Building a Tech Community from Scratch

How I built a community from scratch and what I learned from it after one year of community management.

Introduction

Starting from last year, I decided to create a local tech community in Latina. Latina is a small city in the center of Italy, and unfortunately it's not known for its tech scene.

It suffers a bit from the "brain drain" phenomenon, where young people leave the city to find better job opportunities in other regions or countries. Also the local tech scene was not very active, and there were not many opportunities for tech enthusiasts to connect and collaborate.

The decision to start a community here in Latina comes from a previous experience I had in attending tech communities events.

In particular, I would like to mention MUG - Marca User Group, a local community in Treviso that I attended for about a year.

MUG is a community of tech enthusiasts who come together to learn, share, and connect with one another. The community hosts regular meetups, covering a wide range of topics in software technologies.

I was impressed by the quality of the events and the passion of the people who organized them, as well as the quality of the speakers and the topics they covered.

Organizers Antonio Dell'Ava, Alessandro Calzavara and Francesco Strazullo, and the other members of the community, were very welcoming and made me feel at home from the very first event I attended.

The Vision

The vision I had for my community was to create a space where local tech people from Latina could come to connect and collaborate without having to go to other major neighboring cities like Rome or Naples.

Just like the MUG community, I wanted to provide a platform for individuals to explore new technologies, discuss industry trends, and collaborate on projects. My goal was to foster a sense of community and create opportunities for networking and professional development.

People coming from different companies and backgrounds, sharing their knowledge and experiences, and creating a network of professionals and friends.

Getting Started

The first step in building the community was to identify the platforms and tools that would best support our goals.

I chose to create a GitHub organization to host our code repositories and a Telegram Group for communication and collaboration.

I also reached out to my network and local tech companies to spread the word and attract initial members. I shared the vision for the community and invited others to join and contribute.

A community website (which is now live at latinaintech.org) was also created, to have a place where to share the events and the news about the community; the code for this website is also hosted on GitHub, and it's open source.

Alongside with the website, I created a LinkedIn page to share the news and the events of the community, and also a logo was created to give a visual identity to the community.

Nurturing Growth

Another important step was to create a Code of Conduct, to ensure that the community would be a welcoming and inclusive space for all members.

One of the most important aspects of ensuring the success of the community was searching help from other people, and I was lucky enough to find some friends who were willing to help me in this journey. I'm talking about the people that accepted the responsibility of becoming a community admin:

• Antonio Ionta
• Francesco Di Muro
• Fabrizio Dalla Bona
• Matteo Boschi
• Fabio Adipietro
• Fabrizio Cafolla

Overcoming Challenges

One of the major challenges we encountered was attracting new members and keeping them engaged.

To address this, we tried to organize regular meetups, encouraging members to share their own projects and experiences, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration.

We focused on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, where members felt comfortable sharing their ideas and experiences. We also tried to be adaptable and open to feedback, and to create opportunities for members to connect and collaborate.

Celebrating Successes

One of the most rewarding aspects of building the community has been seeing the impact it has had on our members.

Our first event, in April 2023, was a great success, with more than 30 attendees. We own a super-super thanks to The Space Coworking for hosting this special first community event, that I will never forget.

Throughout the year, we collaborated with local companies and organizations to host a variety of events, including workshops, hackathons, and networking events.

Wee've had members collaborate on projects, land new jobs, and even start their own businesses.

It's been incredibly fulfilling to see the community grow and evolve, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.

Lessons Learned

Throughout this journey, I've learned a lot about community building and leadership.

I've learned the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and creating opportunities for members to connect and collaborate. I've also learned the value of being adaptable and open to feedback, and the importance of celebrating the successes of our members.

Conclusion

Building this community has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

I'm grateful for the support and contributions of our members, and I'm looking forward to continuing to grow and evolve together.

Call to Action

If you're a local tech enthusiast in Latina, I invite you to join our community and be a part of our ongoing journey. You can find us on GitHub and Telegram, and I look forward to connecting with you.

Don' hesitate to start your own community, and if you need help or advice, feel free to reach out to me. I'm happy to share my experiences and support you in any way I can.

Make your voice heard and your ideas known, and try to make a difference in your local tech scene.