So you found some people interested in joining your GDG. Here are some tips for retaining members and gaining traction:
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Work it
- The main job of an organizer is to be the center of attention and all group activity. Get used to it.
- Build personal relationships with your members to make them feel welcome and comfortable in participating in the group.
- Network, network, network. The more people you know, the more sponsorships, speakers, and help you’ll be able to get.
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Delegate responsibility
- Appoint active members as group organizers. The added responsibility makes members feel valued and strengthens their group commitment.
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Create a series
- Hold multiple events under one topic to keep people engaged. Deep dives in one area may be more successful than several, shallower talks in disparate technologies.
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Get members talking
- Invite members to an online community, or other online discussion forum, where members can engage in discussion and stay connected between live events.
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Mix it up
- Use content on developers.google.com or other Google sites for inspiration on event topics or conversation starters.
- Attend a conference as a group.
- Host a hackathon where members work together to design and build an application.