Java, Communities, and Social Networking

Lou Ordorica Community Manager Sun Microsystems

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The Java Story

A remarkable person ...

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The Java Story

... creates a remarkable platform ...

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The Java Story

... that ultimately touches millions of people every day.

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How Did We Get Here?

• 40 to 50 million new Java runtimes (JRE) monthly downloads

• 1+ billion JRE updates yearly

• Billions of devices using JRE

• 5 million Java developers

• Millions and millions of users

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The Story Begins and Ends with Developers ...

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... and Communities

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Agenda

• Experiences and lessons learned• Java Developer Communities

> Java.net> Glassfish> JavaONE

• Community Touch Points> product reviews> code sharing> discussions> wikis

• Java and Social Networking

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What do these words

have in common?

What do these words

have in common?

ProseNeonNetProseLyricDNASilkRubyPepperWebRunner LanguageWeb DancerWeb Spinner

Pop Quiz

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ProseNeonNetProseLyricDNASilk

JavaRubyPepperWebRunner LanguageWeb DancerWeb Spinner

They all belong to the short

list for namingJAVA!

They all belong to the short

list for namingJAVA!

Answer

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Communities

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Java.netThe Center of the Java Developer Universe

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Java.net

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• About> Founded in 2003> Funded by Sun, managed by the O’Reilly Network> 5,000 projects (20% active)> 500,000 registered users (10% active)> An ecosystem of Java developers

• Successful> Achieved legitimacy in the eyes of developers> Independent, vendor-agnostic> Embraced open-source software movement early

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Lessons Learned

• Use community governance sensibly> Not at the site level, but for projects / technology

• Put the community first, even when your bosses disagree> Earn credibility for your company> Teach yourselves how to be a good community

participant> Achieve an organizational understanding of what it takes

to be respected in the community• Simple tools can go a long way

> Small groups are effective with forums, wikis, blogs, mailing lists, code management

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GlassfishEnterprise Class Java Open Source App Server

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Glassfish• About

> Started June 2005

> Over 14 million downloads to date

> Over 240 thousand registrations since Dec 2007

Glassfish Admin Hits 2/07 - 12/08

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Glassfish

• Lessons Learned> Don’t start from scratch> Usefulness is very important > Develop transparently> Strive for win-win relationships> Communication tools matter least, participation and

commitment matter most> Large and distributed projects thrive on information> Leave room for local experimentation,but think globally> “Empowerment and communication creates community”> Communities create markets

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Java Support Forums

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Java Support Forums

• About> General Java technology discussions> 900,000 registered users (17% active)> 5,000 new users join each month> Successful community moderators program

• Lessons learned> Ignore your developer community at your peril!> Expertise is the currency of a support forum — track and

measure this (points and rewards programs)> Embrace your community leaders — they can help you

more than you realize

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JavaONE

Images courtesy of Jochen Siegle/TechShowNetwork

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JavaONE on the WebJavaOne BlogCentral

JavaOne Ustream

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JavaONE• About

> Started 1996, celebrated 13th anniversary in June 2008> Average 15,000 attendees yearly> Technical sessions, BoFs, Hands-on labs for the Java-

faithful and Java-curious• Lessons learned

> People need offline, physical interactions to cement relationships started online

> Offer students free admission — they’ll enter the workplace soon, and could be your brand advocates

> Try to capture the excitement of events on the Web with streaming video, podcasts, tagged photos & blogs

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Community Touch Points

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Java Studio Creator Product Reviews

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Java Studio Creator Product Reviews• About

> Launched in 2006 on Sun.com and Developer sites> Hosted service provided through partner> Moderation is done on an exception-basis

• Lessons learned> Make your competitors squirm by doing the things they

are unwilling to do> Don’t force people to adopt social tools if they aren’t

ready> Use reviews to build a better mouse trap, and earn loyal

customers, too

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Sun Developer Network Share

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Sun Developer Network Share

• About> Launched April 2007> 2,015 members> 342 posts

• Lessons learned> Look outside for innovation and inspiration> Don’t underestimate soft skills needed to manage a

community> To get things done, you sometimes have to play outside

the rules> If you aren’t just a little bit scared, something is wrong

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java.sun.com Community Discussions

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java.sun.com Community Discussions• About

> Launched November 2008> Hosted service provided through partner

• Lessons learned> Build strong relationships with your vendors early (you

never know how much abuse you’ll subject them to)> There is no such thing as a small community project > Avoid attempts to “go big” if you haven’t solved for

community moderation> People want to be heard. Give them the opportunity.

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Sun Java Communications Suite Wiki

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Sun Java Communications Suite Wiki • About

> Launched October 2007> Uses third-party enterprise wiki software

• Lessons learned> Wikis are for real — collaboration and communication are

accelerated, especially in big companies> The need for good information architecture doesn’t go

away — it’s importance is magnified on a wiki> Opening up your development processes to the world

can have unexpected benefits — like new customers interested in your company and product!

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Java Open Source Social Networking

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Java and Social NetworkingProject SocialSite

ProfilesJava.net widget integration

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“The real power of Java

technology is ‘connecting.’ And

when you get people

connected, good things happen.”

“The real power of Java

technology is ‘connecting.’ And

when you get people

connected, good things happen.”

Parting Thought

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Community Manager for Hire!

• Lou Ordorica’s contact info:> Twitter: http://twitter.com/lordorica> Blog: http://blogs.sun.com/socialfx> Email: lou.ordorica@gmail.com> Linked In:

http://www.linkedin.com/louordorica