 

Ale and Robin also discuss the pros and cons of a community forum vs. a Slack group. Tune in to find out more tips and best practices on building and engaging a developer community.

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