Editing Community management (section)

==Shared information resources==
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{{see also|Online community manager}}
Developing [[open source|open-source]] software or other [[collaborative]] projects such as [[Wikipedia]] generally requires some form of community management, whether it involves [[leadership]] or [[egalitarianism]]. Unlike as is the case with physical resources, the sharing of information does not necessarily deplete the resource. Nonetheless, proper management may be necessary to encourage a [[network effect]], where collaborative use actually enriches the resource, and to avoid conflict.

More generally, community management designates the activity of maintaining communication, motivation, efficiency, and engagement among a group of remote individuals often only linked together by the Internet. Typically, it will contribute to the success of an open-source initiative by keeping forums alive with information, questions, and challenges, by organizing real-life events for [[virtual communities]], or by organizing contests or [[hackathon]]s to focus all efforts on a common goal. It may also be used to improve motivation and [[synergy]] in a large organization (such as a company or a public organization) by creating a sense of belonging and ensuring that members are aware of each other's work. Community management requires human skills (a community manager) and the use of tools (e.g., social networks, instant messaging, resource sharing, etc.).