Working in the IT industry is a lot of fun and incredibly rewarding. But it does have its challenging times.
One of the challenges that IT and MSP professionals face, especially those who are just starting their career in the industry is: how can they learn more about this field? How can they be part of a community where they can ask questions or contribute answers to others also working in the same area? What are some good communities for IT professionals to join?
Luckily, there are quite a few online social communities that IT and MSP professionals can join. Some of these communities are general tech communities while others are specific to the IT and MSP industry.
Why Join An IT Online Social Community?
Being a part of a community of IT professionals has a lot of benefits. Here are some reasons why it’s great for IT and MSP professionals to join online social communities:
1. You can learn from your peers
One of the best ways to learn is by talking to those who are more experienced than you. In online social communities, you’ll have access to a pool of IT and MSP professionals who you can ask for advice. They’re an invaluable source of knowledge.
It’s always great when you find a group of people who share the same interests as you, especially when it comes to your career. Participating in online social communities for IT professionals gives you the opportunity to connect with others who share your passion for technology.
3. You can stay up-to-date on the latest industry news and trends
One of the benefits of being part of an online social community is that you get access to the latest news and trends in the IT industry. You can even share your own knowledge or learn directly from others by participating in discussions to discuss trending topics, news, and more. Communication through online social communities is one of the best ways to stay updated when it comes to what’s happening in the IT industry.
4. You can find potential job opportunities within these communities
Whether you’re looking for a new position or you need to recruit potential employees, online social communities for IT professionals are great places where you might be able to find the people that you need. Sharing your work experience and your current job role can serve as a way to let other members know what it is that you do and what type of skills or knowledge they can expect if they were to work with you or for your organization.
5. Overcome hurdles in your career or business
Online social communities may not be able to help you overcome all of your challenges in your career or business, but connecting with others that have gone through the same thing as you is a good way to understand the other side of the issue. In online social community for IT professionals, you can read about what other people have done when they faced similar problems. This can help you find a solution or give you an idea on how to approach the situation.
One of the best things about online social communities is that you’re not limited to talking about just your profession. You can share other interests that you have outside of work. This can help you get to know others in the community better and help build relationships that could be beneficial to you in the future.
Joining online social communities for IT and MSP professionals is a great way for you to connect with other people who share the same interest as you. These communities help create an environment where you can learn from others, find opportunities, be part of a community that shares your interests, and discover solutions to problems that might arise in your career or business.
Online Social Communities for IT and MSP Professionals
IT Business Owners Group
This group offers its members a member directory, Google maps, vendor discount guide, and educational resources on their website.
This group has a dedicated website that you can visit at itbog.org. This business owners group has been helping IT business owners to collaborate and interact with each other since 2015.
You can easily join their group through Facebook or you can sign up through their website without hidden fees. They also have membership, vendor, and sponsor benefits which you can read more about on their website.
Check out IT Business Owners Group »
IT/MSP Entrepreneurs
As the name implies, this group is a great place for IT/MSP entrepreneurs to connect with each other. This is a place where they can also share valuable resources, advice, and questions regarding business, marketing, tools, and sales.
One of the best things about this group is that they’re sponsored by N-Able.
And for those who aren’t familiar, N-Able empowers Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT solutions providers with a flexible technology platform to drive their business and be more equipped to help SMEs to navigate the digital evolution.
Check out IT/MSP Entrepreneurs »
Discord
MSPs R Us
Discord is a great place for gamers, but it also has a lot of professional communities that are worth checking out. One of them is MSPs R Us which is a dedicated discord server for MSP professionals and business owners. They have more than 3500+ members so it’s a very active community.
This group touches a variety of topics within their server that helps MSPs grow their business. Some of the topics that they discuss are:
- Events
- Certificates and Education
- Documentation
- Business Operations
- Law Compliance
- Sales and Marketing
- Software Tools (PSA, RMM, Cloud, Automation, etc)
They also have a dedicated subreddit that you can find at reddit.com/r/msp/
Subreddits
Reddit is like the front page of the internet. It’s a site where you can find almost anything that interests you, and there are communities for just about any topic imaginable.
You could also find many subreddits that talks about everything related to IT and MSP profession or business. Some examples would be:
- r/MSP – A dedicated subreddit for Managed Service Providers where they discuss a variety of topics related to MSP business. This subreddit is closely tied to MSP R Us which is a discord server for MSP professionals.
- r/SysAdmin – This subreddit has more than 600k followers and discusses anything related to system administration. Even though they’re mainly talking about IT, you could still find some topics that apply to MSPs.
- r/Office365
- r/Powershell
- r/Networking
Slack Groups
Slack is a group messaging app that allows you to communicate in real time with your connections or communities. You can create public channels and private channels for specific groups, projects, etc. so you can interact and collaborate with your fellow ONTAP members in different ways.
Here are some examples:
Forums
Forums are a great way to interact with your fellow professionals and learn from their experiences. One of the best forum communities for IT and MSP professionals are the following:
Conclusion
As you can see, there are so many communities for IT and MSP professionals to join that allows them to interact with their colleagues in this industry. This practice is a great way to learn from each other, share valuable information, and network with your peers in the industry.
As an IT professional it’s highly recommended that you be a member in at least one online social community that’s dedicated to the IT and MSP industry. Doing so will help you stay up-to-date with the latest industry news, tools, and trends.
