Community OS

Encourage active contributors

"Every community has a few members who show up more than anyone else in the community and bring a massive amount of passion and energy. They are the lifeblood of your community. Make their happiness your priority." -David Spinks

Most online communities follow a 1-9-90 rule. 1% of the members create experiences, 9% engage and the remaining 90% are passive. When the stats are so skewed towards 'inaction' what steps can we take to encourage more participation?

One of the best ways to encourage participation is by recognising active contributors. This sets up an organic fly-wheel within the community:

  • Active members get recognised → Encourages more members to contribute and take responsibility → Results in more active members in the community → Active members get recognised

Here are some ways to go about spotlighting active contributors:

  • Announce the top contributors every week on your Slack or Discord

  • Highlight contributions from active members in your newsletter
Lenny's Community Wisdom highlights answers and top finds from community members

  • [High effort or needs Tech help] Have/publish a leaderboard for the community that showcases most active members
Duolingo Leaderboard

Extend the relationship with active contributors by not just limiting it to shoutouts:
           1) Ask them for feedback - how can you manage and scale the community better?
          2) Invite them to take on community responsibilities
          3) Provide exclusive benefits to active contributors in recognition for their contribution

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