---
name: community-building
description: When the user wants to build, grow, or improve a developer community on Discord, Slack, or forums. Trigger phrases include "developer community," "Discord server," "Slack community," "community strategy," "community engagement," "community moderation," "community growth," or "community...
risk: unknown
source: https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/tree/main/skills/community-building
source_repo: jonathimer/devmarketing-skills
source_type: community
date_added: 2026-07-01
license: MIT
license_source: https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/blob/main/LICENSE
---

# Community Building
## When to Use

Use this skill when you need when the user wants to build, grow, or improve a developer community on Discord, Slack, or forums. Trigger phrases include "developer community," "Discord server," "Slack community," "community strategy," "community engagement," "community moderation," "community growth," or "community...


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
    ↓
First Interaction
    ↓
Regular Member
```

### Welcome Message Template

**Discord DM:**
```
Welcome to [Community Name]! 👋

Here's how to get started:

1. Read the rules in #rules
2. Introduce yourself in #introductions
3. Ask questions in #help — we're friendly!

Quick links:
• Documentation: [link]
• Getting started: [link]
• GitHub: [link]

We're glad you're here!
```

**Public #welcome channel:**
```
# Welcome to [Community Name]!

We're [brief description of who you are and what you do].

## Quick Start

1. **Read the rules** → #rules
2. **Introduce yourself** → #introductions
3. **Get help** → #help
4. **Chat with us** → #general

## Useful Links

- [Documentation]
- [GitHub]
- [Website]

## Questions?

Drop a message in #help or mention @moderators
```

### Role Assignment

| Role | How to Get | Permissions |
|------|------------|-------------|
| **New Member** | Auto on join | Limited channels |
| **Member** | Verify or time-based | Full access |
| **Contributor** | PR merged, active helper | Badge, special channel |
| **Moderator** | Invited | Moderation powers |
| **Admin** | Core team | Full access |

---

## Engagement Programs

### Discussion Prompts

Schedule regular engagement:

| Day | Prompt Type | Example |
|-----|-------------|---------|
| Monday | This week's goals | "What are you working on this week?" |
| Wednesday | Technical question | "Controversial: Tabs or spaces?" |
| Friday | Show & Tell | "Share what you shipped this week" |

### Recognition Programs

| Program | Description | Frequency |
|---------|-------------|-----------|
| **Contributor of the Month** | Recognize top helpers | Monthly |
| **First PR Celebration** | Welcome new contributors | As happens |
| **Milestone Badges** | 10/50/100 messages | Automatic |
| **Expert Roles** | Domain expertise recognition | Quarterly |

### Event Ideas

| Event Type | Format | Effort |
|------------|--------|--------|
| **Office Hours** | Live Q&A with team | Low |
| **Show & Tell** | Members demo projects | Low |
| **Workshops** | Teaching sessions | Medium |
| **Hackathons** | Build challenges | High |
| **Game Night** | Non-tech fun | Low |
| **AMA Sessions** | Guest experts | Medium |

### Engagement Metrics

| Metric | What It Tells You |
|--------|------------------|
| **DAU/MAU** | Daily vs monthly active users |
| **Messages per user** | Individual engagement depth |
| **Questions answered** | Community self-sufficiency |
| **New member retention** | Onboarding effectiveness |
| **Event attendance** | Program resonance |

---

## Handling Toxicity

### Code of Conduct Essentials

```markdown
# Code of Conduct

## Our Standards

**Do:**
- Be respectful and inclusive
- Help others learn (no "RTFM")
- Assume good intentions
- Give constructive feedback
- Report problems, don't engage

**Don't:**
- Personal attacks or harassment
- Discrimination of any kind
- Spam or self-promotion
- NSFW content
- Doxxing or privacy violations
- Bad faith arguments

## Enforcement

1. **Warning** — First offense, good faith
2. **Temp mute** — Repeated issues
3. **Temp ban** — Serious violations
4. **Permanent ban** — Egregious or repeated

## Reporting

DM any @moderator or use the report feature.
All reports are confidential.
```

### Moderation Playbook

| Situation | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| **Heated debate** | "Let's keep this constructive. Both perspectives have merit." |
| **Help vampire** | "Here's a guide on asking good questions: [link]" |
| **Self-promotion spam** | Delete, warn, or ban depending on frequency |
| **Off-topic drift** | "Great discussion! Let's move this to #off-topic" |
| **Harassment** | Immediate mute, investigate, likely ban |
| **Bad faith troll** | Don't engage publicly, ban quietly |

### De-escalation Techniques

1. **Acknowledge feelings** — "I can see this is frustrating"
2. **Move to DM** — "Let's continue this privately"
3. **Take a break** — "Let's pause and revisit tomorrow"
4. **Clarify intent** — "I think there might be a misunderstanding"
5. **Set boundaries** — "We're here to help, but not to be yelled at"

### Moderator Self-Care

| Risk | Mitigation |
|------|------------|
| Burnout | Rotate moderator duties |
| Taking it personally | Remember: it's not about you |
| Imposter syndrome | Regular team check-ins |
| Isolation | Moderator private channel |

---

## Community-Led Growth

### Word-of-Mouth Tactics

| Tactic | How |
|--------|-----|
| **Referral program** | Rewards for invites that stick |
| **Share-worthy content** | Exclusive insights, early access |
| **Member spotlights** | Feature members → they share |
| **Success stories** | "I got a job through this community" |

### User-Generated Content

| Content Type | How to Encourage |
|--------------|------------------|
| **Tutorials** | "Share your setup in #show-what-you-built" |
| **Q&A threads** | Reward helpful answers |
| **Project showcases** | Monthly demo events |
| **Testimonials** | Ask happy members |

### Community Champions

Identify and empower super-users:

| Champion Type | Role |
|---------------|------|
| **Greeters** | Welcome new members |
| **Helpers** | Answer support questions |
| **Content creators** | Tutorials, videos, guides |
| **Event organizers** | Run community events |
| **Connectors** | Introduce people to each other |

---

## Community Metrics

### Health Dashboard

| Metric | Healthy | Warning | Action Needed |
|--------|---------|---------|---------------|
| **Response time (support)** | <24h | 24-72h | >72h |
| **Unanswered questions** | <10% | 10-25% | >25% |
| **New member 7-day retention** | >40% | 20-40% | <20% |
| **Monthly active ratio** | >20% | 10-20% | <10% |
| **Moderator messages ratio** | <30% | 30-50% | >50% |

### Growth Metrics

| Metric | How to Track |
|--------|-------------|
| **Total members** | Platform analytics |
| **Join rate** | New members per week |
| **Churn rate** | Leaves per month |
| **Engagement depth** | Messages per active user |
| **Support success** | % questions resolved |

---

## Automation

### Useful Bots (Discord)

| Bot | Purpose |
|-----|---------|
| **MEE6 / Carl-bot** | Moderation, welcome messages, roles |
| **Statbot** | Analytics and metrics |
| **Ticket Tool** | Support ticket system |
| **GitHub Bot** | Repo activity notifications |
| **YAGPDB** | Advanced moderation, custom commands |

### Automation Ideas

| Automation | Benefit |
|------------|---------|
| Welcome DM | Consistent onboarding |
| Auto-role on join | Immediate access |
| Inactive member ping | Re-engagement |
| Support ticket creation | Organized help |
| GitHub notifications | Keep community informed |
| Scheduled posts | Regular engagement |

---

## Tools

| Tool | Use Case |
|------|----------|
| **[Octolens](https://octolens.com)** | Monitor community mentions across GitHub, Twitter, Reddit. Find where your community members talk about you. Track sentiment. Discover community content to amplify. |
| **Commsor** | Community operations platform |
| **Notion** | Community wiki and resources |
| **Luma** | Event management |
| **StreamYard/Restream** | Live event streaming |

---

## Related Skills

- `developer-audience-context` — Know your community members
- `open-source-marketing` — OSS community building
- `developer-advocacy` — Personal brand in community
- `developer-newsletter` — Community digest content

## Limitations

- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream source and local project context.
- Verify commands, generated code, dependencies, credentials, and external service behavior before applying changes.
- Do not treat examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.