I've just finished reading "18 Ways to Engage Users Online: A Guide for Community Managers," a short eBook (eight pages) from GOLO.com managing editor Angela Connor.
It's a quick and easy read -- and a good one. Whether you're a longtime community manager or a newcomer to the profession, you're sure to come away with some practical recommendations that will apply to your own community.
Here are a few suggestions from Angela that stood out to me:
Encourage communication between members Just like the host of a good party, a community manager works to connect members with similar interests to each other.
For example: If Kevin posts about his plans to attend a NASCAR race in Miami this weekend and Kathy is asking on a separate forum how she might score tickets to the event, a plugged-in community manager will spot the link and introduce Kathy to Kevin.
Acknowledge good work publicly From Angela:
When you come across a great blog, interesting comment or great photo, send your compliments to the author, and do it publicly on their profile page or directly on the content. Remember, you’re the community leader and your opinion matters a great deal. So don’t be stingy with it. Positive reinforcement goes a long way, and it will make that member feel valued and vested
Get to know the community On the surface, your members may be coming together around a product or service from a brand, but what really keeps them coming back again and again is the strength of the personal connections they make within the community.
As a community manager, you can help build those relationships by learning -- and then talking about -- just what makes your members tick. Is it their kids? Their job? Their church? Their pets? Dig into the topics that really matter to your community, and the members will stick around.
Community managers Tiffany Childs, from Yelp Denver, and Tim Poindexter, from Disaboom, sat on the panel. They fielded a series of questions from both me and the 30-plus participants who had crowded into the basement of the Whiskey Bar. The result, I thought, was a solid hour's worth of informative and engaging discussion on community best practices.
Below are some of highlights from the panel discussion:
Defining community
Tim said his Disaboom community "empowers people to be who they are and connect with people like them;" it provides a place for members to build "genuine and meaningful relationships."
Tiffany noted that her members can meet and communicate can meet with people they know -- or don't know.
Role of the community manager
Tiffany is charged with raising the awareness of Yelp Denver and growing the membership ranks of her 7-month-old community (other Yelp communities have been around for longer). She supports and connects members to each other by jumping into relevant online community discussions and hosting regular offline events around town. She also writes and publishes a weekly newsletter that highlights members and businesses.
Tim helps keep the online discussions on Disaboom informative, engaging, and civil (more on this third point later in the post). He's also recruited outside disability experts to contribute content to the community, and more recently, he's been charged with managing the site's analytics.
Metrics of success and advertising dollars
Disaboom, a site and community which connects individuals touched by disability, is free to members but is supported by contextually-relevant advertising. Tim said that unique visitors and page views are the key drivers of ad revenue revenue.
For Yelp Denver, according to Tiffany, advertising won't kick in until the community has reached "critical mass."
Managing community conflict
On this front, Tim had the line of the night: "We don't legislate morality; we mandate dignity." While Disaboom supports a full spectrum of opinions and beliefs, it does not welcome or allow personal personal attacks or harassment from its community discussions. Tim said that members who violate the site's terms of use and don't heed the warning to change their behavior will be suspended or barred from the community.
Rewarding members
Good community managers reward their key contributors, and Disaboom and Yelp Denver are no exception. Tiffany organizes special events for members of the Yelp Elite Squad, while Disaboom sends an occasional gift of thanks through the mail.
Following the community managers
Here's where to keep up with Tim and Tiffany on a daily basis:
Will the hiring of community managers by organizations looking to jump into social media continue to proliferate in 2009, as Todd Van Hoosear predicts?
I sure hope so -- and here's why:
Community managers help put a human face/voice on organizations online.
This can be really critical for big corporations and brands, which are often looked at as non-accessible, soulless entities that care about little more than the bottom line. Community managers or social media evangelists (that's my title, for what it's worth) can help to change that image as they build and develop relationships over time.
For communities on a branded company site, community managers welcome newcomers, connect members to each other, groom leaders, and start or stoke up compelling conversations. They spend their time not so much dictating corporate message but getting to know the needs and interests of the community.
For the social web at large, online community outreach starts with finding out where customers, potential customers, enthusiasts, and influencers spend their time online (writing or commenting on blogs? on message boards? on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or other social networks?), and making connections from there. Plenty of listening should happen first, with engagement following.
Community managers keep key internal stakeholders informed.
While community managers play an active outward-facing role, their communication back to management on the internal side is just as vital. By reporting on community patterns, behaviors, and trends, community managers help to shift and shape the organization's ongoing strategic approach to and financial support for community, along with the development of new (and/or improved) products and services
Community managers give give organizations a running start in times of crisis
Think that the PR nightmare that struck Ford two weeks would have been resolved in under 24 hours had Scott Monty, its very visible head of social media, not already spent months building up his presence and building genuine relationships online? Doubtful.
In moments of crisis or conflict, community members will turn to a person they trust. Far better that that person be a community manager or corporate evangelist whose spent time in the trenches with customers and members than a unknown, faceless suit.
Don't just take my word for it
Still looking to better understand the craft before hiring a community manager for your organization in 2009? Here are several community bloggers to start following:
Community managers are the guiding forces in online communities.
On any given day they're welcoming newcomers, providing ongoing support and encouragement, and stoking new (and existing) discussions; they're connecting members to each other, putting out fires on the fly, and providing critical insight back to the organizations (and brands) that host the community. And when they do good work, community managers (CMs) can make the difference between a community that flounders and a community that thrives.
Over the next two-plus weeks, as part of a series we're calling Managing Communities 2009, I'll be profiling several online community professionals, most of them working directly as CMs. The entries will cover the wide range of day-to-day responsibilities that a community manager shoulders, as well as the key skills needed to succeed in that role. (I'll add a link to each profile as I publish it; see below.)
While I already have several profiles lined up and ready to be published, I'm certainly open to receiving additional contributions. Drop me a line at bperson - AT - LiveWorld - DOT - com if you're interested. Profiles
Erin Bury * Community manager at RedWire, an online collaboration tool for entrepreneurs * Twitter IDs: @Erin_Bury, @RedWire
Day-to-day role and responsibilities
Since RedWire is a startup company this is a new role within the organization. I started at the company shortly after the beta launch, and have been there for about 5 months. The first month involved strategy and a lot of learning, and now the role is primarily tactics.
My role as community manager falls under many different umbrellas. Primarily I am tasked with building, growing and engaging the RedWire community (comprising entrepreneurs and small business owners from around the world). This means:
I source out and attend all local entrepreneur-focused and networking events/conferences (we are based in Toronto).
I source out all relevant speaking opportunities for our CEO, Sarah Prevette.
I reach out and meet with entrepreneur and small business associations across North America to inform them about RedWire and how they can harness the tools for their member bases
I organize and execute Wired Wednesday, a monthly RedWire event targeted to entrepreneurs and startups (currently in Toronto, and launching soon in Ottawa and other Canadian cities).
I do proactive and reactive media outreach to increase RedWire's press mentions.
Since RedWire is an online community, though, the most important part of my role is building and maintaining online presence. This means having a presence on sites like Digg, Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media sites. It also means monitoring and reacting to what is being said online about RedWire through Twitter search and blog search engines like Google Blog Search, Technorati and BlogPulse.
I also write the RedWire blog, which focuses on topics relating to entrepreneurship. Since I am the community manager, a large part of my role involves interacting with the RedWire community. I am readily available to the members to answer questions, give feedback, and provide insight about how to use RedWire and take advantage of the tools on the site. I also help keep members engaged by recommending relevant articles, blog posts, and events that they would be interested in.
Currently, because we are a startup company, I am the only member of the community team. I am supported by an intern as well as our CEO.
Key skills for community managers
To be a community manager, you must wear many hats. You are the face of the company, and you are the primary go-to person for the community, the media, and the public. A community manager should be extroverted, so they can effectively communicate their company to the public. They should be organized and manage their time well, and be extremely dedicated to their work (this means giving up nights and weekends to attend events).
I would also recommend being web savvy and having at least some knowledge of social media. A PR background is desirable (previously I worked at a PR agency), or at least some involvement with the media. And most importantly they should be passionate. A community manager should believe in their company, and what they are doing. This is the only way to create buzz and excitement around a company, and to see your community grow.
If you spend any time at all reading blogs about the craft of online community management, you likely will have already heard of Connie Bensen, the subject of the second profile in our Managing Communities 2009 series.
Whether it's sharing best practices on her blog, presenting at conferences, or just offering an encouraging word to a newcomer in the industry, Connie has been an a leading voice for community managers over the past two years.
She offers some insight insight into her work below.
My position is the ideal community position--but then, I created it! When I was invited to join a young startup, I was given much freedom in defining my role. I report to the CEO and work cross-functionally with PR, marketing, customer service, and product development. My responsibilities include creating customer resources, training customers, teaching internal staff, quality assurance (QA), reporting and tracking bugs (yes, I have access to that database!), and suggesting new feature requests.
I consider communication to be my most important function, and my role is a mix of strategy and tactics. I enjoy both approaches, and appreciate the opportunity to assist my company as we scale.
Techrigy is a very transparent organization. We have a free version of our product, so there is nothing proprietary about that. Internally, I appreciate having complete knowledge of the organization, including financial aspects. My CEO is very open to ideas and encourages teamwork.
Overall, my team is the whole company. Because we are a business-to-business (B2B) company, we have a sales team. I have trained everyone on utilizing and participating in social media, so Twitter and LinkedIn are key for us.
For listening, we use our own product, Techrigy SM2, to monitor real-time alerts and identify trends in regard to our brand and competitors. also use Google Alerts and Twitter Search (integrated into TweetDeck).
Key skills needed for community managers
Excellent communication skills
Able to think on your feet
Willing to work tirelessly for the community and company, 24/7
Strong leadership skills and ability to motivate others
Angela Connor is so passionate about managing online communities that she's written a book about it (see my disclosure below).
18 Rules of Community Engagement is due out later this month and includes many of the best practices that Angela has honed in her position at WRAL over the last two years. She offers a peak into that work below in the latest installment of our Managing Communities 2009 series.
My position is in the New Media division under Creative Services and Product Development. I develop initiatives and strategies to drive user and community engagement and actively participate in the community with the goal of cultivating relationships with users.
I am responsible for engaging our community of nearly 11,0000 members, increasing that membership, and providing vision and long-range planning and direction for all content areas while highlighting the best of our community-generated content.
I also oversee the user-generated content efforts of WRAL.com, developing community management and abuse policies and supervising a team that moderates comments on news stories. It is likely that I have more contact with viewers/users/readers than anyone else in the organization, and that requires a mound of patience, understanding, and tact.
I work closely with the sales team, suggesting unique advertising opportunities; I also execute online and offline events to drive engagement and build excitement about the product. I am an advocate for users and the face of the community.
I approach my role differently on a daily basis, because no day is like any other. Strategies work for long-term planning, but much of what it takes to succeed in this role is spontaneity.
While I may have a long-term strategy for tripling the number of image galleries over a given period, the way I go about that may change on a day-to-day basis and essentially has to, based on the ebb and flow of the community. I may solicit garden photos one day and baby pictures the next, and then we might have a monster snowstorm like we did recently and receive hundreds of weather-related images. When you're working to engage the public, there is no one-size-fits-all method, and this position is not for the person who cannot think on his or her feet and roll with the punches. It is very rewarding, yet very challenging.
Key skills needed for community managers
This job is not for the faint of heart or anyone whose feathers ruffle easily. You have to be passionate about the community, enjoy interacting, and have a creative spirit that can see you through the droughts. Patience and tolerance are high on the list, and the ability to churn out content and make connections is key.
A certain level of maturity is needed, too, as an impulsive community manager without a level head can represent the organization quite poorly in the heat of the moment or when emotions run high. All it takes is a click of the "send" button!
When I hire moderators for the news site, I require a moderators exam. During this exam, they are exposed to some of the worst comments that have been submitted. I look for the content that was submitted but never actually posted, just to gauge their reactions. If advising clients, I would tell them to make sure they are hiring someone who can handle it all. The cloak of anonymity in a community is powerful, and what goes on behind the scenes isn't always pretty. A community manager needs a cool, level head and an understanding of the human psyche.
Disclosure: I helped connect Angela to the publisher of her forthcoming book. But really, all I did was make an e-mail introduction. It was Angela's talent and hard work that made the book happen.
The main drawback of working remotely is that I can't connect face-to-face on a more regular basis with my co-workers. That includes Mark Williams (at right in the above screenshot).
Mark is a senior community manager at LiveWorld who's been in the business of managing online communities for a decade. Listen to him for 30 seconds and you'll recognize he has an intimate sense of how communities ebb and flow that he knows what it takes to keep members informed and engaged.
In the audio conversation that follows, Mark shares the highlights from last weekend's Community Leadership Summit, an event that brought together some 200 community managers and developers.
* Mark Williams contrasts the cultures of branded communities and open-source developer communities.
* Mark addresses three main challenges for community managers: 1) Not enough time to do the job 2) Choosing the most effective tools 3) Selecting and developing metrics that offer real value
* Mark discusses the premise that clients are, in fact, looking for a quantifiable value from their communities.
* Mark argues that "people are messy."
* Mark explains why analyzing metrics without also actually spending time inside a community is a recipe for disaster.
Where should community management sit inside an organization?
That's one of several questions I posed to Marshall Kirkpatrick (@MarshallK), VP of content development and lead blogger at ReadWriteWeb, in this recent audio interview at his downtown Portland, Oregon office.
* Marshall talks about the implications of Facebook's decision to open up search on status messages, notes, and shared links.
* Marshall considers whether brand monitoring on Facebook will become a new line of professional services.
* Bryan asks Marshall if companies and brands should outsource their community management.
* Marshall explains why "just about every department in an organization needs to have a relationship with the community manager."
* Marshall shares a surprising conclusion--at least for him--from ReadWriteWeb's premium report: Community managers are making very good use of Twitter.
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
