Harnessing Ebb and Flow: Achieving the Right Temperature of Engagement in Open Communities

One of the key aspects of a developing a successful online community is finding a natural balance of engagement that permeates throughout the community, rather than relying solely on one person, such as a community manager to drive all interactions. This is especially important in open communities. Let's delve into this further.

In open communities, there is often a dynamic of ebb and flow engagement where individuals collectively engage within the community based on their interests and availability. When harnessed effectively, this flow of engagement can lead to tremendous success for organizations. However, harnessing that ebb and flow is easier said than done.

A challenge faced by traditional nonprofits in achieving this ebb and flow of engagement is that volunteer programs often prescribe predetermined roles and time commitments, which may not align with the individual interests and lifestyles of volunteers. In contrast, open communities empower volunteers to determine the value and impact they wish to make at their own pace, based on their unique interests, career goals, creative outlets, or desire for relationships. This flexibility in contribution fosters innovation within open communities, as individuals can contribute in ways that resonate with their specific needs and interests.

According to Kevin Casey's article titled 'Open Source Communities: How CIOs Can Leverage Their Power,' published on The Enterprisers Project, "Enterprise open source engagement is as strong as ever. According to Red Hat’s 2022 State of Enterprise Open Source report, 82 percent of IT leaders are using open source in their organizations."

As organizations increasingly adopt open source practices, they must also carefully consider how to effectively engage the communities that these projects attract. This holds true for nonprofit communities as well. They must also carefully consider how to engage the communities that these projects attract.

Returning to the concept of ebb and flow in community engagement, when striving to find the ebb and flow rhythm that drives the most impact and progress among volunteers or within a community, it is crucial to understand the temperature of engagement.

The temperature of community engagement refers to the optimal level or intensity of engagement that fosters active participation, collaboration, and progress. It involves finding the right balance between too little engagement, leading to disinterest or disengagement, and too much engagement, resulting in overwhelm or burnout. Understanding the dynamics and needs of the community, gauging participation levels and feedback, and adjusting strategies accordingly are key to creating an environment where community members can thrive and contribute effectively.

While the temperature of community engagement may change over time, it is crucial to follow the temperature gauge and let it guide the approach to ensure the most effective engagement and progress within the community. This is particularly important when launching a community with only a few initial members, as many people may hesitate to engage if they see a small number of participants.

Drawing from my experiences in building programs in both traditional nonprofit communities and open communities, I have come to realize that leading through the lens of traditional volunteering can present challenges.

In open communities, contributions are often more casual, with volunteers coming and going. This dynamic nature of engagement requires anticipating gaps in contribution and addressing them proactively. Contrarily, in traditional nonprofits, there's often a belief that only those fully committed to the mission could be part of it, which often led to challenges when gaps in volunteer participation occurred. However, I've come to realize that these gaps in contribution can actually be points of high value in communities. Trusting the gaps means understanding that when there's a gap, it often indicates that someone has made a contribution and they're likely to come back.

By weaving these gaps together with new volunteers, it becomes possible to design engagement strategies that embrace the fluidity of open communities and capitalize on the opportunities presented by these contribution gaps.

In conclusion, understanding the power of ebb and flow engagement and finding the right temperature of community engagement are key factors in driving meaningful progress and fostering active participation within open communities.

By embracing the dynamic nature of engagement and leveraging the opportunities presented by gaps in contribution, organizations can create thriving communities that harness the collective potential of volunteers and propel their missions forward.