Community as a Side Effect: Stephen Anderson on Mad Railers, Madison Ruby, and Bendyworks
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
The Guest
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
The Conversation
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Hi, I'm Mike. I'm at WindyCityRails again. I'm standing here with Stephen Anderson who runs the Mad Railers and is involved with Madison Ruby in Madison, Wisconsin. Thank you for taking a few minutes to talk with me. Can you tell me a little bit about what Mad Railers is and what you're doing up in Madison?
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
Mad Railers—a friend and I started that in early 2006 right after we did the first 'Agile Web Development with Rails' book in a book club. He went on to start teaching Rails at the tech college and he and I launched the user group. I inherited it from him a few years later and I'm still involved in running it.
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
Many other people help run it as well, and it's really blossomed lately. We typically have about 20 people at a meeting and we do a wide range of things. The next couple will be an introduction for newbies, and then we're going to split in two and do Koans and Katas.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
So more of a hands-on approach? Traditionally you've been more lecture-oriented?
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
We've traditionally been oriented toward having people talk on a subject, but I'm personally trying to move us toward more 'doing'. I'm going to resurrect open hack days again. I like to do the full days just because it lets you bite off more.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
When I talked to Jim Remsik yesterday, he described how Madison Ruby tries to incorporate the local flavor of Madison into the conference. Is that something that has affected Mad Railers—that Madison has its own unique culture?
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
It certainly does. We don't talk about it much at Mad Railers—because we're all in Madison, so the fish doesn't talk about the sea. But Jim and Jen are very focused on that and exposing technologists to what is wonderful about Madison.
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
The Madisonites who participate love it because it opens our eyes to things we hadn't been thinking about. The other thing that's really awesome about Jim's conferences is how they bring in master craftspeople from other crafts—people who are not programmers or designers—to talk about their passion. It seems like the favorite talks are generally not about Ruby on Rails.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Jumping back to the hands-on sessions—you said you like to do them during the day. How do you work that with people's schedules? Most groups meet at night.
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
What I do is just say, 'Hey, I've got the energy to spend a Saturday to host an open hack day.' I post it, and anyone who can make it is welcome. It's something above and beyond the regular meetings. I also want to have a workshop where I can pitch an internal conference model, something we did at Bendyworks. It's a low-pressure way for friends to start speaking.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Yeah, early GeekFest was like that. User groups provide a safe environment where, once you've established a presence, it's not as scary as standing in front of 100-plus strangers at a major conference.
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
Exactly.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
We mentioned earlier about Bendyworks having an interesting relationship with competitors. You showed me your laptop with stickers from half a dozen 'competitors'.
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
Well, it's part of the joy in what we do. We're participants in a community that's so friendly and supportive. We're experiencing a market with enough demand that most of the time, our problem is: 'Who can I trust to refer a client I can't help right now?' rather than scratch and clawing to land the next gig. It's a wonderful spot to be in, and it's fun to talk to other shop owners and swap stories.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Have you ever hired someone you met through the user group?
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
Oh, yeah. Bendyworks itself sprung into existence as a side effect of supporting the user group. I started helping the group and teaching Rails without ever thinking it would become a company. It's also been our main source of employees—support the community, help people grow skills, and every now and then someone stands out who we want as part of our group.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
It's a very synergistic ecosystem: you build the framework for people to learn and grow, you grow yourself, you start a company, and then you hire from that same community.
Stephen Anderson
Founder of Mad Railers and Co-founder of Bendyworks
Exactly.
Critical Insights
durable
"The 'Madison Ruby' culture was unique in 2012 for its focus on cross-disciplinary craftsmanship, inviting master craftspeople from non-technical fields to inspire software developers."
durable
"User groups function as low-pressure 'incubators' for technical speakers, providing a safe space to practice before moving to major conference stages."
time bound
"The 'abundance mindset' in the 2012 Ruby consulting market allowed for high levels of cooperation and client referrals between perceived competitors."
durable
"Community-driven hiring (recruiting from user groups) ensures a cultural and technical fit, as candidates are already engaged in the 'support and grow' values of the group."
durable
"The transition from a 'book club' to a 'user group' to a 'software company' (Bendyworks) demonstrates how community service can inadvertently act as the foundation for a successful business model."