5 Lessons in Community Building

What We’ve Learned From 20+ Years of Platform Shifts

Each platform shift — from bulletin boards to Reddit, from mailing lists to Discord — taught us something new about how communities form, sustain, and scale.

But through all the changes, five core lessons have remained surprisingly durable. Whether you’re spinning up your first space or managing a complex community stack, these are the patterns worth building around.

From phpBB forums to Discord servers, developer communities have always chased one thing: connection with people who “get it.”

Early forums gave us hierarchy and deep threads. Slack brought immediacy. Discord and Reddit layered in culture, rituals, and chaos. And every new platform shifted how communities formed, scaled, and sustained themselves.

But while the tools change, the fundamentals don’t. After 20+ years building and advising communities, one thing is clear: great communities aren’t accidents. They’re designed.

This post distills five lessons that have held true across every platform shift — insights for anyone building community inside a dev-focused startup, scaling a contributor program, or inheriting a community that needs a reset.

‍

‍

How to Launch a Developer Community with the Right Early Members

The earliest members of your community aren’t just testers — they’re cultural architects. They set the tone, help build norms, and shape expectations.

Don’t chase volume too early. Focus on a core group of contributors who:

• Understand your product or space
• Genuinely want to connect, not just extract value
• Reflect the kind of energy you want the community to scale around

Pro tip: In your first 30–60 days, prioritize 1:1 conversations, not open invites. You’re designing for signal, not scale.

Why Community Engagement Starts with Value, Not Posts

Communities don’t thrive because you launch a forum or start a Slack. They thrive when people feel seen, supported, and better off because they joined.

Instead of asking “how do we get people to post,” ask:

• What are they getting by being here?
• Are we solving real friction points in their journey?
• Can we create shared rituals, inside jokes, or tools that build belonging?

Example: In the early days of the Indie Hackers forum, the founder personally welcomed new users and asked what they were building. That made people feel like they mattered, not like another signup stat.

When to Scale Your Community (and What to Watch First)

Scaling too fast is one of the easiest ways to kill momentum. Wait until you’ve proven:

• Consistent activity without you having to initiate it all
• Emergent leaders who start answering questions or welcoming others
• Clear moderation norms (see next point)

When those things start happening organically, you’ve got the roots to grow.

Common pitfall: Launching a Discord or community site and immediately trying to get hundreds of people in. Without clear value or a vibe to align around, it feels empty or chaotic.

How to Use Moderation to Strengthen Community Culture

Moderation isn’t just deleting spam or calling out trolls. It’s active culture-building.

Communities with strong norms don’t need heavy policing because people understand — and protect — the vibe.

Do this by:

• Making values visible (pin a "how we show up here" post)
• Modeling how to ask questions, disagree constructively, and give feedback
• Privately coaching frequent posters when they cross lines unintentionally

Tip: Invite early members to co-create the norms. They’ll be more likely to enforce them socially later.

Scaling Across Platforms Without Fragmenting Your Community

Reddit, Discord, Slack, GitHub, Discourse, Mastodon — community tools keep multiplying. But fragmentation is real.

Before launching a new space:

• Ask why it’s needed — and for whom
• Appoint a point person to guide the culture in that space
• Create bridges (shared rituals, reposts, contributor shoutouts) so things don’t drift too far apart

Example: HashiCorp runs a tight Discourse forum and an active Discord, but both feed into the same core contributor programs and support structures.

TL;DR

These five lessons come from years of experience running communities that actually grow and sustain themselves. Whether you’re starting fresh or untangling a legacy mess, you’ll learn:

• Early members matter more than early metrics
• “Invisible value” builds loyalty before activity
• Don’t scale before culture and momentum are real
• Moderation is more culture than policing
• Expanding to new platforms requires stewardship, not just duplication

Final Thought

Communities aren’t built on announcements. They’re built on trust, usefulness, and shared identity.

If you focus on getting those right — early seeds, invisible value, tight culture — you’ll build something that lasts longer than a launch tweet.

FAQ

How do I know if my community is ready to scale?‍

Look for signs of self-sustaining behavior: people posting and helping each other without prompts, informal leaders emerging, and a clear sense of shared purpose.
‍

What if my community feels quiet — did we fail?
‍Not necessarily. Many great communities start slow. Instead of forcing engagement, look for value gaps: Are people getting what they need, even if they’re not talking?
‍

Should I use Reddit/Discord/Slack/another tool? ‍

Tools don’t make communities. Start where your people already are and grow from there. Choose tools that reduce friction and match your goals.
‍

How much moderation is too much?‍

If moderation feels heavy-handed, revisit your norms and onboarding. A strong culture will self-regulate, but it takes early intentionality to create that.

Can I revive a stale community?‍

Yes, but not by pushing announcements. Start by talking to a few past contributors, learning what worked (and didn’t), and co-creating a new version together.

Still Wondering Which Platform Is Right for You?

If you're still unsure about which platform best suits your community, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. Check out this video where I dive deeper into the pros and cons of each platform and help you decide which one will work best for your community’s unique needs.

‍