Covers the concept of Communities of Practice that underpins most open-source software communities: specifically applying this to the SilverStripe Content Management System Community.

1. The SilverStripe CMS Developer
Community
A Retrospective

2. Why a “Retrospective”?

3. Part One
What’s going on behind open source
communities?

5. Communities of Practice (CoP)
“…groups of people who share a passion for something
they know how to do and who interact regularly to
learn how to do it better”
.

6. Communities of Practice (CoP)
• Form (or nurtured) organically around things people are
passionate about.
• Informal and voluntary (compared to businesses) while
remaining organised.
• Humanities first knowledge-based social structures – ancient
craftspeople, stone masons, medieval guilds, apprentices.
• The modern day “water-cooler” – exist in business both
online/offline even if they do not realise it.
• Social containers for maintaining and growing complex
knowledge-bases; rely on tacit knowledge.

7. Elements of successful Communities of
Practice

8. Levels of Participation in CoPs
• Core Group is small (10%) and very active.
Discussion/debate, help define
Peripheral domain/practices.
• Active also small (20%), attend
meetups, occasional participation in forums.
• Peripheral is the largest group! “lurkers”, less
active participation instead they watch core
& actives – learning from them passively.
Active
• Legitimate Peripheral Participation is key!
• Boundaries between these groups are fluid
and transient.
Core
• Creative tension at boundaries facilitates
Group
learning and participation.

9. Successful communities build
bridges between levels of
participation!

10. Value
Participating Members Supporting Organisations
• Help with challenges • Problem solving
• Access to expertise • Time saving (ROI)
• Meaningful work • Knowledge exchange
• Professional development • Better use of resources
• Reputation/social • Increases strategic capacity
recognition • Innovation
• Networks • Retention of talent

12. Barriers in Distributed CoPs
• Distance
• Time
• Trust
• Social Capital
• Culture (both in the community and in the
supporting organisations).
• Structure
• Misunderstanding the role of technology

13. Thank You
Now…go talk to someone you don’t
know this evening… we all have a
common domain and practice 

14. Part Two
Community Feedback

15. SilverStripeUKMeetup
April 2012, 20 SilverStripe CMS Developers Contributed
• Actively promoting SilverStripe CMS at other • SilverStripe Ltd are still working out how the
meetups. company works with the community.
• Developing the SilverStripe CMS meetups. Suggested that they could take a more
• Community case studies, marketing material nurturing/supportive over controlled
and resources around SilverStripe approach.
CMS, focus on the developers, they will sell • SilverStripe Ltd could focus on introduction
it to their clients. to new developers – ensure that they’re
• Developer-friendly documentation and helping people at the start then let the
resources, should be open-source editable community help them participate further.
by the community. • Business models attached? Paid Modules?
• Questions are being left unanswered in the The incentive of revenue would also mean
forums. that the modules cost – barrier to entry for
new developers.
• Encourage the SilverStripe CMS developer
community to release modules. • Developers can get a lot of credit for
contributing, how can we grow social
• Clear ways to find and implement recognition?
modules, let the community edit this.
• What you put in is what you get out of the
community.

16. Let’s brainstorm
• In your tables (or break out into small groups).
• Grab some paper and pens.
• Will collect up after 10-15 mins.
• Look to collate into shared Google Doc and
publish through SilverStripe CMS community
blog.

17. FOCUS: How can “bridges” be built between the levels of participation
in the SilverStripe CMS Developer Community of Practice?
PERIPHERAL
ACTIVE
CORE