Bryan Person's Blog: Managing Communities 2009

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, RedWire
• Connie Bensen, community strategist, Techrigy

RedWire community manager Erin Bury kicks off our Managing Communities 2009 series.

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.

(Managing Communities 2009 is a series of profiles on online community professionals.)

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.

Connie Bensen
* Community strategist for Techrigy, Inc.
* Twitter ID: @CBensen

Day-to-day role and responsibilities

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
• A creative spirit

(Managing Communities 2009 is a series of profiles on online community professionals.)

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.



Angela Connor
* Managing editor of user-generated content at GOLO, the online community
for Raleigh, NC-based WRAL.com.
* Twitter ID: @CommunityGirl
* Blog: Online Community Strategeist

Day-to-day role and responsibilities

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.

(Managing Communities 2009 is a series of profiles on online community professionals.)

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.