The world of Product is no walk in the park.
Sometimes it’s a walk through a fiery hellscape, where Sales is selling features that don’t exist and stakeholders are pointing at KPIs that aren’t relevant.
The point is, if you’re involved in product development, you’re going to be feeling stressed from time to time.
@tldv.io At least he’s helpful #product #productmanagement #tech #productmanager ♬ original sound – tldv.io – AI Meeting Recorder
This rings true for every Prouct team member, from the engineers to the marketers to the user researchers.
But typically, the responsibility of successfully executing a product development plan and strategy will fall into the hands of one person: the Product Manager.
No one knows the product quite like they do, and nobody bears the brunt of product-related headaches quite so much, either.
So where does a Product Manager turn, when they need some guidance, or just a place to vent?
What is a Product Manager Community?
A product manager community is a group of product managers who come together to network, share ideas, and exchange experience and knowledge.
The purpose of such a community is to provide product managers with both practical and emotional support, alongside guidance and resources as they navigate the ups and downs of their job.
These communities can exist in the form of in-person meetups or virtual events.
Commonly, they take the form of online forums. While it’s extremely rewarding to meet fellow Product Managers face-to-face, online forums have many advantages.
Online communities are often anonymous, meaning PMs will feel more comfortable admitting problems or sharing stories of failure.
Secondly, the online aspect lets PMs from all over the world connect. When you realise that Product Managers are facing pretty much the exact same challenges the world over, you’re going to feel significantly less alone.
No matter whether you join in-person events in your town, or just log on to an online forum in the evenings – the point of joining a Product Community is more or less the same: learn something new, stay up-to-date on industry news, share struggles, and network with people in the world of Product.
everyone talks about how instagram is bad for mental health but what about jira??
— isha (@ikasliwal) October 7, 2021
Why join a Product Community?
We’ve already discussed some of the benefits of joining a Product Community, but if you’re still on the fence on whether it’s right for you (or just a waste of your precious Product time) then let’s shine a light on all the other ways this kind of community can add value to your life:
- Networking: Product managers can connect with mentors and peers, building relationships that can become meaningful in either a professional or personal context. In fact, this kind of networking could open up opportunities that led to career advancement.
- Professional development: Members can learn from others, get feedback on their work, while staying in the loop on industry trends and best practices.
- Problem solving: Members can collaborate and learn from each other to solve complex problems and find solutions to common challenges. There’s nothing like several combined PM brains tackling a challenge together!
- Support: Product management can be a hugely difficult role, and having a community of peers who understand the challenges and offer support is invaluable. Everyone needs to feel seen and understood.
- Anonymity: Product Communities offer a safe space in which a PM can express themselves without fear of judgement or exposure.
- Knowledge sharing: Members of these communities are encouraged to share their most bizarre experiences, truest wisdom, teachable moments, and invaluable insights. This type of knowledge-sharing contributes to the growth and development of the community as a whole.
- Resources: Product manager communities are likely to be a place filled with resources – like product tools, articles, templates, as well as recommendations on product books, softwares and courses.
- Memes: Sometimes you just gotta laugh. There’s no therapy like a good chuckle after a long day of putting out Product fires.
What should you look for in a Product Manager Community?
You’ll want to find a Product Management community that aligns with your interests and goals. The world of Product is vast, and there may exist a product group that is specific to your niche or industry.
If you’re a start-up founder, you may want to join a community with memebers at a similar stage of growth as your company. This might prove the most rewarding kind of community to join, as members are likely in a very similar boat to you.
On the other hand, if you’re new to the world of Product, you might instead want to connet with members who have “been there, done that” – and are at a different stage of growth entirely. Similarily, you may prefer to look outward, at what PMs in totally different niches are doing – to see if their learnings can apply to you.
@tldv.io This one is for our product manager friends out there #tech #productmanager #agileteams ♬ original sound – tldv.io – AI Meeting Recorder
A mixed community may be more appropriate for the PM looking to learn from a vast range of Product people. Since these groups are not tied to a particular type of Product, they are often also extra anonymous. You don’t have to worry about stakeholders holding you accountable to any struggles you admit to. You’ll be able to share reasonably specific data without anyone linking it to you.
One potential downside to online Product forums is that over time, as they develop, they tend to become littered with self-promotion and spam. You’ll want to sign up with a PM community with good moderators so you can avoid having to scroll through low-value content.
What are the best Product Communities?
Here are some of our top product manager communities. Some of them are purely based online, while others mix online discussion with in-person events.
Mind the Product
Mind the Product is a a global community of product managers with regular events and meetups. The group was founded in 2010 and has since then grown to include over 200,000 members with meet-ups in over 200 cities across the world. On their website, you’ll find Product news written by the Mind the Product’s editorial team.
This is definitely a well-established product community with a wealth of real events you can join, plus other perks – like a jobs board, product training workshops, and a Slack channel.
Product School
Product School is a global organization offering product management courses designed to develop the skills neccessary to become a successful PM in the tech industry.
While Product School is primarily an educational organization, offering both in-person and online classes, there is a community you can join where you can discuss topics like product team management, customer centricity, market analysis and user research methods.
Product Manager HQ
This online community of product managers is focused on professional development and networking. Product Manager HQ (PMHQ) is a website and community for product managers. It provides resources, training, and support for individuals working in the product management field, with the goal of helping them improve skills and advance their careers.
The site offers a community forum where product managers can connect with each other and share their experiences. On top of all that, there are courses, podcasts, articles and events you can sign up for.
Product Therapy
Product Therapy is a 100% anonymous online forum community for Prouduct Managers around the world. This relatively new forum was created by tl;dv – the company behind an award-winning user research tool for Product teams. The purpose of the commuity is to provide a safe space in which Product people can ask questions, share experiences, get inspired and provide support.
tl;dv create humorous and relatable videos on Product life for their TikTok and Instagram. Their audience shared funny experiences, frustrations and insights in the comments section in response to these videos, which created a community of product debate and product ‘therapy’.
This sort of debate can now be found in tl;dv’s dedicated online community, Product Therapy. With a strong focus on complete anonymity, members feel free to share real data and be truly honest about their experiences.
@tldv.io Why do they keep asking me to onboard people #workfromhome #onboarding #corporate #productmanager ♬ original sound – tldv.io – AI Meeting Recorder
Product Manager Club
As a community, the Product Manager Club focuses on knowledge sharing and professional development through collaboration, webinars, events and industry-related discussion. The community doubles up as resource center for product managers. All in all, the club provides support, training and networking opporunties – no matter your background or experience.
Product Collective
Product Collective is a professional network and community for product managers. It provides a platform for members to connect, collaborate, and share their experiences in the field.
Through events, webinars, and other resources, Product Collective aims to support product managers in their professional lives (well helping them keep sane during the daily grind).
Women in Product
Women in Product is a community and advocacy organization for women in product management. Its goal is to increase the representation of women in the field, and to provide support, networking, and resources for female product managers. Women in Product hosts events, webinars, and other resources, and provides a platform for women to connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas with each other.
Other Ways to Find Product Management Communities
If none of the above communities float your boat, you can take a look at discussion boards and groups on the likes of Linkedin and Reddit. For PMs who already spend a lot of time on these platforms, it can be convenient to just dip into subreddits like /r/ProductManagement or join Linkedin Groups like The Accidental Product Manager.
Whichever community you end up joining to get inspired, openly vent, offer some advice and ask questions – we hope you find that it serves your needs and keeps you feeling sane in the hectic world of Product. If you’re looking for a low-key anonymous forum for day-to-day Product chat, don’t forget to check out tl;dv’s Product Therapy.
