Art Of Community Online

I am tickled pink to add this new review to the reviews page:

“One thing that’s impressed me about Jono Bacon, something one can notice back when he and others were building a community around their pioneering Linux podcast, is that he simply gets the concept of community. It comes out in most everything he says, and most every decision he makes. This is the kind of a person you want writing a book on the topic. Open-source community building cannot be boiled down to a formula. It’s a constant effort, a soft science, an art, and Bacon is an ideal art teacher”.

— Dan Goldstein, Professor of Marketing, London Business School and Principal Research Scientist, Yahoo! Research

Wow, thanks, Dan!

“The success of the open source software movement demonstrates that no obstacle is insurmountable when people come together around a shared vision. In The Art of Community, Ubuntu community manager Jono Bacon gives readers a profound glimpse into his hands-on experience as the orchestrator of one of the movement’s most powerful communities. His book offers valuable lessons on effective leadership and community-building. Its compelling combination of useful theory, real-world best practices, and instructive personal anecdotes make it a richly comprehensive guide for both aspiring and experienced community leaders”.

— Ryan Paul, Ars Technica

“Who would have known, when I first met a scruffy student from Wolverhampton Uni at a LUG meeting all those years ago, that he would end up being the name on the Internet synonymous with the word ‘community’. The fact that the Internet’s Jono Bacon is now one of the foremost authorities on building and nurturing a community shows that in an volunteer project no one cares about your questionable dress sense, dodgy taste in music, or strange choices in facial hair – all that matters are your contributions, and your ability to get on with, and inspire, others.

In this book Jono draws upon a wealth of experience from projects small to big (and when you consider the worldwide phenomenon that was LugRadio, and the worldwide phenomenon that is Ubuntu, you’re talking pretty big) to layout a blueprint for creating and sustaining communities, as well as using real world examples from Prime Ministers to Celebrity Chefs to ground the topics in a wider context. There a nice balance in that many of the examples based on success stories, but Jono is brave enough to also illustrate his points with some of his (relatively few) mistakes.

This book will be useful for anyone looking to build a volunteer community around any kind of project or cause whether it involves software, open-source, racoons, or none of the above”.

Paul Cooper, Moblin UI & Apps Engineering Manager

Awesome! These have been added to the reviews page.

Recently I have been sending The Art Of Community manuscript out to a number of people who are well respected in various communities to get there feedback on the completed book. With the content complete and the only changes being tiny typo fixes, now has been the idea time to gather this feedback. How was the response? Well, I am stunned, see for yourself:

“The Internet provides the potential to separate us into a cacophony of discordant voices or to congregate us as purpose-driven communities. Jono Bacon, in his insightful The Art of Community, teaches the latter path, detailing the principles of successful community-building in a way that will appeal to both neophyte and expert alike. Given the increasingly critical role of community managers in the technology industry and beyond, The Art of Community should find a place on any businessperson’s bookshelf, not to mention that of the PTA president, book club organizer, or union activist. Yes, it’s that good”.

— Matt Asay, Alfresco and C|NET

“Jono Bacon truly understands communities–and more importantly, how to build communities that thrive. This is the definitive guidebook to building successful communities–definitive because it is based on Jono’s extensive experience as community manager for Ubuntu, a product that inspires an Apple-esque devotion in very large part because of its vast and dedicated community. For developers and entrepreneurs who want to learn how to tap into the power of community, as Ubuntu has done so masterfully, this book is a must-read”.

— Ian Murdock, founder of Debian and Vice President of Emerging Platforms at Sun

“In the age of participation, there is no better tour guide than Jono Bacon. The Art of Community teaches leaders how to increase collaboration and authenticity to build belonging. This isn’t just for technology leaders; anyone who wants to harness community for their cause should read this book.”

— Amanda McPherson, The Linux Foundation

“In Art of Community, Jono “Community” Bacon once again shows that his nom de guerre is apropos. He breaks down the soft science of community management in a way few others could. Jono fundamentally understands the soft science that is community management. With his trademark British humor, he deftly explores the intricacies and subtleties of his trade, while weaving a story that is both entertaining and informative. In The Art of Community, Jono combines his deep knowledge of community with his trademark British humor. The result is both informative and entertaining, and is a must read for those looking to better understand the soft science that is community management”.

— Jeremy Garcia, Founder of LinuxQuestions.org

“Jono Bacon, in The Art of Community, takes you on a personal journey to the heart of what it takes to have and become part of a productive and well-oiled community”.

— Amber Graner, Ubuntu Community Member

Wow.

If you point your beady eyes to the top of the website, you will see a new Reviews link where I will be gathering these reviews of the book.