Community Manual
Table of contents
- Introduction
- Community’s Mission
- Why does the TIA community exist?
- What is the culture code of the TIA community?
- The TIA Community Personality
- Who makes up the TIA community?
- Why you should join the TIA community (benefits)
- Why you shouldn’t join the TIA community
- Code of Conduct
- Content Guidelines
- How to make awesome comments
- Should-dos
- No-nos
Introduction
Dear TIA community,
This TIA Community Manual is designed for us, by us. It’s been put together to keep the mission and direction of the TIA community aligned, such that every member should be able to resonate with it. We thank everyone who has contributed to this manual. If you are new to this manual, please take some time to read through it. You can give us suggestions at community@techinasia.com!
(Last updated on September 6th, 2018)
Community’s Mission
“To be an all-embracing community that serves and builds Asia’s startup ecosystem.”
Why does the TIA community exist?
The Tech in Asia (TIA) community exists to encourage knowledge and connections sharing among members who work and have a strong interest in the tech ecosystem in Asia and want to see the community grow. Tech in Asia cannot claim to be the definitive expert in every aspect of this rapidly-developing, ever-changing landscape, and that’s where the community comes in to be part of the big mission. Every member of our community plays an important role in bringing the ecosystem forward, one step at a time.
What is the culture code of the TIA community?
Culture is very important to the folks at TIA, and we think it should be for the community too. It uniquely defines and identifies us amongst the other communities, and naturally attracts like-minded people.
With that in mind, here’s our community culture code:
- We believe in learning and sharing knowledge with a can-do attitude
- We communicate transparently and constructively
- We are obsessed about our ecosystem, not ourselves
The TIA community personality is…
- Fun and appreciates humor
- Caring and always willing help
- Honest but not condescending
Who makes up the TIA community?
The TIA community is made up of members who have a strong interest in the tech ecosystem in Asia and want to see the community grow. We believe that this diversity will be the key driver to our community’s success and continued growth.
Why you should join the TIA community (benefits)
We are well aware that all TIA community members are looking to exchange time and effort for things that they value more. We truly appreciate your contributions and we believe in creating a win-win partnership and relationship together. We want to be 100 percent transparent. So in the table below, we’ve explicitly written down the perks you may potentially receive.
| Benefits | What exactly |
| Sharing knowledge, sharpening your thoughts | Writing and commenting on TIA helps you to sharpen your thought processes. We love the way this article – “The Psychological Benefits of Writing” – explains the benefits of writing. We encourage everyone to read it!
Writing isn’t just an activity for journalists. World renowned leaders write too:
That said, we understand that not everyone can write (or is interested to write) well articulated long form pieces because it requires a lot of time and practice. And that’s okay! Commenting helps you to get started. Comments have tremendous power to inspire great discussions on top of an article. We believe that these discussions will go a long way in sharpening the collective ecosystem’s level of thinking. |
| Friendships, networks, and recognition | Writing and commenting sharpens your thoughts and helps to attract like-minded people, or people who disagree with you. Either way, it’s good because the whole purpose is to share and discuss. While doing so, new bonds are made. It’s perhaps the best medium to forge new friendships.
“I’ve connected with maybe 80+ people by now in LinkedIn, with people writing personal notes to say they saw my article and wish to connect. They are all from different places in the world. TIA article writing has gained me reputation and clarity of where I stand. I send these articles to ministers, government, community partners, investors, etc and they understand me from my writing. We had many more inquiries on AGA by potential entrepreneurs. I believe since July, we have funded 2-3 successful startups for the iJAM incubation and more on the way.” – Christopher Quek, Managing Partner at Tri5 Ventures, director at AGA, and TIA community member. Respect and trust are earned. The best way to earn it is through sharing and helping with no hidden agenda. If there’s an agenda, be transparent about it (just like how we made this community manual transparent) |
| Part of a big mission | We used to think it was possible to cover all of Asia’s tech ecosystem by ourselves. We’ve come to realise how naive we were. We can’t do it, because Asia is way too big, and we can’t possibly be the definitive expert for every Asian city and tech vertical.
We have worked to serve the startup ecosystem since day one and we believe the power of the community is key to helping us continue building the startup ecosystem in Asia. Below are two key guiding points that have helped built Tech in Asia what it is today: 1. Helping. Tech in Asia has witnessed the boom of the Asian startup ecosystem. One thing has been consistent: People help one another in this industry and that is undoubtedly one of the key drivers that have helped the industry grow. Our mission is to build and serve the startup ecosystem in Asia. We believe Tech in Asia has earned its respect and trust by staying true to its mission. We believe you can do it too. 2. Share. Well articulated articles and comments inspire people. People may disagree with you. You could even be wrong. But it doesn’t really matter as long as we spur a healthy discussion that keeps the Asian tech ecosystem thinking and talking. Tech in Asia has been writing and sharing since day one. We haven’t just bridged an information gap and helped demystify the Asian tech scene. Along the way we have also helped startups receive investments, connected people within the industry, and discussed important issues pertinent to the growth of our ecosystem. One of our community members, Stuart said it rightly: |
Why you shouldn’t join the TIA community
While we’re open to anyone joining the community, it is also important to us that our members are of the right mindset.
If you’re not a believer of our mission for any reason (To build the startup ecosystem in Asia), that’s not a wrong thing. But it also means you’re not meant to be here. Having an aligned interest and mission is very important to our community and we cannot compromise on that.
It’s understandable if you have personal motivations to join the community, but do remember that it takes two hands to clap. Give before you receive anything. Be open to sharing and helping others within your capabilities. The rest will be taken care of naturally.
Lastly (and just being absolutely transparent), if you’re looking for monetary benefits as a community member at Tech in Asia, you’re at the wrong place. Members contribute because they truly believe in paying it forward and should not expect monetary incentives.
Code of Conduct
This code of conduct applies to all community-centric properties managed by the TIA community. This includes the Tech in Asia platform and mailing lists. In addition, violations of this code outside the above-mentioned spaces may affect a person’s ability to continue participating in our community.
If you believe someone is breaking this code of conduct, please flag it to community@techinasia.com.
All members of the TIA community are encouraged to make yourself known to your peers by filling up your bio description. A good-looking photo won’t hurt too! As a basic courtesy, a self-introduction will go a long way.
A member of the TIA community is always:
- Welcoming. We strive to be and build a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, colour, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability. In other words, as long as someone has the heart to contribute, he or she shouldn’t be judged on other factors.
- Considerate. Members of the TIA community are considerate to each other. We must be thoughtful when addressing the efforts of others, keeping in mind that oftentimes they have labored for nothing more than the good of the community. We must be attentive in our communication, whether in-person or online, and we must remain tactful when addressing differing views. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior aren’t acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
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- Violent threats or language directed against another person.
- Discriminatory jokes and language.
- Posting sexually explicit or violent material.
- Posting (or threatening to post) other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
- Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.´
- Unwelcome sexual advances.
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
- Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
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- Respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We will all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Members of the TIA community should be respectful when dealing with other members.
- No self-promotion. Nothing is worse than blatantly promoting yourself – this adds no value to the rest of the community. Don’t just spam your links, and don’t blindly encourage your own content or ask anyone else to! Why? Because TIA is a community, not a platform for self-promotion.
- Careful in the words that you choose. We are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves accordingly. When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and TIA is no exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. The strength of TIA comes from its diverse community of people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. The inability to understand why someone holds a certain point of view doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. To err is human and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
Content Guidelines
Members of the TIA community contribute through publishing articles and opinions on the platform. Articles should not exceed 1,100 words (exceptions may be allowed at our discretion).
Read on to find out what kind of content works.
Conventions
- Lowercase formatting for titles
- Good grammar
Photos should be properly credited and linked back to their sources, unless all rights are owned by the author.
Content that works
The Tech in Asia community is a smart and fun bunch of folks keen on topics stretching from Indonesia’s rising ecommerce scene to the social enterprise startups in Asia to the latest updates on iOS 9. In short, the Tech in Asia community loves tech and Asia (duh!). And now that the platform is open, we’re seeing tons more content from you, our dear Contributors-formerly-known-as-Readers.
In terms of posting content, from our data, we’ve seen that there are certain types of content that work better than others. Here’s a quick look at what works:
- Personal story – Most companies want to post their press releases on how great their company or products are and why they’re game-changing companies. The plain truth is, no one likes reading that and it usually comes off as disingenuous (not even the best companies in the world claim that they’re the best). Instead, the best performing articles about companies are stories told from a personal perspective, about their trials or obstacles that they had to overcome as a team or leader. People want to read relatable and human stories, they don’t want to read press releases. No press release has ever gone viral, think about it. Example: Why I left a venture capital accelerator to join a startup, Why I stopped angel investing (and you should never start)
- Criticism about something – We think the tech industry and specifically the Asian tech industry needs plenty of reflection. We love it (and so do our readers!) when thought leaders, insiders, and contributors give much needed criticism about a certain aspect of what companies, investors or the industry in general is doing. This encourages discussion and helps us all become a little wiser everyday. Just make sure your criticisms are well-founded and not mean. Let’s all be constructive. Example: Why we should aim to build a forever company, not just a unicorn
- Controversial topics – Without a doubt, and naturally, some of the best content on our site is controversial. It takes a stand on a polarizing issue, and pushes the limits of a topic that is hot on people’s minds (e.g. the alleged bubble in the Silicon Valley investment scene). But like criticism, you must be ready to back it up! Example: Young people, please don’t start your own business until you are fully prepared, Is our Southeast Asia tech boom built on a house of cards?
- Analysis – There are so many dense topics in tech and startups. Many of them are industry-specific, like ecommerce or mobile technology. Therefore, analyses give us much needed insight into the inner workings of these industries. Asia’s startup ecosystem is young, after all, and we can all do with a deeper understanding of how our industries work. Example: Is Singapore still relevant after 50? An entrepreneurial view.
- How To – Another type of content that has proven popular are How To guides. They give tips, advice, and guidance to people on various topics related to building a company or industry-specific advice. Example:How a fish burger in Paris inspired an app, Startup lessons: Start small, be patient, & do things that don’t scale
- AMA (Ask Me Anything) – If you’re a Redditor, you’ll probably recognize this nomenclature. These are our bona-fide blockbusters. Our audience loves the interactive nature of AMA’s. Anybody can come in and ask you a question about your expertise, story, or business. The content is fresh, and allows you to respond directly to what our readers really want to know. Currently, most AMA’s are curated by our community team. Example: I’m Min-Liang, Co-Founder and CEO of Razer. Ask Me Anything!
- Online panel (aka Multi-AMA) – Online panels are our attempt to take the AMA structure to the next level. We basically get 2 or more people to jump on techinasia.com to answer questions along with a moderator. It’s AMA on steroids. But it also allows you to chat with multiple experts in a given field. Total maximum industry expert magic galore.
- Show TIA – With Show TIA, we’re encouraging more community! It’s basically a chance for our community to hop on and share about themselves. What’s your recreational room like? What do you guys do for fun? How do you build culture? All of these are fun questions that reveal a little bit of who everyone is. Example: Breakout space at your office
- Others – And of course, at the end of the day, we love to experiment with our content. That means we are always trying to push for new types of content. Example: Here’s one powerful way to retain your best employees, Wanna try? Here’s 19 free startup ideas for Asia
Writing a community piece
Here are some things to note when crafting, writing, and publishing a community piece of your own.
Types of stories that work best
Crafting a piece can be difficult, but here are some common and popular story ideas that might help.
- “What I learned” articles
- Articles on things learned as an X (startup founder, CEO, designer, etc.)
- Use an interesting angle for this. Example: do not just write about things you learned as a startup founder; write about things you learned about being a startup founder and still working a full-time job.
- Use a strong narrative voice.
- Example: “I launched 5 startups in 2016. Here’s why, how, and what I learned.”
- Useful tips/list on x
- Useful is the most important thing. Give tips that haven’t been given before. Be refreshing in both the tips you give and the language you use.
- X also cannot be something commonly written about like “Tips on social media”
- Your tone can be a little more methodical here, but inserting inflections, anecdotes, and jokes can be a good thing.
- Example: “Yes, ‘unicorn’ employees do exist. Here’s how you identify them.”
- Personal story
- If your or your interviewee’s personal story is interesting and unique, you may want to write about it.
- Use a strong narrative voice, citing anecdotes and examples.
- Don’t mention your/interviewee’s brand/company/startup too much. Limit it to 2-3 mentions throughout the text.
- Your story must be educational to readers. Think “what would readers gain by reading my story?”
- Example: “She dropped out of law school and founded 3 startups. And she’s only 22.”
- A strong opinion
- Writing about a strong and, importantly, unusual opinion works.
- If you have a hardline stance on something, share it, but give concrete reasons why you hold that opinion. (Make sure to tick “opinion” under categories)
- You should ideally be an authority in the chosen topic.
- Have a clear, strong thesis.
- Hook your readers from the start of the piece; explain why readers should care about the topic.
- Support your argument with concrete, robust evidence and rigorous research. Back it up with data as much as possible.
- Anticipate possible counter-arguments and address them in your piece—especially the major ones.
- Finish with a strong ending/conclusion. Remember that your goal is to be persuasive.
- Example: “Why learning how to code is not enough.”
- A commentary/article on a famous brand
- Be objective. Don’t show any biases in your article. There may be an exemption if your commentary is also an opinion.
- Do not write about a company you are affiliated with.
- Example: “What happened to Xiaomi?”
- Industry/country trends
- Use credible sources to back up your claims, and be sure to link them!
- Provide numbers, graphs, and charts to help readers visualize the situation.
- Example: “Here’s what you need to know about the future of ecommerce in Southeast Asia.”
Things to avoid
When crafting your piece, here are the top things you should never do:
- Writing about your own company, startup, brand promotionally. This means writing about it with the sole purpose of making it look good. The purpose of writing community articles should be shared learning and discussion.
- Providing numbers and facts without linking them to credible sources.
- Creating a profile without a photo and bio.
- Using a company logo and name as your profile photo and name.
- Using a writing style that is dry and boring. Use direct, clear, simple language. Every word must be there for a reason. Inject personality into your piece.
- Writing about a rehashed topic. Try to think of a totally new topic, or take an interesting angle on an old one. The idea is to find ways to value-add to the existing knowledge of your topic/field.
Tips on getting your work accepted
We all want our work to get accepted. Here are some tips to do just that:
- Avoid everything from the previous section
- Write about something you love and are an expert on.
- Give instances, anecdotes, and examples when proving a point.
- Make sure your content is engaging and thoughtful. Ask yourself “why?” Why would readers need to know this? Why would they care?
- Use a strong narrative voice and give examples and anecdotes to support your story. (Example: “How I went from being a techie to an MBA, to a banker, and back to a techie.”)
- Link to sources that are credible to back up your facts (The New York Times, Business Insider, CNN, etc.)
Sourcing ideas for your stories
Sometimes it is difficult to think of a story or topic to write about. Here are some tips to generate some good ideas:
- Think about something you know a lot about and write something on that topic.
- Read articles from different websites and see if you have anything to add. (Do you disagree with something? Do you think something was not stated?)
- Use current events as an angle (has something happened recently that may affect your industry?)
- When in a total loss of ideas, start a discussion with another person. You can also use forums to bounce ideas off people. The Tech in Asia community Facebook group is a good place to do just that.
Author best practices
As a guest author on Tech in Asia, here are some best practices and suggestions to get your articles discovered:
- Be open to comments, questions, and suggestions. Reply to reader comments and respond to constructive feedback.
- Alternately, you can also share your article in your own social feeds.
- Join the Tech in Asia community Facebook group. Introduce yourself and share your published articles.
- If in doubt if your article is good enough, you may choose to contact the community editors for help. If your article was rejected, ask them what can be done to improve it.
Branding guidelines
While it’s okay for an article to serve a person or organization’s marketing agenda, we want Tech in Asia to be a space for insightful discussions, not blatant or surreptitious self-promotion. As such, all community content must follow these branding guidelines:
- Writers’ affiliation must be stated in their Tech in Asia profile description.
- Any conflicts of interest must be clearly stated at the beginning of the article.
- There can be no call-to-actions in the article.
- Articles are not to be used as a platform to promote events, products, and/or services.
- Contributors cannot represent Tech in Asia or use phrases/ sentences that imply similarly.
1. On company-related branding
- Brand-centric articles are not allowed.
- If the content is meaningful and useful, brand mentions must not exceed what is necessary and hurt the enjoyment of the article. As a general rule, for every three mentions of your brand, one should be substituted with a common noun like “the company” or “the startup.”
2. On affiliate/partner company branding
If the content is a company or startup profile, we must ascertain that the author is not:
- from the said company
- a company investor
- a portfolio company
- an agency
- a content marketing freelancer from a partner company
- or any company with a financial or transactional relationship with the subject of the article
In cases where it is difficult to ascertain the author’s independence from the company, we will err on the side of caution and refuse to publish.
3. On personal branding
Personal branding articles are allowed as long as the content is educational and relevant to readers. A personal branding piece seeks to establish the writer as a thought leader or communicate practical advice (for example, how to run a company) learned from the writer’s experiences.
If a self-promoting article mentions the contributor’s brand as part of a list, it must also mention competing brands. An exception can be made if the brand mention belongs to a company that no longer exists.
In cases where personal branding is equivalent to company branding (for example, a one-man show), the article must refer to the author instead of the company.
How to make awesome comments
Commenting is what makes our budding community thrive. Show some love, share your knowledge, or your wisdom with other users and they’ll respond in kind. On our part, we try to make that experience more seamless with email notifications and a community-friendly design (we hope you like it!).
Now, we know some folks out there might be shy, so in case you’re wondering what types of comments perform really well, we’ve come up with a quick guide for all you aspiring top commenters.
- Asking questions – No question is a dumb question. Asking a question is the easiest way to kickstart commenting. You could question a fact or opinion mentioned by the writer or ask for an alternative perspective the writer probably hasn’t thought about. Doesn’t everybody have a question?
- Challenging ideas – If you think there’s more to what’s written on the article and it’s something the community needs to know, go ahead and challenge the ideas (or lack thereof). These are the conversations that will truly benefit the community. Sometimes it’s the comments that shine brighter than the original article.
- Giving further insight – If you like what the writer wrote, give your input. Your comment could add totally new value or a secondary opinion to the main article.
- Criticism – Maybe you think this article is one-sided, or that the writer made a ridiculous sweeping statement, or just that it was written badly. Here’s your chance to jump in and give some constructive criticism without sounding too harsh. Like the saying goes, “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
- Supportive comments – Do you love how the contributor wrote a profile on his or her startup journey and the obstacles they faced? Show your support by offering words of encouragement! All the folks in the startup world working with their blood, sweat, and tears deserve the love.
- Shameless self-promotion – Comments that links to your site within the body or bait links to encourage folks to visit your site with or without relation to the post are a big no-no. Why not dish out some awesome insights instead? Insights grab attention. Trust us, we know.
Should-dos
- Remember to submit up to 5 tags (by country, vertical, interest, and so on) related to your post so that your content gets discovered easily.
- Share your posts on social media to get more exposure and comments.
No-nos
- The first rule is: You do not post spam.
- The second rule is… YOU DO NOT POST SPAM ON TECH IN ASIA. (We get a lot. Can you tell?)
- Do not hard sell your products in your writing. This community is meant to be a thought-sharing platform for industry professionals and people who are passionate about tech, not an advertising platform.
- Do not send in press releases for community articles, it doesn’t work. Email them to editors@techinasia.com instead.
- Tech in Asia’s moderators are constantly monitoring the platform. If your post/comment is deemed inappropriate or offensive, it will be removed from Tech in Asia.
If you’d like to send us feedback, or if you have any questions, do reach out to us at community@techinasia.com. We’ll get back to you soonest! Enjoy posting on Tech in Asia!