Every Sunday at 9 PM, like clockwork, the question appears in our design community Slack:
“Does anyone have good resources for learning Figma?”
And every Sunday, someone types out the same three links. Someone else adds two more. A third person says “I had a great article about this but can’t find it.” The conversation gets buried under Monday’s messages. Next Sunday, someone asks the same question again.
After the fifth time watching this happen, I got frustrated enough to create a Google Doc. “Figma Learning Resources - Community Curated!” I pinned it to the channel. Problem solved, right?
Wrong. Within two weeks, the doc was a mess. People added links with no context. The formatting was inconsistent. Someone accidentally deleted a section. Most people didn’t even know it existed because pinned messages get lost in active channels.
That’s when I realized: sharing resources isn’t about having them in one place. It’s about making them discoverable, maintainable, and genuinely useful to the people you want to help.
If you’re a community manager, teacher, team lead, or just someone who loves sharing knowledge, you’ve probably faced this problem. You have great resources. Your community needs them. But the tools we use for sharing (Google Docs, Notion pages, Slack messages, email threads) weren’t built for resource curation.
Let me show you how to create link boards that people actually use, reference repeatedly, and feel grateful for.
Why Traditional Resource Sharing Falls Apart#
Before we talk about what works, let’s understand why most resource sharing attempts fail.
The Google Doc Problem#
Google Docs are everyone’s first instinct for shared resources. They’re free, collaborative, and everyone knows how to use them. They’re also terrible for link curation.
Links in docs are just blue text. No visual preview, no context unless someone writes it, no way to see what’s worth clicking without reading every description. The doc becomes a wall of text that nobody wants to read.
Plus, collaborative editing means formatting chaos. Someone uses bold. Someone else uses headers inconsistently. A third person adds Comic Sans “for fun.” The doc deteriorates from “organized resource” to “link dump” in weeks.
The Notion Page Limitation#
Notion is better. You can create databases with previews, tags, and structure. But there’s a catch: friction.
Creating a Notion page requires setup. Sharing requires permissions management. Contributing requires understanding Notion. For many communities, that barrier is too high.
I’ve seen beautiful Notion resource pages that only the creator ever updates because everyone else finds it too complicated to add anything.
The Slack/Discord Message Issue#
Sharing links in community channels feels natural. It’s where the conversation is happening. But channels are designed for conversation, not reference.
Messages get buried. Search is unreliable. New members can’t find resources shared before they joined. You end up answering the same questions with the same links forever.
The Email Newsletter Challenge#
Some people curate resources via newsletters. This works for one-way sharing but fails for community building.
There’s no central place to browse all past resources. No easy way for community members to contribute. No mechanism for discussion or feedback. It’s broadcast, not collaboration.
The Broken Link Tragedy#
Regardless of platform, links die. The article gets taken down. The site goes offline. Someone changes their URL structure. Your carefully curated resource becomes useless, and nobody notices until someone complains.
What communities need is something visual (so people actually browse it), collaborative (so many people can contribute), maintainable (so dead links get caught), and accessible (so sharing is trivial).
What Makes a Great Shareable Link Board#
Before building anything, understand what actually works:
Visual Discovery Over Text Lists#
People browse visually. They don’t want to read 50 link titles to find what interests them. They want to scan preview images and recognize topics at a glance.
Think about how much easier it is to find a YouTube video in your recommendations versus searching through a text list of titles. Visual recognition is faster than text processing.
Clear Organization Without Complexity#
Your link board needs structure, but not so much that contributing becomes complicated. Categories should be obvious. Tags should be minimal. The organizational system should feel intuitive, not like homework.
If someone has to read a style guide to add a link, they won’t add links.
Valuable Context, Not Just URLs#
A URL alone tells you almost nothing. What’s the resource about? Who is it for? What makes it valuable? Is it beginner-friendly or advanced?
Great link boards include this context for every resource. Not paragraph-long reviews, just 1-2 sentences that help people decide if it’s relevant to them.
Easy Contributing and Collaboration#
The best resource collections are community-maintained, not individually curated. But collaboration only works if contributing is frictionless.
People should be able to add resources without special permissions, understanding complex tools, or breaking existing formatting.
Shareable at Multiple Levels#
Sometimes you want to share the entire collection. Sometimes just one category. Sometimes a single specific resource.
Good link boards are shareable at all these levels. One URL for everything, different URLs for subsets, direct links to individual resources.
Built-In Social Proof#
When resources are community-curated, surfacing what’s popular or frequently referenced adds value. If 20 people have found a tutorial helpful, that’s signal for the 21st person.
Likes, saves, comments, or view counts provide this social proof.
Step 1: Choose the Right Platform for Your Link Board#
Different communities have different needs. Here’s how to choose:
For Visual Browsing and Community Curation#
This is exactly why I built Stashed.in. Traditional tools weren’t designed for link curation, so I created something that was.
On Stashed.in, you create a “stash” (essentially a link board) with a header image that visually identifies the topic. Each link you add shows a preview card with an image, title, and description. The result looks like a Pinterest board but works for any type of link.
Perfect for:
- Design communities sharing inspiration
- Developer groups curating tools and tutorials
- Learning communities building resource libraries
- Any group where visual browsing matters
Key features:
- Visual organization with preview cards
- Easy collaboration (share the stash, people add links)
- Privacy controls (public, private, or password-protected)
- Tags and descriptions for each link
- Shareable via one URL
The visual aspect makes people actually want to browse your collection instead of treating it like a chore.
For Technical Communities Needing Rich Features#
If your community is technical and comfortable with databases, Notion or Airtable work well.
Create a database with fields for URL, title, description, category, difficulty level, and whatever else matters. Use gallery view for visual browsing, table view for detailed lists.
Perfect for:
- Technical communities that live in Notion anyway
- Groups needing custom fields or complex filtering
- Teams that want to integrate with other Notion workspaces
Limitations:
- Steeper learning curve for contributors
- Requires Notion accounts for full access
- Can feel overwhelming for simple needs
For Education-Focused Sharing#
If you’re teaching and want to provide structured learning paths, Padlet or Wakelet work well.
Both are designed for education with features like commenting, multimedia embedding, and student-friendly interfaces.
Perfect for:
- Teachers creating resource libraries for students
- Online courses providing supplementary materials
- Workshop facilitators sharing follow-up resources
Limitations:
- Less flexible than general-purpose tools
- Often require paid accounts for full features
- Not designed for long-term community curation
For Simple, No-Fuss Sharing#
Sometimes you just need a quick, simple link collection without any setup. Linktree-style tools or simple website builders work here.
Perfect for:
- One-time resource sharing
- Individual creators sharing their favorite tools
- Small groups that don’t need collaboration
Limitations:
- Usually just text lists, not visually engaging
- Limited organizational options
- Not built for community collaboration
Step 2: Structure Your Link Board for Maximum Value#
Once you’ve chosen a platform, thoughtful structure makes or breaks the experience.
Start with Clear Categories#
Don’t dump everything into one giant list. Create 5-10 top-level categories that match how your community thinks about resources.
For a web development community:
- Getting Started
- HTML & CSS
- JavaScript Fundamentals
- Frameworks & Libraries
- Tools & Workflow
- Design Resources
- Career Development
For a productivity community:
- Time Management
- Task Management Apps
- Note-Taking Systems
- Focus & Deep Work
- Digital Organization
- Habit Building
Categories should be mutually exclusive enough that people know where to look, but don’t agonize over perfect categorization. Some overlap is fine.
Use Tags for Cross-Cutting Themes#
Categories organize by topic. Tags organize by attributes that span topics.
Common useful tags:
- Type: article, video, tool, course, book
- Level: beginner, intermediate, advanced
- Format: free, paid, subscription
- Length: quick-read, long-form, comprehensive
Tags let people filter across categories. “Show me all beginner-friendly free resources” works regardless of topic.
Create a Clear Header and Description#
Your link board needs a clear introduction that explains:
- What resources are included
- Who they’re for
- How they’re organized
- How people can contribute
This orientation helps new visitors understand what they’re looking at immediately.
Include Quality Guidelines#
If your board is community-curated, establish basic quality standards:
- Resources should be relevant to the community’s focus
- Links must work (no dead links)
- Each resource needs a clear description
- Spam and self-promotion without value aren’t allowed
You don’t need a lengthy rulebook, just clear expectations.
Feature Top Resources#
Not all resources are equal. Create a “Start Here” or “Essential Resources” section highlighting the absolute best items for newcomers.
This prevents new community members from being overwhelmed by 100+ links when they just need the top 5.
Step 3: Populate Your Board with High-Value Content#
An empty link board doesn’t help anyone. Here’s how to build initial momentum:
Seed with Your Best 20-30 Resources#
Don’t try to add everything at once. Start with the resources you personally recommend most often. The ones that are genuinely useful, not just everything you’ve ever bookmarked.
Quality over quantity. 20 excellent resources beat 100 mediocre ones.
Add Rich Context for Each Link#
For every resource, include:
- Clear title: Descriptive, not just the page title
- Brief description: What it covers and why it’s valuable (2-3 sentences max)
- Relevant tags: Type, difficulty, format
- Any caveats: “Great overview but outdated on React hooks” or “Paywall after 3 free articles”
This context is what makes a curated collection valuable versus a raw link dump.
Include Diverse Resource Types#
Mix articles, videos, tools, courses, books, and community discussions. People learn differently. Some prefer reading, others watching, others hands-on tools.
Variety makes your board useful to more people.
Organize Visually When Possible#
If your platform supports it (like Stashed.in does), use visual organization. Choose header images that clearly represent each category. Ensure link previews load properly so people can browse visually.
The difference between a wall of blue links and a visual grid is the difference between feeling like work and feeling like discovery.
Add Yourself as the First Contributor#
Include a few resources with notes like “This tutorial helped me finally understand closures” or “I use this tool daily for design work.”
Personal endorsements make resources feel trustworthy rather than algorithmically generated.
Step 4: Make Contributing Easy for Your Community#
The best link boards are living documents that the community maintains together. Here’s how to enable that:
Provide Clear Contributing Instructions#
Create a simple guide:
- Find a valuable resource you want to share
- Add it to the appropriate category
- Include a clear title and 1-2 sentence description
- Add relevant tags
- That’s it!
Make the process feel easy, not bureaucratic.
Lower the Barrier to Entry#
Different platforms have different friction levels for contributing:
On Stashed.in, once someone has access to a stash (via sharing settings), they can add links directly through a simple form. No account required if the stash is public or password-protected.
On Notion, they need a Notion account and appropriate permissions.
On Google Docs, they need edit access but then can accidentally break formatting.
Choose a platform where contributing is easy for your specific community.
Create Contribution Guidelines, Not Rules#
Instead of rigid rules, provide guidelines:
- “Share resources you’ve personally found valuable”
- “Include context so others understand why it’s useful”
- “Check if it’s already listed before adding”
- “Feel free to improve existing descriptions”
Guidelines encourage participation. Rules discourage it.
Celebrate Contributors#
When someone adds a great resource, acknowledge it. In community channels, thank them by name. This reinforces that contributing is valued.
Public recognition encourages others to contribute too.
Moderate Lightly#
You’ll occasionally need to remove spam, fix broken links, or reorganize as the collection grows. Do this maintenance work quietly without making a big deal of it.
Heavy-handed moderation makes people nervous about contributing. Light-touch curation keeps quality high without intimidating contributors.
Step 5: Share Your Link Board Effectively#
You’ve built something valuable. Now make sure your community can find and use it.
Create a Memorable, Easy-to-Share URL#
If possible, use a custom URL or short link: community.name/resources or bit.ly/community-resources
Memorability matters. “Check out our resource board at stashed.in/[yourcommunity]” is easier than a random Notion URL string.
Pin It Everywhere#
- Pin in Slack/Discord channels
- Add to community welcome messages
- Include in email signatures
- Link from your main website
- Add to social media bios
The board should be impossible to miss.
Share Specific Resources, Not Just the Board#
When answering questions in your community, link directly to specific resources from your board rather than just saying “check the resource board.”
This drives traffic to the board while being immediately helpful. People discover the full collection through specific entries.
Create Announcement Moments#
When you add significant new resources or reach milestones (50 resources! 100 resources!), announce it. This reminds people the board exists and encourages them to browse updates.
Gather Feedback and Iterate#
Ask your community:
- What types of resources are missing?
- Is the organization intuitive?
- Are descriptions helpful?
- Would different categories make more sense?
Acting on feedback makes the board truly community-owned rather than individually imposed.
Step 6: Maintain Your Link Board Over Time#
Link boards decay without maintenance. Here’s how to keep yours valuable:
Schedule Regular Link Checks#
Once a month, check for dead links. Tools exist for this, or do it manually for smaller collections.
Replace dead links with alternatives or remove them. Note when something disappears so others know you’re actively maintaining the board.
Prune Low-Value Content#
As your board grows, some resources become outdated or redundant. Quarterly, review and remove:
- Outdated information
- Duplicate resources when one is clearly superior
- Links that never get clicked or referenced
A tight, curated collection is more valuable than a comprehensive but bloated one.
Reorganize as Needed#
Your initial structure might not scale. As you hit 50+ resources, categories that made sense initially might need subdivision.
Don’t be afraid to restructure. Just announce changes so regular users aren’t confused.
Highlight New Additions#
Create a “Recently Added” section or tag so regular visitors can easily see what’s new without browsing the entire board.
This encourages return visits. People know they can check in monthly and quickly see updates.
Gather Usage Analytics#
If your platform provides them, check which resources get the most clicks or saves. This data helps you understand what your community finds most valuable and guides future curation decisions.
Advanced Strategies for Power Users#
Once your basic link board is working, consider these enhancements:
Create Learning Paths#
Instead of just listing resources, create curated paths for different learning goals.
“New to web development? Start here, then here, then here…”
These structured journeys through your resources add tremendous value for newcomers who’d otherwise be overwhelmed by choice.
Build Multiple Boards for Different Audiences#
Your community might have subgroups with different needs. Create targeted boards:
- Beginners board with foundational resources
- Advanced board with cutting-edge content
- Tools board specifically for software and services
- Inspiration board for examples and case studies
Multiple focused boards beat one overstuffed board.
Enable Community Ratings or Favorites#
If your platform supports it, let community members save favorites or rate resources. This surfaces the most valuable content and provides social proof.
On Stashed.in, users can save links from public stashes to their own private collections, creating a form of organic curation.
Integrate with Other Community Resources#
Link your resource board to:
- Community forum discussions
- Workshop recordings
- Office hours notes
- Project showcases
Creating connections between the board and other community activities increases its value and visibility.
Create Sub-Collections for Events#
When hosting workshops, conferences, or learning sprints, create event-specific sub-collections.
“Resources from our June Design Sprint” or “Follow-up materials from the React workshop.”
These time-bound collections complement your evergreen main board.
Real Examples of Great Community Link Boards#
Let me share some patterns I’ve seen work exceptionally well:
The Design Community Resource Hub#
One design community I’m part of maintains a Stashed.in board with:
- Design inspiration organized by style (minimalist, bold, editorial, etc.)
- Tools categorized by function (prototyping, color, typography, illustration)
- Learning resources tagged by level
- Job boards and career resources
The visual layout means you can browse design inspiration naturally, and the tool sections get referenced constantly in community discussions.
The Developer Learning Path#
A web development Discord created boards for each major technology (HTML/CSS, JavaScript, React, Node, etc.) with resources explicitly sequenced:
- Start here (foundational concepts)
- Build understanding (tutorials and guides)
- Practice projects (hands-on applications)
- Go deeper (advanced topics)
- Stay current (blogs and newsletters)
This structure gives learners a clear path instead of overwhelming choice.
The Productivity Tools Directory#
A productivity community maintains an ever-evolving board of tools with:
- Category tags (task management, note-taking, time tracking, etc.)
- Platform tags (web, iOS, Android, desktop)
- Cost tags (free, freemium, paid)
- Community ratings
The tagging system lets people filter to exactly what they need: “Show me free iOS time tracking apps.”
Measuring Success: What Actually Matters#
How do you know if your link board is working? Look for these signals:
Usage Metrics#
- How many people visit the board?
- How often are links clicked?
- Which resources get the most attention?
These numbers tell you if people are discovering and using what you’ve curated.
Community Behavior#
- Do people reference the board when answering questions?
- Do new members get directed there during onboarding?
- Has the frequency of repeated questions decreased?
Behavioral changes indicate the board is becoming part of community culture.
Contribution Activity#
- Are community members adding resources?
- Do people suggest improvements or new categories?
- Is the board growing organically beyond your initial curation?
An active, community-maintained board is more sustainable than one you maintain alone.
Qualitative Feedback#
The best measure is what people say:
- “This board saved me hours of searching”
- “I reference this constantly”
- “Can we create something similar for [other topic]?”
When people voluntarily express appreciation, you’ve created something valuable.
The Real Why Behind Link Boards#
Here’s what I’ve learned from building Stashed.in and watching communities use it:
Link boards aren’t really about organizing links. They’re about creating shared knowledge infrastructure.
Every community accumulates collective wisdom. People discover great resources, learn hard lessons, develop expertise. Usually, this knowledge lives in individual heads or scattered across chat history.
Link boards externalize that knowledge. They make the community’s collective intelligence accessible to everyone, especially newcomers who’d otherwise have to ask basic questions repeatedly.
When done well, link boards become assets that define your community’s value. People join because you have the best-curated resources on a topic. They stay because they can contribute to and benefit from that growing collection.
You’re not just organizing links. You’re building a commons, a shared resource that makes your entire community smarter and more capable.
That’s worth doing right.
Start Building Your Link Board Today#
You don’t need permission or perfect planning. Here’s what to do right now:
Step 1: Choose a platform. If you want visual organization and easy sharing, try Stashed.in. If you need heavy customization, use Notion. Pick something and start.
Step 2: Create 3-5 categories that match how your community thinks about resources.
Step 3: Add 10 resources you personally recommend. Include context for each one.
Step 4: Share it with your community and ask for feedback and contributions.
That’s it. You’ll learn what works through use, not planning. Start simple, iterate based on how people actually use it, and let it grow organically.
Your community has knowledge worth sharing. Give that knowledge a home where people can find it, use it, and build on it together.
The resource boards that matter most aren’t the perfectly designed ones. They’re the ones that actually exist and get used. Build yours today.
