LESSON 3: "LIVE A BALANCED LIFE. LEARN SOME AND THINK SOME AND DRAW AND PAINT AND SING AND DANCE AND PLAY AND WORK EVERY DAY SOME."
Learn Some
DNN Events like DNNCon and DNNConnect are great places to learn about what’s coming for DNN and what projects Community members are working on. The Community Training Group also arranges monthly Community Hangouts to share DNN news and information. Here's a look at what has been covered in recent hangouts:
What would you like to see in future hangouts? What can you contribute?
Think Some
There are a few things we’d really like you to think about (and then take action on):
- What ideas do I have that can improve DNN? Share them on the Community Voice!
- What information would you like to see in a webinar, blog, or in an upcoming Hangout? Let us know your ideas, community@dnnsoftware.com!
Work Some
There are a variety of ways Community members can “work” to contribute to the Platform and our Community, some of which only require a few minutes. The simplest of these are to 1) Participate in the Exchange and Forums, and 2) Add/vote on Community Voice ideas. A good rule I heard one Community member mention at DNNCon is that if he was to ask a question on the Forums, he would first answer two! There is always someone who knows more than you, and always someone who knows less.
Writing a blog can be more time intensive. Blogs allow users to share what they know and what they’re working on – blogs can cover a wide variety of subjects, and be written in a variety of formats. What do all blogs have in common? One user is sharing information that will be beneficial to other users. Do you have something you’d like to contribute to either the Store blog or Community blog, or is there something you’d like to see covered in one of these blogs?
Creating Forge projects and pull requests or participating in a working group requires more time (and, in some cases, more experience), but there are many veterans within our Community who are willing to help get you started. Would you like to get more involved? Contact us at community@dnnsoftware.com with any questions. Are there any roadblocks that are keeping you from becoming an active DNN Community member? Let us know, and we'll work to resolve them!
Draw and paint and sing and dance and play
Of course, let’s not forget to have fun in the process! There’s a reason companies often have happy hours or team building outings: sharing enjoyable experiences further bonds us as a Community. In his recent blog, You are the one, are you?, long time Community member Ernst Peter Tamminga said:
“I am part of this community for more than 10 years now and I love it. I have made friends, worked together and learned a lot: about web development, about producing a real application for a large audience and more, much more…And after all those years: I still love to work together with community members, and some of them I call real friends.”
From hearing stories and seeing pictures from previous DNN events, I knew that this was a group that liked to have fun. I really enjoyed being able to experience that first hand. As many have noted, these events are like a big family reunion; there are lots of laughs, stories shared, and catching up with people you may not have seen in a year (or may have only communicated with online.)
Again, we need your feedback: what are things that DNN Corp. can do to keep your involvement in the DNN Community fun? What are things other communities you’ve been a part of have done that you’ve enjoyed? How can we help community members who aren’t able to attend events like DNNCon experience the fun had there?
LESSON 4: "WHEN YOU GO OUT IN TO THE WORLD WATCH OUT FOR TRAFFIC, HOLD HANDS, AND STICK TOGETHER."
Watch out for Traffic
As a child, you learn to look both ways before you cross the street; you learn to look out for things that might be dangerous. As a Community, we need to do that too. What are the things that can damage our Community, and how do we, as Community members, prevent those things from happening?
Although we are lucky that it doesn’t happen often, one thing that comes to mind as something that could damage our Community is if members treat each other disrespectfully. In the coming months, there will be changes made to the DNN Platform, and I think it is something we need to remain mindful of. With so many active members, there are bound to be differences of opinion about decisions are made. It is important that we respect each other and that we share our opinions and suggestions in a constructive manner that continues to foster open communication.
Hold Hands and Stick Together
With Community members all over the globe, being physically together in the same building is often not possible, but there are still plenty of things we can do to stick together as a Community. We can participate in virtual events. We can take ownership of the DNN Platform by sharing ideas and information, and perhaps most importantly, we can recognize the value of all Community members
LESSON 5: "WARM COOKIES AND MILK ARE GOOD FOR YOU" (and so is recognition)
Maybe you’re wondering how cookies and milk are similar to recognition. Well, they both give you a good feeling inside. Cookies and milk can comfort you; recognition lets you know your contributions are valuable. Currently, our main way of recognizing Community Members is through the MVP program, which recognizes 15 Community members twice a year for their activities/contributions within the Community. These are people you see repeatedly creating pull requests, writing blogs, and assisting other users in the Forums.
But again, we'd like your feedback: What are other things we can do to better recognize Community Members outside of the MVP program?
What’s next for the DNN Community?
I’ve heard this question quite a few times recently, and the answer is really that it’s up to you! Get involved, share your ideas, and help shape the future of DNN! In line with that, I’d like to challenge every reader to do 2 simple things:
- Create or vote for an idea to enhance DNN through the Community Voice.
- Think of one thing you’d either like to see on the Community Blog or would like to write for the Community Blog, and contact me with your suggestion at beth.firebaugh@dnnsoftware.com.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog series, we want your feedback. Please use the comments below to answer some of the questions asked throughout these blogs:
- Outside of DNN, what are communities that you’ve felt a strong association with? What made those communities so strong?
- How do you get your news from DNN, and how do you share your DNN news with others? Do you feel you are notified of DNN news and events in a timely manner? Are there other ways you’d like to receive information from DNN?
- What are things that DNN Corp. can do to keep your involvement in the DNN Community fun?
- What are things we can do to recognize Community Members outside of the MVP program?