6 Community of Practice Examples (+ Different Types)
Want to create a virtual group of practice, but uncertain of where to begin? Find inspiration in this list of several examples.
As a creator, launching an online community of practice is an amazing step toward growth as well as learning, collaboration, and learning. When you're doing it for the first time, you definitely need several examples of successful ones to help you , and to show you the best practices and how to improve them.
In this piece, we'll highlight examples of successful communities of which you can draw lessons from. Here's what we'll cover:
- Professional Community of Practice: PT Tool Box and Elpha
- Non-professional Community of practice: Digital Nomad World
- The Knowledge Stewarding Community Practice High Freelance
- The Helping Community: Stack Overflow
- The Best Practices Community: Superpath
- Learning Community of Practice Pracademics
Types of Communities of Practice
Communities of practice are categorized into six different types depending on their form and objective. Sometimes, these types overlap, and a community may be classified as one or two types at once. , for example, is a professional as well as an aiding community of practice.
1. Professional of Practice. Community of Practice
A professional practice community consists of individuals within a niche industry that want to help and learn from each other. The members typically come from different areas of knowledge and experience, and they may also work with different companies. A few of them could be newbies while others are experts, but the most important factor is that they all have a shared industry interest and are eager to contribute to the body of knowledge.
Community of practice for professionals. Example 1. PT ToolBox
Professional community of practice example 2: Elpha
If you're a female in tech or looking to make the switch soon You've likely heard about Elpha. It was founded by Cadran Cowansage in the year 2000, Elpha is home to more than 75,000 members, making it among the most popular online communities of practice specifically for women in tech.
Elpha women get professional and personal development resources and participate in chats via virtual channels and mentoring, as well as access to a safe and non-judgmental space in which women can talk about their struggles and get advice and help from fellow members.
2. Professional and non-professional Community of Practice
Communities of practice aren't just offering professional assistance. Sometimes, you'll need the support of a community of professionals who can help you improve different aspects of your life, like learning something new or altering your life. That's the place where non-professional community groups come into. There are communities that do not require professional practices for everything including skiers to fitness-minded vegans. There is always the option to create or join a group that is aligned with your goals. achieve.
A non-professional practice community example: Digital Nomad World
Digital nomads can be lonely. Therefore, it's essential to find your tribe. There is nothing better than sharing your experiences with fellow nomads as you move from one place to the next.
Digital Nomad World is the most active community of people who work from home, digital nomads as well as travel lovers. The forum is open to all which allows members to share their first-hand experiences with diverse destinations, as well as seek assistance. The site also provides helpful information -- from city guides to courses and blog posts -- for members.
3. Knowledge Stewarding Community
Knowledge stewarding communities of practice curates and manages an enormous repository of information that its members can consult for help or to improve their craft. They may have a content library with informative videos, white papers, and courses covering different aspects of the community's interests. The library's content can also recruit new members seeking access to the expertise the library has.
Community of practice for knowledge stewardship for example: Peak Freelance
Founded by Michael Keenan and Elise Dopson, Peak Freelance is a group of freelance writers who want to scale their business and increase their rate and land top customers.
Peak Freelance has a content library that includes blog articles, video recordings of expert interviews, podcast replays, as well as business templates and courses for members. These resources help Peak Freelance members improve their writing craft and run their businesses with greater efficiency.
It also has a private Slack community that has niche channels specifically for freelance writers such as HR writers, SaaS, and lifestyle writers. Here they are able to get help with niche-specific concerns and meet other freelancers.
4. Volunteering to help the community
A community that is helping others is an open and non-judgmental space in which community members are able to help each other in their daily tasks that align with their common interests. People are free to discuss the challenges they face and get guidance and assistance from their peers to help them resolve these challenges.
Helping community of practice example Helping community of practice example: Stack Overflow
With over fourteen million users registered and 100 million visitors per month to its website, Stack Overflow is one of the largest helping communities for enthusiasts and professional software designers.
Stack Overflow members post questions on the public channel, as well as other users provide complete responses to those questions, in line with the community's code of behaviour. Users are also able to share questions links to non-members who might be able to provide helpful insights.
All the questions and responses will be added to the searchable knowledge base which users can always refer to in the future.
5. Best Practice Community
Best practice communities provide tips and guidelines, as well as trends and methods to assist community members increase their understanding of their field of study and become experts. They hold regular discussions as well as themed events, and also publish written and video content to inform members of industry best practices.
Community examples of best practice Superpath
Jimmy Daley's Superpath has more than 8000 content marketers, and is one of the most popular online communities for marketing. Every week, Daley creates and distributes helpful community-generated resources -- including the links to blog threads and posts -- with Superpath members via email and Slack.
Daley's community has a free as well as a premium tier. With the paid tier (Superpath Pro) it gives you access to courses as well as monthly 1-on-1 calls and meetings with experts in content. Paying Superpath members have access to Slack's community. They can participate in office hours, participate in discussions in the industry, and connect with other professional experts.
6. Learning Community of Practice
Example of a learning community of practice: Pracademics
Pracademics is a community for learning that is designed for professionals in human services. It provides live and self-paced training courses such as Communities of Practice Leaders to help professionals keep up with current research, and then incorporate the latest knowledge into their practice.
Students have the opportunity to communicate with teachers and others students at live sessions to make sure they comprehend the subject fully.
Make Your Community of Practice
If you're thinking "I must definitely establish a community of practice," you're right. Apart from launching new courses creators can use groups of practice to create deeper connections with students, facilitate collaboration in learning, and ultimately provide more value.