community-building

What this skill does

# Community Building

## Scope

**Covers**
- Defining a community strategy (goal, members, value exchange, and “movement” thesis)
- Choosing **where** the community lives (home base + outposts) based on where members already are
- Designing programming/rituals and a light **ambassador/champions** program
- Governance, moderation, and measurement so the community is safe and sustainable

**When to use**
- “Create a community strategy / community-led growth plan.”
- “We’re launching a Discord/Slack/forum—design the first 30/60/90 days.”
- “Design an ambassador/champions program.”
- “We want community to increase word-of-mouth or help us move upmarket.”

**When NOT to use**
- You haven’t defined ICP/positioning (use `positioning-messaging` or `problem-definition` first).
- You want a paid acquisition plan (ads/creative/bidding) rather than community.
- You want to “buy” a community, scrape/spam DMs, or manipulate members.
- You need a customer support ops overhaul (ticketing/SLAs/KB) more than a community.

## Inputs

**Minimum required**
- Product + category + ICP (who it’s for)
- Primary community goal (pick 1): support, activation, retention, advocacy/UGC, product feedback, moving upmarket
- Target members (roles/seniority) and where they already gather today
- Resources: owner, hours/week, budget, moderators/SMEs
- Existing assets: email list, social following, events, partners, customer champions
- Constraints: compliance/privacy, brand voice, moderation risk tolerance

**Missing-info strategy**
- Ask up to 5 questions from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md) (3–5 at a time).
- If critical inputs are missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and label them; provide 2–3 options with tradeoffs.
- Never request credentials or private access. Accept redacted exports/screenshots if offered.

## Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a **Community Building Pack** (Markdown in-chat; or as files if requested), in this order:

1) **Context snapshot** + assumptions/TBDs
2) **Community thesis** (movement/philosophy), target members, and value exchange
3) **Community model + member journey** (discover → join → first win → habit → advocate) + success metrics
4) **Platform plan** (home base + outposts) + influencer/social-graph shortlist
5) **30/60/90 plan** (seeding, onboarding, activation) + recruitment/outreach scripts
6) **Programming & rituals calendar** (first 4–8 weeks)
7) **Ambassador/champions program v1** (criteria, responsibilities, recognition)
8) **Governance & moderation** (rules, enforcement, escalation, safety)
9) **Measurement plan + weekly ops cadence**
10) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always included)

Templates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)  
Expanded guidance + decision rules: [references/WORKFLOW.md](references/WORKFLOW.md)

## Workflow (8 steps)

### 1) Intake + pick the primary job-to-be-done
- **Inputs:** User prompt; [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).
- **Actions:** Confirm ICP, define the primary goal, identify where the community already gathers, and list constraints (capacity, compliance, safety).
- **Outputs:** Context snapshot + assumptions/TBDs list.
- **Checks:** You can finish the sentence: “In 8–12 weeks, this community will _____ for _____, measured by _____.”

### 2) Define the movement + value exchange (why join, why stay)
- **Inputs:** Product POV, category beliefs, member motivations.
- **Actions:** Write a community thesis: worldview/philosophy, what you stand for, and what you’re “against” (the enemy/problem). Define explicit give/get value exchange (what members get; what members contribute).
- **Outputs:** Community thesis + value exchange.
- **Checks:** The thesis is non-generic (could not fit a random company) and the value exchange includes concrete benefits and contributions.

### 3) Choose the community model + map the member journey
- **Inputs:** Primary goal, member needs, resources.
- **Actions:** Choose a primary model (support, learning, networking, advocacy, co-creation). Map the journey: discover → join → first win → habit → advocate. Define 1–2 “first win” moments and metrics by stage.
- **Outputs:** Community model + journey map + metrics.
- **Checks:** Each stage has a designed “first win” and a measurable signal (not just vibes).

### 4) Go where they already are (home base + outposts)
- **Inputs:** Where members already are; moderation/capacity constraints.
- **Actions:** Select a **home base** for the next 6–12 months. Define “outposts” (social, events, partner spaces) where you contribute value and route people back to the home base when appropriate. Create an influencer/social-graph shortlist (key nodes, connectors, and high-trust communities).
- **Outputs:** Platform plan + outpost playbook + influencer shortlist.
- **Checks:** The plan avoids “platform wishful thinking”; every outpost has a value-first contribution plan and an owner.

### 5) Seed the community (cohort, onboarding, initial content)
- **Inputs:** Platform plan; existing assets; member criteria.
- **Actions:** Design an initial seed cohort (e.g., 25–100 members) with clear criteria. Create onboarding flow, welcome messages, starter threads/resources, and a seeding schedule. Draft outreach scripts and a “what’s in it for you” invite.
- **Outputs:** Seeding plan + onboarding checklist + outreach scripts.
- **Checks:** The “empty room problem” is solved: there is content, prompts, and people lined up for week 1.

### 6) Program rituals + events (4–8 week calendar)
- **Inputs:** Member journey; thesis; capacity.
- **Actions:** Build a calendar of recurring rituals (AMAs, office hours, show-and-tell, challenges, study groups). Mix staff-led and member-led moments. Define facilitation roles and lightweight templates.
- **Outputs:** Programming & rituals calendar + event templates.
- **Checks:** Every week has at least one member-generated slot, and rituals reinforce the thesis and value exchange.

### 7) Launch an ambassador/champions program (optional, recommended)
- **Inputs:** Early active members; desired scaled behaviors.
- **Actions:** Define qualification criteria, responsibilities, recognition/perks, and feedback loop. Keep it lightweight (v1) and ethical (no pay-for-spam). Include offboarding and code-of-conduct enforcement.
- **Outputs:** Ambassador/champions program spec (v1).
- **Checks:** Incentives align to desired behaviors (helpfulness, creation, referrals) and avoid vanity metrics.

### 8) Governance + measurement + quality gate
- **Inputs:** Draft pack; [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md); [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).
- **Actions:** Define rules, moderation workflows, escalation paths, and privacy guidelines. Create measurement plan + weekly ops cadence. Run checklist and score rubric. Always add **Risks / Open questions / Next steps**.
- **Outputs:** Final Community Building Pack.
- **Checks:** Next 2 weeks of execution are unblocked; governance is explicit; measurement is feasible.

## Quality gate (required)
- Use [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).
- Always include: **Risks**, **Open questions**, **Next steps**.

## Examples

**Example 1 (Developer tool):**  
“Use `community-building`. Product: observability SDK for TypeScript. ICP: senior full-stack engineers at startups. Goal: accelerate activation + word-of-mouth. We’re considering Discord. Resources: 1 community lead (8 hrs/week), 2 engineer SMEs. Output: a Community Building Pack with platform plan, a 6-week programming calendar, and an ambassador program.”

**Example 2 (B2B SaaS moving upmarket):**  
“We sell a team knowledge base to 200–2000 person companies. We want community-led growth to create ubiquity and reduce enterprise perceived risk. Design a home base + outpost plan, seed cohort strategy, and a 30/60/90 plan with metrics.”

**Boundary example (anti-pattern):**  
“Start a community tomorrow and grow it