Blake Hall Community Manager

Hi CUG Leaders! Some members of your Community User Group may know Jira inside out, while others are just beginning to explore Confluence or another Atlassian product. That range of experience is an opportunity: the people already putting a product to work can help their peers learn faster, solve real problems, and feel…

Hi CUG Leaders! Leading a Community User Group can be rewarding, but planning events, welcoming members, and keeping conversations going can also add up. A sustainable CUG does not depend on you being available all the time. It grows when the cadence fits your capacity and the work is shared. This Weekly Wonder is about…

Hi CUG Leaders! Coming up with fresh, relevant topics for every Community User Group gathering can be harder than it looks. Even the most engaged leadership teams eventually run into the same question: what should we talk about next? The good news is that your members are often the best source of ideas. They know what they…

Hi CUG Leaders! Your community does not have to build every event alone. Co-hosting with internal communities such as Women in Tech, employee resource groups (ERGs), and company-approved external business communities, can create richer experiences, introduce members to new perspectives, and make your CUG a more connected…

Hi CUG Leaders! We're gonna keep this week's edition short and sweet with a focus on lightweight gamification in your CUG groups. How can you make your community gatherings more energetic, memorable, and motivating? Incorporating gamification can help turn participation into a shared experience - not by making every…

Hi CUG Leaders! Have you ever had low turnout at one of your CUG sessions and wondered how to turn things around? Thankfully, a small turnout does not have to mean a wasted meeting; with a little flexibility, you can still create a useful conversation, respect the people who made time to attend, and keep the wider…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week’s Weekly Wonder explores how rotating meeting slots can help global teams collaborate more fairly across time zones. When the inconvenience of early mornings or late evenings is shared intentionally, more members can participate, decisions can include broader perspectives, and no single region is…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week’s Weekly Wonder explores how integrations can connect Atlassian tools with the other software your communities already use. When information and workflows move smoothly between systems, members spend less time copying updates, switching tabs, and searching for context, and more time collaborating,…

It’s easy not to know where to start when you’re building a CUG wiki, especially when knowledge is spread across pages, chats, documents, and people’s memories. We’ll walk you through it step by step so you can create one organized, useful home for your community. A CUG wiki can become the place members go to find answers,…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week’s Weekly Wonder is about measuring whether your community is helping members get more value from Atlassian tools. For many CUG leaders, the big question is not just “Did people attend?” but “Did this experience help teams adopt better practices, use their licenses more effectively, and expand…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week’s Weekly Wonder is about one of the most important (and sometimes most uncomfortable) parts of community leadership: managing tough questions. When members raise pain points, product gaps, frustrations, or unmet needs, the moment can feel tense. But with the right facilitation approach, those…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re looking at how to design role-based learning tracks that meet members where they are. A single CUG agenda can be helpful, but your admins, power users, and new users often arrive with very different goals, questions, and levels of confidence. By shaping intentional journeys for each group,…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re exploring how you can strengthen your community by intentionally building rituals and traditions - shared moments that members recognize, look forward to, and feel proud to be part of. From CUG Awards to Annual Summits to a recurring “State of the CUG,” these traditions can turn a helpful…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re exploring how to make CUG participation more flexible, inclusive, and sustainable through async engagement using Confluence and Jira. Not every valuable community interaction needs to happen in a live meeting. Members may be in different time zones, balancing customer work, managing packed…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re continuing our conversation about expanding the value and reach of your CUG - this time through the lens of security and compliance conversations and how to partner effectively with governance stakeholders. Last week’s article focused on partnering with different teams across the…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re spotlighting an opportunity to broaden the way your community talks about Atlassian tools: non-technical use cases across HR, Marketing, Legal, and Finance. Many CUG conversations naturally center on software teams, IT service management, engineering workflows, and admin best practices.…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re exploring a practice that can strengthen trust, accelerate learning, and make your CUG feel even more valuable: “Show and Fail” sessions, where members share missteps, lessons learned, and what they would do differently next time. It can be tempting to fill community meetings with only…

Hi CUG leaders! This week, we're diving into a topic that can elevate both your CUG's impact and your organization's confidence in Atlassian tooling: showcasing automation wins through before-and-after stories from your group. Automation can be a powerful time-saving tool, eliminating repetitive tasks, reducing human…

Hi CUG Leaders, This week, we're exploring one of the most strategic ways your Company User Group can add value to your organization: using your CUG as a pilot group for new Atlassian features before they roll out more broadly. Whether it's an Early Access Program, an open Beta, or a newly released capability, your CUG is…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week, we’re revisiting a classic concept rather than diving into an advanced format or facilitation tactic: the humble CUG wiki. It may not sound flashy, but a well-built Confluence home base can quietly become one of the most valuable assets your community has. When members know exactly where to find…

Hi CUG Leaders! One of the most powerful formats you can run in a CUG is a "Day in the Life" session, where a real person walks through how they actually use Atlassian tools in the course of their daily work. Not a polished product demo or training exercise, but a genuine peek behind the curtain at how someone plans their…

Hi CUG Leaders! Imagine you've pulled off a great event: strong attendance, lively discussion, real value delivered. But then what? Too often, a successful one-off session becomes a fond memory rather than a foundation for something bigger. The real magic happens when you turn that single spark into a sustained flame: a…

Hi CUG Leaders! Every group you bring together contains a mix of learners: folks who want to see the big picture visually, others who only “get it” once they’ve clicked through a workflow themselves, and those who learn best by talking it out with peers. If your CUG events lean too heavily on slides and one-way demos,…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week we’re diving into how to design themed playlists that make it easier for members to find the right content at the right time. Curated series for Admins, Project Managers, and Dev Teams can turn scattered sessions into digestible learning paths, boost repeat attendance, and help members ramp up. 1)…

Hi CUG Leaders! This week we’re exploring how to build a brand for your Company User Group that members recognize, trust, and champion. A clear brand anchored in positioning, sharpened by voice, and made visible through consistent visuals helps your CUG stand out in crowded internal channels and signals professionalism to…

Hi CUG members, Your user group is doing real work: helping teams adopt Atlassian tools, sharing best practices, and unblocking problems that slow people down. But if executives only see “we held three meetings,” they’ll miss the real impact. An executive summary is your chance to translate CUG activity into business…

Hi CUG Leaders! It’s time to talk about how your group aligns with the your org's goals. While past articles focused on building relationships with business leaders and business integration, this article goes further with a focus on OKRs that ladder up to bigger business goals. (What’s with all the business articles…

As a Company User Group (CUG) leader, you don’t just run meetings - you’re building a community that should be able to thrive even when you’re on vacation, in back-to-back releases, or changing roles. A strong “leadership bench” is what turns your CUG from a one-person effort into a resilient, shared initiative that can…

As a Company User Group (CUG) leader, you’re close enough to everyday tooling challenges to see what’s working and what isn’t. But to get the time, visibility, and resources your CUG deserves, you need more than enthusiasm from peers. You need an executive sponsor who understands that your group isn’t “just another…

Hey all, we have a short, sweet and to-the-point article for you today! As you know, building a Company User Group in your organization isn’t just about community; instead, it’s a proven strategy for driving adoption, improving governance, and unlocking the full value of Atlassian tools. By positioning your CUG as a…