A Curated List of the Best 30 Automation Communities and Forums There Are
Automation is gaining momentum.
You can see this in the increased media coverage of the topic (warning: paywalled content), in recent investments made by venture capital firms, and also in the features many SaaS products introduce every other day.
But most importantly, it shows in online conversations happening across social media, blogs, and comment sections. The topic of automation is out there, and people are talking. Despite all this -- and in a curious turn of events -- it can be hard to find the right community to discuss automation.
Sure, there are quite a few automation communities and forums, but this is a problem of accessibility rather than one of supply. As it happens, the hard part is searching and landing on the communities that address the type of automation we are interested in.
This happens because there are many different types of automation, and also because “automation” is a catch-all word. As a result, the term can mean very different things for different people, which turns the task of searching for communities into a haphazard task.
Well, until now.
In an effort to make things easier for all the curious minds out there, I spent some time researching all kinds of automation communities. I checked topics and subtopics, activity levels, and conversations, among other things. The result? A curated list of the best 30 automation communities and forums.
Enjoy!
1. Workflow automation communities
Here you will find communities that are focused on topics and conversations about workflow automation, business process automation, and robotic process automation. While there are differences between the three, they tend to deal with problems of similar nature.
No Code Founders
NCF is a community of founders, builders, and entrepreneurs that use no-code tools to improve workflows and build products and businesses.
Number of members: 1,600+
Posts per day: 10+
Activity level: Medium
Link to site: No Code Founders.
NuCode
Similar to NCF in spirit, but organized around a message board instead of Slack channels. NuCode conversations tend to be more focused and short, and often revolve around no-code tools, problems, and solutions.
Number of members: 200+
Posts per day: 1-2
Activity level: Low
Link to site: NuCode.
LinkedIn Group - Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
The RPA LinkedIn group invites automators to share their experience and concepts regarding their work. However, the quality of posts tends to vary a lot, and both conversations and other types of interactions are rare.
Number of members: 39,000+
Posts per day: 10-12
Activity level: Very low
Link to site: Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
Facebook Group - Robotic Process Automation
This Facebook community is the largest and most active one dealing with the topic of Robotic Process Automation. The quality of posts can vary, but Facebook users might find convenient to get updates about automation straight in their feeds.
Number of members: 10,000+
Posts per day: 15
Activity level: Medium
Link to site: RPA Live.
LinkedIn Group - Marketing Automation Experts
The marketing industry has been an early adopter of workflow automation tools. It is not uncommon to see marketing professionals automate tasks related to email marketing, lead nurturing, and campaign management.
Number of members: 18,000+
Posts per day:
Activity level: Medium
Link to site: Marketing Automation Experts.
Reddit - Automated Marketing
Reddit is home to a handful of automation communities, and I will address most of them in this post.
When it comes to workflow automation, r/AutomatedMarketing is the most specific one. However, given the low activity level of the community, many users prefer to post their questions in other automation forums.
The upside is that the community offers a no-frills approach to marketing automation, and posts tend to be of good quality.
Number of members: 1,600+
Posts per day: Less than 1
Activity level: Very low
Link to site: r/AutomatedMarketing.
General automation communities
The communities and forums below offer a broad approach to the topic of automation. In them, you will find all sorts of posts and conversations about software and hardware, as well as more philosophical discussions on topics like the future of work and artificial intelligence.
Reddit - The Future is Automation
This Reddit community provides a broad glimpse on all-things automation, from robotics to machine learning and software products. A great place to see a wide array of automation examples, along with links, resources, and news.
Number of members: 35,000+
Posts per day: 3-4
Activity level: Low
Link to site: r/Automate.
Reddit - Automation
A nice community featuring a more technical approach to the topic. Expect news and links, but also tutorials, questions, and the occasional use case.
Number of members: 6,500
Posts per day: 2-3
Activity level: Low
Link to site: r/automation.
Automators
A spin-off of the homonymous podcast, Automators grew as a great automation community in its own right, featuring 13 message boards with specific orientations. Conversations are mostly technical, and little automation gems -- advice, applications, and ideas - are easy to find.
Number of members: 2,700+
Posts per day: 6-7
Activity level: Medium
Link to site: Automators.
3. Product-specific automation communities
Here you will find the communities surrounding some of the most popular products that developers use to automate tasks, processes, workflows. Read on!
Make Community
I work for Make, but subjectivities aside, the community is incredible. Users will easily engage in conversation to help solve problems or give advice about specific workflows and situations. A lovable, and loving crowd.
Number of members: 4,500+
Posts per day: 15-18
Activity level: High
Link to site: Make Official Community.
Reddit - Shortcuts
The subreddit dedicated to the iOS app of the same name is extremely popular and informative. I have been following this community for a while, and it still impresses me what Shortcuts users do with the app.
Number of members: 130,000+
Posts per day: 25-30
Activity level: High
Link to site: r/shortcuts.
IBM - Digital Business Automation User Community
The IBM automation community is almost dormant, which is strange for a company of that size. However, users might find useful resources in it, as well as a channel to post technical questions about IBM’s automation products.
Number of members: unknown
Posts per day: Less than 1
Activity level: Very low
Link to site: Digital Business Automation User Community.
Airtable Community
While not exactly an automation tool, Airtable is part of countless automated workflows. This said, the Airtable community is plain fantastic: it will help you solve problems, answer your questions, bounce your ideas, and more. If you have an Airtable-related question, comment, or idea, this community will welcome you with open arms.
Number of members: 26,000+
Posts per day: 40
Activity level: Very high
Link to site: Airtable Community.
Bubble Community
In a similar manner to Airtable, Bubble is a popular no-code web app builder, and users are no strangers to automating processes.
Number of members: 22,000+
Posts per day: 90-100
Activity level: Very high
Link to site: Bubble Forum.
PowerShell Community
IT pros that use PowerShell to automate have many online communities and forums, but the best one is, hands down, the Reddit one. It is also the most numerous and active, which is important for users that wish fast answers to their questions and doubts.
Number of members: 129,000
Posts per day: 15-20
Activity level: High
Link to site: r/PowerShell.
UiPath Community
The popular RPA tool has a Slack channel, and also a very active forum where users can learn, share, ask, and get answers.
Number of members: 67,000+
Posts per day: 500+
Activity level: Overwhelmingly high
Link to site: UiPath Community Forum.
SAP RPA Community
SAP’s automation suite has its own little community, which is focused on addressing technical issues and situations. It may not feature in-depth conversations about general automation topics, but is nonetheless a useful platform for SAP users searching for answers.
Number of members: 226
Posts per day: 4-5
Activity level: Low
Link to site: SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation.
Bonus Mentions
4. Home automation communities
I must say that I’m way out of my comfort zone when it comes to home automation, but here are some communities that might be worth checking out if you are interested in the topic:
Reddit - Home Automation (612,000 members)
Reddit - Smart Home (62,000 members)
Hackster - Home Automation (2,000+ members)
SmartThings (80,000+ members)
Smarthome Forum (10,000+ members)
5. Industrial automation communities
By far, the less community-oriented field within automation, but here’s what I could find:
Reddit - Programmable Logic Controllers (19,000 members)
Slack Channel - Electronics for All (640 members)
6. Other communities where the topic of automation is addressed
There are four communities that can’t be left out of this post. First, because they are über-popular among developers, but also because they actually feature relevant information and conversations about automation. These are:
These may not offer the granularity other communities do, but still stand out as go-to places whenever you want to learn or ask something about automation.
Reader suggestions
This section contains suggestions made by readers, which I thoroughly welcome. The post will be updated each time a good suggestion comes my way.
Makerpad Community: a nice, active community for those who are learning to automate using no-code tools.
Xero Mastermind Group: an incredibly helpful community of Xero power users. If Xero automation is your thing, this community will not disappoint!
Conclusion
Like many others, I expect the topic of automation to keep gaining relevance in the coming months, particularly once companies and organizations overcome the current COVID-19 situation.
In the meantime, this can be a good opportunity to take a deeper look at the many interesting conversations that are happening within the aforementioned communities. Moreover, I think it is important to think about the role automation will play once the world economies get back on their feet. For that to happen, it is vital to be part of the conversation.
To conclude, if you happen to know about other communities that I might have overlooked, please let me know and I’ll be happy to update the article with your suggestions.
Thank you, and happy automating!
