Developer community application

A community application should ask what people are working on, what they'd bring and how they found you. This template keeps it to three minutes, so good members aren't put off, and flags the ones worth fast-tracking.

The questions, and why they're asked

In this order: the name first, the substance next, contact details and links last.

1. 1

   Full name

   In the chat: “First, what's your name?”

   Asked first and alone, so the chat can greet people properly before anything else.

2. 2

   What are you working on?

   In the chat: “What are you working on at the moment?”

   The quickest way to see if they fit.

3. 3

   What would you bring to the community?

   In the chat: “What would you bring to the community?”

   Sets the expectation that members contribute.

4. 4

   How did you hear about us?optional

   In the chat: “How did you hear about us?”

   One tap, useful for growth.

   Options: A friend · X / Twitter · LinkedIn · An event · Search

5. 5

   GitHub profileoptional

   In the chat: “Got a GitHub profile? A username is enough.”

   A username is enough: the chat turns it into the full link and checks the profile exists.

6. 6

   Email address

   In the chat: “What's the best email to reach you?”

   Asked near the end, once people are invested. The chat confirms it and catches typos like gmial.com.

Scoring rubric

Each response is scored once on these, with a reason for every score. The weights set the total; you can change them.

Scores are advice for the people deciding. Nobody is accepted or rejected automatically.

Common mistakes

• Gating with long essays. A small community needs a short door.

A good answer and a weak one

For “What are you working on at the moment?”