It’s no secret that a strong support system is a catalyst to success. The same rule applies if you are a developer. Whether you are looking forward to learning new things or interacting with like-minded developers, a developer community can turn out to be a suitable platform.
But the moment of dilemma is when it comes to choosing the best developer community for you. There are so many options available that making a choice can be overwhelming. Therefore, in this post, we are going to take a detailed look at 5 steps to find the right developer community. After that, we are also going to check out the top 3 developer communities that will help you thrive in the IT sector.
5 Tips To Find The Right Developer Community
With so many programming languages, tools, libraries, and frameworks, things can get a little daunting for developers. But when you have a strong support system with mentoring and guidance all day long, you significantly raise your chances of success in this sector. On that note, let’s check out 5 tips to find the right developer community for you.
1. Check The Interactivity and Communication
Once you have signed up, look around the little. A great plus would be if the resources are familiar and easily accessible. But the most important element of progress in a developer community is communication.
Always remember that interactivity with other like-minded IT professionals is the primary goal here. Consider opting for a community that has active general discussion forums where skilled members are sharing their expertise.
Also, check whether the community has a social presence with live chat options on various social media platforms. This encourages better involvement of community members as the platform is spread out where their audience hang out. This also increases availability and accessibility, which is beneficial to all community members.
There are a wide variety of ways to interact and engage. Some include teaching others, learning the knowledge others impart, partnering with other developers, exchanging skillsets, solving each other’s problems, and expanding your creative horizons. Choose a community that includes as many as possible.
2. Choose Curation Over Controlling
While it is important for admins and moderators to make the community a safe and secure place, steer clear of those who are trying to be really controlling. Learn to differentiate between curation and obsessive-compulsive control.
Some amount of freedom is a must for open engagements and interactions. Too many restrictions can hamper value and decrease the enthusiasm of members. After all, a little bit of venting and debates don’t hurt as long as it’re respectful and related to the profession!
3. Steer Clear of Excessively Promotional or Spammy Communities
No one appreciates a drip-feed of spammy and promotional content, especially from a community they consider a safe space for learning and sharing. It’s important that you opt for a developer community where marketers aren’t infringing in your support space.
Every community thrives on honest and genuine engagement. But if they keep on pushing themselves and go over the board with promotions, it’s going to get distracting and annoying. I don’t need to mention this, but a developer’s job involves the utmost focus. That’s why, to avoid distractions, it’s important to steer clear of excessively promotional or spammy communities.
4. Join One That Welcomes Feedback
A community that welcomes feedback is a direct indicator of the fact that they value their members. Join one that is open to making improvements if something is not working well.
For instance, if there is a rule that doesn’t protect a particular section of the members, the moderators and community leaders need to know and take action to resolve the issue. The best kind of feedback collection system is a combination of a survey and a form where members can write specific feedback in detail.
5. Check Whether They’re content-oriented.
The whole point of being in a developer community is to be a part of knowledgeable and inspirational engagements. It’s a no-brainer that content can turn out to be the most powerful element in fuelling such interactions. Join a community that publishes a consistent stream of useful content. The three quality traits of the content should be information, inspiration, and challenge.
For instance, a community that regularly publishes tech tutorials is more useful than one that doesn’t. It’s not just the tutorial that is beneficial. There are plenty of useful insights developers can find in the comments section and they can implement them in their projects as a way to progress.
Remember, a developer community or support group is not only about clearing some doubts and answering questions like an FAQ session. It’s about enticing the right kind of crowd and building a pool of knowledge from which developers all over the world can benefit. Therefore, while you are choosing your ideal developer community, give due importance to a comprehensive collection of useful content relevant to your niche.
Top 3 Developer Communities
In the midst of standing out from the crowd and plugging away at the keyboard, sometimes developers tend to overlook the existence of an outside world. But the following three developer communities are filled with peers with different levels of knowledge. Whether you are at the basic stage or you consider yourself a seasoned development veteran, these communities can offer some really valuable ideas and insights. So let’s dig in.
1. GitHub
If you are a part of the IT sector and you haven’t heard the name GitHub, you’ve been living under a rock! GitHub is a programming and coding community where users can collaborate with each other on even the tiniest details. It’s a place where developers can easily share code and others gain access to easily available open-source code.
You can also find some incredible inspiration by checking out the wide array of projects others are working on. The downside of GitHub is that it doesn’t facilitate conversations as much as some other platforms. But with a user base in millions, you have plenty of like-minded professionals to learn from and share your knowledge. If you find a topic that sparks your interest, just follow the discussions and provide your perspective!
2. LambdaTest Community
LambdaTest community is a categorically organized platform for IT professionals. They even have a separate category for those who are just getting started. If you are here for the first time, you can ask anything, as long as it’s within the guidelines of the community. Besides general discussions among community members, the platform also features the latest happenings in the IT industry and valuable advice from experts.
The best part about the community is its job board. It’s a space where you can advertise your skills and gain access to some of the best career opportunities from the Quality Assurance and software testing space. Even if you don’t possess the skill you want yet, LambdaTest certifications can help you build Selenium Automation skills for free! The option for community feedback helps the platform improve at a consistent pace.
All you need to do is register and create your profile. If you have a doubt, just select the ‘Ask a question’ button, choose a category, type the question, and provide some context. Chances are, your question has already been answered by the community. So you might want to check out the discussions first. Join in any conversation you think is relevant for you.
3. Stack Overflow
If you are an ambitious developer, Stack Overflow is a community where you can get answers and explanations to even the toughest and most challenging coding queries. Since 2008, its founding year, Stack Overflow has been more like a coding dictionary.
You can rest assured that it’s a safe space since the moderator team suspends users indulging in unhelpful and uncalled-for behavior. On the other hand, users who have been providing helpful answers get rewards. If you are already a pro, you can be a part of this friendly bunch and share your valuable two cents.
The only downside is that things can get really overwhelming for novices. After all, there’s a lot going on. My advice is to lurk around a little and do some reading before straightaway diving in.
Final Words
The above three communities are like an entry ticket to getting started with like-minded peer group discussions and query solutions. All communities have their own aims and a distinct personality suitable for certain categories of developers.
There are hundreds of developer communities at your disposal. I understand that everything is just a Google search away. But you need some specifics to clear the clutter and get started, right? That’s exactly what we offer through the tips and options we mentioned above. Plus, there is no rule book that says you only have to join one community.
Since they all have different benefits to offer, you can be a part of multiple developer communities. However, I would recommend getting started with just two or three so as to not overwhelm yourself with information. Once you are comfortable with our top 3 picks, the IT world is your oyster! Keep on exploring, learning, sharing, helping, and thriving.
