sarah
dopp

I've been building websites, blogs, and web community spaces since 1997. These days, I focus most on the strategies, structures, and management plans of online communities.

I'm the one you call when you're ready to...

• Plan and build a new community site for your growing base of customers, audience members, or supporters.
• Find ways to increase engagement and improve the user experience of your existing online community.
• Set up new tools and workflows for supporting your community members.
• Implement a shift in your community's culture.
• Find and train employees, volunteers, or power users to help keep your community supported and healthy.
• Oversee web development projects that will impact your online community's space and experience.

My background

I've been a self-employed web professional since 2004. I'm well-adjusted to the hats of Project Manager, Front-End Developer (HTML/CSS), Technical Writer, and Community Development Consultant.

My clients have included Riverbed, Wikia, BlogHer, Cisco, Chevron, Jiffy Lube, Hyperion, and Seton Pediatric Hospital, among others. I've worked in the branding industry as a consultant under Interbrand, Bedrock Brands, and Percepticon, and in the social media marketing industry as a consultant under Cerado. I've also done a lot of work as a solo consultant. My full list of past client projects is here.

Also, just to be clear...

• While I do have a background in web development and am good at setting things up, I'm not a system programmer.  If you need a complex community site built or configured from scratch, I can work with the team that's building it, but that team isn't me.
• I help structure existing community momentum -- I don't make eager fans appear out of nowhere. Building a community from scratch requires a mix of marketing and community management, and I'm only the second half of that equation.
• I'm a tech professional in Silicon Valley. Hiring me as a consultant is a bit like budgeting for a new employee... just... minus the health insurance, taxes, and layoff drama.

I've love to hear about what you're working on. Thanks for being interested in what I do!

I believe that gender and sexuality are complicated, messy, fascinating, and beautiful.

I believe they are uniquely configured for each person, and that when we simplify them down to two options, we end up making perfectly healthy people feel like there must be something wrong with them.

By respectfully sharing our own unique experiences with gender and sexuality, and by creating opportunities for others to do the same, I believe we work to break down the black and white thinking that is causing this harm.

Here's what I do to help:

Gender

In 2007, I created Genderfork.com as a photo blog depicting different forms of androgyny. Since then, it has grown into a thriving community expression project -- representing a wide variety of gender variance and nonconformity -- and is managed by a 15-person volunteer staff. It's been most successful as a welcoming "coming out" space that shares the simple message, "However you are is wonderful."

In 2012, I launched Genderplayful.com, a clothing marketplace that celebrates diversity in gender presentation and body types. It aims to organize resources in the gender-variant community to collaboratively (for each individual) solve the problem, "How can we dress in ways that feel amazing, with clothes that actually fit our bodies?" The project kicked off with a community fundraiser, it required a year and a half of volunteer development, and it's still in its early stages of community growth.

I've also volunteered for the Gender Spectrum Family Conference since 2010. This is a weekend conference for parents and educators of gender nonconforming kids and teens, which also includes programs for the kids and teens themselves (and their siblings). I assist with their "Kids Camp" for children ages 4-9.

Sexuality

From 2008 to 2011, I co-hosted San Francisco's Queer Open Mic, a monthly performance venue that's open to anyone, and supports a wide range of identities.

In 2010, I hosted Deviants Online, a social media workshop series for the unique needs of the sex positive community.

Since early 2011, I've been a regular performer at Bawdy Storytelling, sharing my own awkward/complicated/beautiful stories of sexual exploration on stage.

In 2012, I launched Sex & Jets as a collaboration with my partner, Kyle. We're using it to educate people on our two respective passions -- sex positive culture and creative travel planning -- by sharing our own experiences.