One of the best career decisions I have ever made was becoming a member in a user group, and probably the best career decision was volunteering for a user group.

As you can tell, I am a strong believer in user groups and the advantages that they provide. The opportunities in the development of a user group are incredible: bringing together a community of like-minded individuals for education, networking, and working with the vendor. I get excited about the knowledge sharing and possibilities of problems being solved and new solutions being developed. In this chapter we will discuss the development of a group, with additional information to come in future chapters about building leaders and volunteers. These discussions should provide you with what is needed to create and build a group.

User groups are important for the users in a community for networking, growth, and learning. They are important for the vendors because there is an active community providing feedback. We cannot forget to mention the group of users that they now have engaged and already interested in their products. There are mutual benefits to the company and the users in the community and we are just scratching the surface here of a few of the benefits.

Building a community of common users and professionals is an excellent way to gain valuable knowledge and develop a career that is rewarding and enjoyable in an area of interest. There are plenty of other soft skills that are picked up along the way, with the benefit of additional learning and opportunities. There is extra effort in being involved and starting the group but the benefits far outweigh the work and time put into the group. Investments benefit both sides and the development of a user group will be able to be successful if both are seeing the value of their investments.

Reasons to Begin

There are four reasons that drive an interest to create a user group. In addition to having enthusiastic users and volunteers, the mission of the group centers around one of these four reasons. If goals or mission is not part of the development, it will be difficult to gather and build the community. A common thread will allow for the group to be focused and developed around the same reason. The four threads that we will discuss in the rest of this chapter are:

• Common Purpose
• Common Problem
• Common Need
• Culture

It is possible that some of these reasons have overlap, but the main focus will fall under one of these with some possible additional goals that pull in the overlapping areas. Starting here is important to make sure that the group will be able to be a viable long-lasting group. The development of a group might be a difficult process and a common thread will keep the movement going.

A Common Purpose

Technology, area of interest, a vendor, a company, and industry are all common purposes for a group to be developed. It might be a group of technology professionals wanting more from the technology or even just excited about the technology that they are working with and wanting to see it grow and advance.

Database management and security are my areas of passion. I tend to spend time outside of working hours gathering more information and researching on my own. There are LinkedIn groups I am part of in these areas, and user groups where I am a leader and member of the community. I am not alone in this area; there are other groups out there with the same area of interest. The goal would be to bring a group together that can have this common purpose, which might be to advance knowledge, develop careers, and provide growth in a new or existing area.

A common purpose does not have to come from just a group of individuals. A company could have the purpose of providing the customer base with an excellent experience, and it is important to recognize that a user community can assist in developing this strategy. From the company perspective, there is a wide set of advantages to polling the customer base and providing information to a user group. A company might be the one even developing the group or it starts to evolve out of the customer base. Even with it coming from the company, there might be an opportunity to pull this out to be an independent group. Discovering that development of the user group is moving outside of vendor control would be meeting the purpose to form an independent group.

There is a sense of passion and drive around a purpose and meaning for the group, for example, wanting this area to grow and succeed or to be the best in the industry. Purpose does focus on a main area, which probably makes it easier to articulate a mission and goal to bring a community together.

A Common Problem

Developing a group can stem around a common problem that needs to be addressed. In looking for an answer to a problem or troubleshooting some gaps or weaknesses in product, discussions between the community and vendor are very important. An isolated problem is not useful for driving people together, but an problem like software installation failures on a common platform or limited documentation which causes one to develop their own process just to be able to complete the installation would be a more general problem.

Another example of a common problem would be lack of a secure configuration, which would be expected by default. If the users of the software take these problems back to the vendor, the vendor has the opportunity and support of a community to take a look at the problem and then to help validate and test that the problem has been resolved. This is also an area where the vendor can step in and provide support and develop an inside community to look at these important issues.

In developing a user group around a common problem, what happens when the problem is solved? Do you hope for another problem to rally around? Or does the group dissolve after the resolution of the problem. If you are to put the effort and energy in creating the group, it would be a disappointment if there was not a reason to continue. A common problem will need to lead into another purpose or mission statement for the group, but more likely it can lead to a common need, especially if you consider the problem around a secure configuration, and how this could develop into general security and review as there are new releases and other opportunities to support these needs.

A Common Need

The group can develop out of a need from the users or vendor. A need can come out of solving a problem or a need might be part of the problem, but a need also can be much more. It might be the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment in planning for the future, or a need to have enhancements to a product and services.

Sometimes one company can have specific needs or have a unique situation that does not necessarily relate to others, but this is rare. Even if thinking the situation is unique, it might not be; it is usual that this involves more than one group of people or a company. The community will only be able to grow around a need if it does reflect one common to the industry, something that will support the users better or help plan for the future.

A common need might be education provided by the users. In understanding how technology is used by other companies, the information from other users can provide examples of what others are doing. Best practices, standards, designs, and configurations are all excellent areas to educate others and share ideas. Especially in the technology fields, topics such as upgrades, patching, new features in the releases, and how the environments are configured are top education choices that user community can provide. Technology professionals are continuously learning to deal with the complex environments and ever-changing technology, and education is high on the list for joining a user group. Networking is close behind. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves; we will discuss networking in later chapters with strategies and planning.

But before we continue with the other common thread, let’s finish up the need from the vendor perspective. The vendors are attempting to sell their products, and even if they provide excellent information, where else can someone validate that but against the users of the products? Working with the users in the community to provide education and training and share ideas satisfies several needs in other companies and users. The developers of the products might be looking for customer features and enhancement and they are trying to figure out how to tap into others to get their experiences. The need to support the customers and receive feedback like this will drive interest and allow for growth in a user community.

Culture

Culture is an important connection to discuss because it will give a base of how a user group can develop or grow. If the culture is one that keeps silent and more focused internally, it will be more difficult to have a community. The culture needs to be one that is more open and willing to discuss and share—of course, not sharing company secrets or intellectual property, but willing to learn and share from others. Additional considerations should be examined to support a user group, such as is there a following already around the technology or product, or is there a grassroots group already forming, and having this basic level of activity for the users supports the development of the user group and has already started to form the culture of the group.

There is an opportunity to leverage existing culture to grow and cultivate a user group. The culture might exist because of the nature of the vendor, it could be from a new technology coming from the schools and the students graduating are bringing the culture with them. It can also be industry culture and how the industry is involved in bringing the behaviors and characteristics from the environment.

The culture can be leveraged to expand a user community, by understanding if one already exists, and the dynamic of that culture can bring users together. A culture does not have to be all like-minded individuals nor do all users have to have the same problem or need; they can have diversified issues and come from different interests with the same common belonging that identifies them as part of the group.

An example of a culture is database administrators (DBA). The DBA has responsibility for the company data and also supports various departments and business units within the company. DBA jobs from company to company can be very similar. There are DBAs handling different roles in the company with backups to working with developers and application design. So there is some diversity in the role and how different DBAs approach their jobs. However, a group of DBAs from different companies brought together can understand and relate to each other because of their commonalities. There is a culture among DBAs because of these relationships. There might even be subcultures or their own cultures with database platforms. The Microsoft SQL Server DBAs might rally around the product as would the Oracle DBAs around their databases. These are great examples of existing cultures because of common job responsibilities and product relationships.

A couple of other cultures focus on the cloud and security. There are cultures that do exist around security professionals again because of the nature of the tasks and functions they perform. These cultures of professionals provide occasions to evolve into user groups either based on the emerging technologies or on the topic itself.

Leveraging the existing cultures and noticing that there is already a following in a particular area increases the growth potential for the user group. However, you need to also understand that if a culture is not available to share or participate in a user group it will also limit the value and potential for that group to develop. Even if the culture does not currently exist, it will be needed as an element of the user group.

Development

Common areas and threads that can support a user group, but this is not all that is needed to develop one. Threads and common areas are essential for the success of the community. As seen in Figure 1-1, the areas we just discussed can overlap, and there can be a combination of these to develop into a user group. At a minimum, one of these areas is required in order to have volunteers and the energy to develop the group. Multiple areas just strengthen the opportunity to grow and demonstrate the importance of having a group in place.

Now that we have established that there is an opportunity here for a group to have a mission and a goal because of these commonalities, development of the user group should follow leveraging the people who are already involved and interested. It is important not to try this alone, unless you have quit your job and can do this full time or have found a way to have 30 hours in a day. There is a great deal of effort to get a group going and sharing the workload is important, especially as it is on top of regular work.

This is the time to round up the volunteers and get them ready to begin the user group and start up the community. Getting started with the development involves working through the following steps:

1. Verify if there are other groups in this space.
2. Decide on location of this group, online, regional, or international.
3. Develop mission and goals of the user group.
4. Research association help and staff needs.
5. Plan vendor sponsorship or other sources of support.

Verify Other Groups

If there are other user groups in this space, does it make sense to start a new one? Maybe or maybe not, but it does depend on the focus area and if it considered part of an existing group. A new group can be considered for a different location, industry, or focus area. It is definitely worth a little research to understand if there are other choices for the community. If there are existing groups, is there an opportunity for a different location or industry? For example, if you are looking to start a user group of Oracle DBAs, there is a group that already exists, the Independent Oracle User Group (IOUG); however, there might be a need for a regional group or a need for leadership in one of the regions. Developing a user group can be based on another existing group in a different region or location.

If another database platform community might not fit in the IOUG, then a group can be developed based on that platform. It is important to realize that even if one database user group exists, the culture, purpose, needs, and problems might all be different with this community. Recognizing differences will allow the group to flourish and grow in the way that it needs to.

There is a lot of excitement and energy in creating a new community, but if a similar group exists, adding the energy to the existing community might make sense, too. If not, the next planning steps continue with the development of the group.

Group Location

The user group can be a strictly online and virtual group or support an in-person meeting type of community. There have been quite a few groups that have started up as hybrids, using an online community for year-round activity, involving the membership in discussions and information, and then holding in-person networking events. There are varying costs associated with the different options and activities that a community can participate in, which might influence the type of community that is developed.

For starting up, there might be a couple of group meetings to get a few people involved. An easy way to do this is through meetups and gathering at a restaurant for lunch or drinks after work. This will start the networking and planning. The user group will be able to establish interest and focus, and having a few or more people to meet with will help in deciding some direction.

There is a way to get started with informal meetings and still address some of the common threads while gathering volunteers and planning strategy for a larger group. The membership can support these type of meetups, but vendors or product sponsors can help out with other type of events and also online support.

In later chapters, we will discuss in-person meetings and virtual presence, but for now, look at the culture of the group. Is this going to be one with more of a social media presence, with questions posted in discussion rooms? Or is the culture more of an in-person one, with members who would rather sit in front of a white board, carrying on discussions face-to-face with refreshments? Or might it be a combination of both?

These are the main questions for understanding location and what is meant about the user group and how the meetings should be taking place. The types of meetings can still be different, but looking at the purpose of the group and the culture, it helps to look at the location for developing a user group that meets these needs.

Develop a Mission and Goal

Even if the development of this group stems from a common purpose, developing a mission statement and a set of goals is needed for beginning the group. The purpose defines why the group is coming together, but the goals give an opportunity to review the purpose and accomplishments for the year and adjust as needed. A mission provides a clear way to talk about the user group to plan what will be needed and enable volunteers to help out.

The development of the user group might survive on just a common purpose, problem, or need without a mission statement, but to be able to articulate what the group is about and communication of these goals is what allows others to embrace the community and become part of it. It is this communication of the mission of the group that will allow for the focus of the activities.

Sometime it is the easiest part of developing a user group to create a mission statement, which means that there is clear meaning behind the group. Other times, it is not necessarily the clear meaning but the growth of the group, trying to take on different activities, that might want the mission expanded. Technologies change quickly and technology companies can be acquired faster than in some other industries. As these groups build upon each other, this is when the goals of the group might shift or changes in the mission statement will need to be adjusted.

To create a mission statement, keep it simple: state the composition of the group and why it exists. The group being developed might be technology professionals focused on data, and if they are looking to educate and network with others interested in data analytics, then say so.

Research Possible Association Management

Development of a group by yourself is very difficult. There are management companies that can assist in planning meetings and all things for the user group. There are many tasks that need to be accomplished. If this is a very popular area a user group community has the potential of growing very quickly and as a volunteer doing this part-time, it can be very difficult to manage and bring together all of the pieces necessary for the development of the group. Is this a volunteer position or your full-time job? If you are just a volunteer, you can always have three to four times more volunteers more than what you think you need or research association management companies.

Management companies can provide additional staff to support a user group, help manage events and a website, and even help with budget planning. They normally charge fees based on time and staff that are needed. They provide services for a large variety of user groups, and depending on the size of the group can leverage different experiences and venues to help with planning and meetings.

Volunteers can also help get things off the ground, but unless the user group is for association management, volunteers might have some gaps in information. This book prepares you to know how to develop a group and will give some very practical experience about volunteers and enabling leaders, as well as some important planning tips. Some extra research on association management will help with some of the logistics and even look into some of the staff options to implement some of the plans for the user group.

Plan Vendor Sponsorship

Vendors want to get in front of user communities. These are the groups of people deciding on what products to purchase and understand their environments to talk about what is working and is not. Vendors have marketing dollars to sponsor event or conference booths. The mission statement and the reach of the community are important to attract vendor sponsorships.

The user group might revolve around a product and a vendor. The vendor might want to support the startup of the user group, through sponsor funds for the website, through planned events, or through sponsorship of meetings. This vendor could have exclusive rights then to sponsor the group, depending on the agreements and control of the user group.

There are several vendors that are in the environment and complement each other, and having several sponsors add value to the users to be able to get information about the different vendors and how they work together. The vendors can also showcase how they work well in these environments. This type of sponsorship might be needed for a conference, and also can provide funds for running webinars and supporting the virtual offerings of the user group.

Asking for sponsorship will be beneficial for both sides: for the vendors to be in front of the participants and for the users to keep informed about changes and products.

Summary

Developing a user group is an excellent way to fuel your passion for the things that you do and enjoy. A group of users have common threads or areas that are important to keep them working together as community. The commonalities of the group will help to grow and thrive as a community. It is usually those overlap areas that allow for the group to think about roadmaps and future events and activities.

A common purpose, need, problem, or culture is an absolute first step to define the user group being developed. From this, a mission and goal of the group is created. Communication of the purpose of the group can be done by using this mission statement. It will encourage volunteers to get involved and show vendors reasons to become engaged in the events. Developing the group means opportunities to develop the users and community through education, networking, and learning through other users.

The energy and effort put into the group will not be wasted and will be used to launch into new career paths or breathe new life into existing ones. There will be challenges and rolling up of sleeves to get the work and planning done, and the following chapters will help you through that to be able to be involved in a group to be excited about.