---
name: community-patterns
description: >
  Community management best practices and patterns. Automatically loaded
  when handling community-related tasks to provide domain expertise.
---

# Community Management Patterns

Domain knowledge for effective community management across platforms.

## Healthy Community Indicators

### Engagement Metrics
- **Activity Level**: Regular posting from diverse members (not just a few)
- **Response Rate**: Questions get answered within 24 hours
- **Conversation Depth**: Threads with multiple replies, not just one-off posts
- **New Member Participation**: New members feel comfortable contributing

### Quality Signals
- **Positive Sentiment**: Supportive, constructive discussions
- **On-Topic Focus**: Conversations stay relevant to community purpose
- **Knowledge Sharing**: Members help each other, share resources
- **Organic Growth**: Steady new members through word-of-mouth

## Warning Signs

### Activity Issues
- **Declining Volume**: Week-over-week decrease in messages
- **Concentration**: 80%+ of messages from <5% of members
- **Ghost Town Hours**: Long periods with no activity
- **Unanswered Questions**: Help requests going ignored

### Quality Issues
- **Negativity Trends**: Increasing complaints, frustration
- **Off-Topic Drift**: Conversations veering from community purpose
- **Conflict Patterns**: Repeated disagreements between same members
- **Spam/Low-Quality**: Bot posts, memes dominating discussion

## Response Guidelines

### When Engaging Community
- Acknowledge questions within 24 hours (even if just "looking into it")
- Use inclusive language ("we", "our community")
- Tag relevant members who might help with specific questions
- Celebrate community wins and member contributions

### When Moderating
- Address issues privately first when possible
- Be consistent in applying community guidelines
- Explain reasoning behind moderation decisions
- Focus on behavior, not personal attacks

### When Growing Community
- Welcome new members personally
- Create low-barrier entry points (intro threads, simple questions)
- Highlight valuable contributions to encourage more
- Connect members with shared interests

## Metric Benchmarks

| Metric | Healthy | Warning | Critical |
|--------|---------|---------|----------|
| Weekly Active % | >25% | 10-25% | <10% |
| Response Time | <24h | 24-72h | >72h |
| Unanswered Rate | <10% | 10-30% | >30% |
| Member Concentration | <50% | 50-80% | >80% |
| Week-over-Week Growth | Positive | Flat | Negative 3+ weeks |

## Platform-Specific Notes

### Discord
- Use threads to organize long discussions
- Leverage roles for permissions and recognition
- Pin important messages in channels
- Use Discord Events for community activities

### Telegram
- Use topics in groups for organization
- Schedule messages for optimal timezone coverage
- Use polls for quick community feedback
- Pin announcements in group description

## Report Interpretation

When reviewing health reports:

1. **Look at trends, not just snapshots** - A declining healthy score is worse than a stable warning score
2. **Consider context** - Holiday weeks, platform changes affect metrics
3. **Prioritize actionable items** - Focus on recommendations you can actually implement
4. **Track over time** - Compare reports week-over-week to measure improvement