Wikipedia defines a community as,
"A community is a small or large social unit (a group of people) who have something in common, such as norms, religion, values, or identity. Communities often share a sense of place that is situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town, or neighborhood) or in virtual space through communication platforms."
C# Corner is a community with over 3 million members around the globe. We may not belong to the same village, country, or religion, but we do belong to the same community. We share a common goal; i.e., the betterment of software professionals including students, programmers, developers, leads, project managers, and executives.
"For a community to self-sustain and flourish, it must provide a safe and welcoming habitat to its members"
Since its inception, C# Corner has nurtured thousands of technical writers, leaders, and experts and has helped millions of developers to get better at what they do. While it is challenging to survive, sustain, and grow a technical community, the reward is tremendous. We, together, can actually make a big impact in this world.
A community must have a goal.
A majority of contributors don’t expect anything in return from the community. But it doesn’t mean that a community should not have a goal.
A community must have a goal. Once the goal is identified, the core group must step up and start working towards achieving the same.
C# Corner has two goals. The primary goal of C# Corner is to provide a platform to learn and share technical knowledge. And the secondary goal is to provide growth opportunities and guidance to its members.
Courage, Support, and Confidence
It takes courage to get out of your comfort zone and do something that you’re not used to. Getting involved in a community is no different. Whether you write articles or blogs, or speak at a user group, or reply to technical questions, there will always be someone better than you. You will always face some kind of backlash or discouragement.
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Source: Google images
That’s where a community steps in and gives you the necessary support you need to get you going.
A community is not a competitive environment. It is a supporting environment. When you’re sinking in a deep ocean, that’s when you will see the community step in and give you the necessary support. Eventually, it builds your confidence.
Growth is a motivator.
A community must provide growth opportunities to its members. For technical people, the growth can be in the form of learning, growing your professional network, and creating an environment for new opportunities.
C# Corner not only helps you learn new technology but also helps you be a better person and better professional. C# Corner provides authoring, speaking, and networking opportunities via its online platform and offline events and conferences.
Engagement fuels exposure.
Feedback and engagement are two key aspects of learning and growth. Members must be open to getting feedback and getting engaged by reading, replying to comments, messaging and speaking at events.
C# Corner gives you access to millions of users who can help give you feedback and engage with you on various aspects of coding, networking, and becoming a better professional.
Exposure creates opportunities.
The biggest boon of a community is exposure. A community provides opportunities to expose your skills and talents that may otherwise be beyond your reach. I still remember in 2000, when I got an email from Apress asking if I could write a book on ADO.NET. That was possible only after the editorial director of Apress read one of my articles on C# Corner. In the next few years, I ended up publishing several programming books.
C# Corner gives you a stage to showcase your skills and expertise to millions of people worldwide. C# Corner can make you famous. C# Corner can help you build your brand. C# Corner can give you the followers and the creditability that can take you much farther in your professional life. After that, it is up to you to figure out a way to cash out your popularity.
"C# Corner can make you famous"
Opportunities brings fortune.
Exposure brings opportunities. I got book authoring opportunities, consulting projects, and met other business professionals via community connections. To attract new opportunities, you need to make sure what your goal is and build your profile accordingly. For example, if your goal is to get some project work, your profile should say, that you’re looking for new projects.
Because of C# Corner contributions, Microsoft awarded me its prestigious MVP Award in 2005. I’ve been a Microsoft MVP ever since then. The MVP award has connected me with so many people around the world, you just can't imagine.
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SummaryIn this article, I talked about the mindset behind a community and how a community can help its members. In my next article, I will specifically talk about how you can take advantage of C# Corner and how C# Corner can help you fuel your professional growth.
Further Readings
Read member stories about how C# Corner has helped them: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/stories
Keep up with the latest news and tech trends: Latest news on C# Corner