Community Manager Role Archives - The Community Roundtable: Recent Episodes

Community Manager Role Archives - The Community Roundtable

Empowering global community leaders with research-backed resources, training, and tools.

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Marketing Coordinator Claire O’Brien and The Network’s Community Manager Mary Emma Gary discuss the highlights from The Network in June and what members can expect to see in July.

Mentioned in the video: Five Reasons You Should Try Cohort-Based Job Searching, Connect 2024

What’s The Network?The Network is the the world’s most trusted private, confidential membership organization for people leading the online community, collaboration, and change management efforts at global organizations.

Since 2009, we’ve connected global online community professionals with the peers, ideas, programming, and research they need to excel in their roles building innovative and effective online programs. You can access the same ideas, resources, and programming as community leaders at organizations including International Red Cross, Analog Devices, Inc, UKG, Doctors Without Borders, Esri, the American Association of Medical Colleges, Autodesk, SAP, BASF, Grundfos, and more.

Learn more about membership.

More Community Resources* Creating Lifelong Fans: The Power of Online Communities for Retailers * Turning Around an Unhappy Community * Three Ways Verint Community Drives Success

The post Network Highlights: June and July in The Network appeared first on The Community Roundtable.

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The number one challenge community managers as us about is engagement. How do we get more people to visit our community? How do we keep members coming back for the long-term? How can we convert casual viewers (fka lurkers) into contributing members? If you struggle with how to boost online engagement you aren’t alone.

We’ve been compiling engagement resources since 2009, and while a lot has changed in the online community world since then, the fundamentals of engagement haven’t! Below is a list of 45 online community engagement resources from the Engagement Resource Bundle in the The Network.

The Engagement Resource Bundle aka 45 Ways to Boost Online EngagementMost Recent Entry:* All About the Ritual: Vicky Cumberbatch walks through the vitality of rituals as part of the engagement strategy, why, and how to go about brainstorming them..

Roundtable ReportsCommunication:* Mission & Community: How Purpose Affects Engagement: Deb Lavoy of OpenText facilitated this call to stimulate discussion on the topics of mission and community and especially on how purpose affects engagement. * How To Help Your Members Ask Great Questions That Get Great Answers: This call examines the importance of good questions, the foundation of a good question, and how to help members ask good questions to boost online engagement. * Plain Language Crash Course: Tips For Communicating More Effectively: Member and certified Plain Language instructor, Erin Winker of Aetna, gave members a crash course on the art of writing in plain language. * Undeniable Story: The Science And Intuition Of Engagement: Michael Margolis of Get Stories shared a six-step storytelling framework that, in his experience, has been a breakthrough process and approach for not only capturing people’s attention, but also for overcoming the cynicisms, skepticisms and fear of judgment that occurs whenever there is a disruptive or innovative message that needs to be shared.

General Engagement

  • Maximizing Community Engagement: Advanced Techniques To Keep Members Hooked: On this Roundtable Call, FeverBee’s Rich Millington walked members through his method of thinking about community engagement.
  • Bringing It Back From The Brink: Re-Engaging An Underwhelming Community: On this Roundtable Call, one member shared strategies and tactics they used to liven up a couple of Ghost Town communities.
  • Crowdsource Questions of the Week: This is a curated list of good discussion starters that you can borrow or build off of for your community.
  • Creating Engaged Communities: A Speed Round: This member-led discussion took on a speed round format aimed at culling various community engagement best practices.
  • Removing The One-Way Mirror: Transparency & Engagement In Social Business: Kirsten Laaspere, then at Fidelity, shared her best practices for supporting transparency and engagement in social business.
  • Simplifying The User Experience To Increase Engagement At Salesforce: This call was an interesting case study into how Salesforce has increased engagement by simplifying the user experience.
  • Engagement Drivers: Down and Dirty Case Studies: This call was dedicated to discussing how to create engagement through content and programming.
  • The Culture Of Community Engagement: An Anthropological Discussion On How To Encourage More Member Interaction: We had a great discussion with Chris Bailey on “The Culture of Community Engagement”.
  • Digital Embassies: A Blueprint For Community Engagement: David Armano joined us to share his new framework for thinking about community engagement.
  • Exploring Engagement: The Dance Floor Theory: Kevin Prentiss of Red Rover explored engagement through the analogy of a dance floor.
  • How MetLife Met A Member Milestone… And Saw Engagement Shift Along The Way: Former members Sue Tuttle and Noelle Farra gave a look at how engagement in their internal community has changed after hitting their 1,000 member milestone.

Social Media

  • Risk Management & Crafting Engagement: How To Architect Social Media Success For Your Organization: Jack Ashman of Adobe shared ten main points in the area of architecting social media successes to boost online engagement.

Specific Communities

  • Employee Adoption And Engagement In External Communities: Participants on this Roundtable Report were interested in discussing 3 main areas related to the topic of employee adoption and engagement: leadership and culture, content and programming, and metrics and governance.
  • Engaging Executives: The Power Of Content: A report of best practices and lessons learned on using content to engage executives from a Roundtable call with guest expert Roanne Neuwirth.
  • SMWG: Community -V- Audience & Engagement Kickstarters: On this Social Marketers Working Group (SMWG) call, members discussed various issues and best practices that are specific to social marketers, particularly community and audience engagement kickstarters.
  • Collaborative Solutions: Tackling The Engagement Challenge In Product Communities: This member-led discussion brought forth member challenges in the area of creating engagement within product communities, as well as various potential solutions to booth online engagement.
  • Internal Cohort Discussion: Engaging Employees: This call saw two case studies provided by Kosheno Moore of Jive and James Martin of Shepley Bulfinch, that explored what methods capture and retain engagement with internal communities. Read through the lessons learned to find methods of cultivating positive culture, how to excite new employees (without being overwhelming) and ways to keep the conversation going.

Discussions* What comes first: engagement or opening to the public?: In this thread, members debate what you should focus on when launching a community: getting engagement up before opening to more people or invite more people in and grow engagement that way. * What Constitutes An “Engaged” Community Member?: Members discuss how to measure and track engagement in various types of online communities and strategize how to boost online engagement. * What Types Of Community Events Get The Most Engagement?: Members share what activities are the most engaging in their communities. * How Do You Measure Engagement When Logging In Is Optional?: A great discussion about lurkers and engagement when members don’t need to log in. * (Research) Quantity Vs. Quality Engagement: A discussion based around a SOCM finding that quality of engagement is displacing quantity as a measure of community success. * Measuring Value-Gained And Value-Added Activities: In part one, Ted Hopton shares definitions of his deep dive into engagement metrics. * Leaders Engagement Dashboard: Part two to the above discussion where Ted Hopton discusses applying those ideas to leaders. * What Is An Optimal Engagement Rate?: Members discuss where a community’s engagement should be. * Executive Engagement: What does good executive engagement look like? Kirsten Laaspere shares some great examples in this discussion.

Blogs* The Holy Grail Of Engagement And Why Communities Matter: What makes meaningful engagement. * The Language Of Engagement: How to word your communications to create and maintain engagement. * Executive Engagement In Three Venn Diagrams: Explore common issues that we’ve heard from executives about engagement.

Case Studies* Beyond Engagement: Moving Businesses & Creating Movement (A Sidecar Case Study): Maria Ogneva gives an update on Sidecar’s journey from launch to early community. * Community Engagement: Turning Customers Into Fans, Yahoo Case Study: Robyn Tippins, the community manager from the Yahoo Developers Network, discusses how to stretch marketing dollars and create great events to boost online engagement. * Case Study: Using TheCR’s Work Out Loud Framework To Measure Adoption & Engagement: Jim Martin shared how he has been using the Work Out Loud framework within Shepley Bulfinch. Jim uses metrics around each level of the framework to measure engagement and progress. * (ICWG) Marsh U Case Study: A Two-Year Journey Of Adoption & Engagement: Participants were privy to an intensive Marsh University case study with community managers Vedrana Madiah and Wendy Lamin that overviewed their two-year journey of adoption and engagement. * Learning Reimagined: How Pearson Education Uses Tech to Improve Customer Engagement: This case study dives into how Pearson used Salesforce and innovation technologies to transition their support organization into a vital part of their customer experience through maximizing sales and service collaboration, decreasing call center expenses, and improving customer engagement.

Other TheCR Resources* TheCR’s Engagement Framework: This framework helps us understand how to create and move a community culture from sharing to solving — including suggested metrics to track behaviors. * Community Maturity Table: A self-analysis tool built in collaboration with members and our research team that identifies common artifacts by competency and stage. * (Discussion) Getting Into The Weeds Measuring Engagement In Jive: Ted Hopton and Ted McEnroe curated information for measuring engagement in Jive. * (Presentation) Architecting A Collaborative Culture Using TheCR’s Work Out Loud Framework: . In this presentation, we discuss the connection between the culture change, working out loud, and the role of community management. * (Resource Pack) MetLife Engagement Resource Pack: As a companion piece to their Roundtable call (listed in “General Engagement” above), Noelle Farra and Sue Tuttle of MetLife shared examples from their engagement strategy. * (Resource) Bring Outside Events Into The Community: Tracy Maurer, shared the skeleton of her engagement plan for how to better engage offline events where not all members are attending.

All the resources above (and literally hundreds more) are available for members of our private peer community, The Network. You can learn more about becoming a member here.

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It’s officially the “dog days of summer”… you’ve set yourself up for success with three quick community wins in June, so now you can relax! If you have time, get these three things done to be extra productive in July.

Our three quick community wins for July focus on connection and engagement during the slower months of summer.

  1. Make a connection With engagement slowing, it’s important to stay connected to other humans. Jump on LinkedIn or go outside and find someone you want to connect with! Our team at The Community Roundtable has great advice on making connections during summer.

Shannon Abram suggests looking for connections in different physical places that can grow once you’re back online. Mary Emma Gary emphasizes the balance between taking chances and introducing yourself to new people, and also having patience. “It’s so easy to feel like you’ve missed the chance to connect with someone once a certain amount of time has passed, but the reality is that as long as you’re still receptive, that window has not closed!”

  1. Help an #opentowork friend Some of us are lucky enough to take time off work and enjoy the sun, while others are desperate to find a stable job. If you’re the former, take that free time and help a friend. Reach out and ask how you can support them! Maybe it’s sending them job listings, using your own network to connect them with folks who are hiring, or just being there to support them through their job hunt. The Community Roundtable has a job board with community roles that get updated weekly, and it could be a great resource to share with friends.

If you are in search of a job, join a group of fellow job searchers! We recently outlined five benefits to cohort-based job hunting. When you join forces, you:

  1. Gain strength in numbers
  2. Stay accountable
  3. Expand your reach
  4. Belong to something greater than the sum of its parts

  5. Increase your visibility

  6. Build yourself a reading listIn June, we mentioned a reading list as a low-lift way to keep community members engaged during their time away from the computer. That applies to you, too! Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

  7. Ashleigh Brookshaw, M.A. on Changing Community Culture

  8. Four Ways to Improve Community Reporting
  9. Mia Birdsong, How We Show Up
  10. Kat Velos, We Should Get Together

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Job searching is …. we don’t want to say the worst, but it’s not fun. The rise of automated applications means hiring teams are wading through a big, noisy (often unqualified) pool of interested candidates. Often, even when you apply for a job you’re highly qualified for you never even hear back. It’s frustrating at best, and more often than not leaves you feeling lost and alone.

Enter: cohort-based job searching. This method, profiled in detail in the book Never Search Alone, involves undertaking your job search alongside a group of peers. A true community-focused approach, leveraging your community for their knowledge, support, and connections. Cohort job hunting offers unique advantages that can significantly enhance both your job search experience and your overall mental health while job searching.

We’ve started a unique job searhing cohort for online community managers in our private peer network. This cohort meets regularly to chat about how they are doing, help each other with their resumes, introduce each other to potential connections, and provide much needed moral support during a stressful transitional time.

Here are five reasons cohort-based job searching in smart for community managers:1. There is always strength in numbersNavigating the job market alone can be daunting and isolating. Joining a cohort of online community managers provides you with a built-in support system of individuals facing similar challenges. This collective strength not only boosts your morale but also fosters a sense of camaraderie where you can can share resources, tips, and experiences. Whether it’s reviewing resumes, conducting mock interviews, or sharing industry insights, this synergy within a cohort can accelerate your progress.

  1. Staying accountableOne of the biggest hurdles when searching for a new job is maintaining a high level of motivation and accountability. It’s hard to stay positive in the face of rejection (or being ghosted). A cohort introduces a healthy level of accountability as members set goals, track progress, and celebrate milestones together. Knowing that others are relying on you can be a powerful motivator to stay proactive, check in regularly, and remain focused on your job search goals.

  2. Expanded reach (i.e. networked job searching)Your network is often your greatest asset when job hunting. In this particular case The Network is an invaluable asset for our cohort. By participating in a cohort, you expand your personal network through the connections and contacts of fellow members. Each cohort member brings their own network of professionals, mentors, and recruiters, opening doors to opportunities that may not have been accessible otherwise. Networking becomes more effective and targeted as you leverage shared connections and introductions within your specific cohort.

  3. Greater than the sum of its partsA cohort typically consists of individuals from diverse backgrounds, industries, and skill sets. This diversity enriches your job search experience by providing multiple perspectives and insights. Whether it’s brainstorming creative job search strategies or receiving feedback on your career goals, the varied viewpoints within the cohort can challenge your assumptions, broaden your horizons, and ultimately lead to more informed decisions.

  4. Increased visibilityEmployers and recruiters often value candidates who demonstrate proactive engagement and initiative. Being part of a job search cohort showcases your commitment to professional growth and development. It highlights your ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and thrive in a team environment—qualities that are highly sought after in today’s competitive job market. Cohort participation can also enhance your online presence through shared content, group projects, and mutual endorsements, further boosting your visibility to potential employers.

Historically, job searching has felt like a solitary pursuit. Joining a community-based job search cohort offers so many advantages to significantly elevate your chances of success. From shared resources and accountability to expanded networks and diverse perspectives, the benefits of cohort-based job searches are clear.

Community Podcasts

  • Authentic Engagement in Online Communities
  • The Intersection of Learning and Communities
  • Community Building for Associations
  • Melanie Binder on Community Technology Platforms
  • Leveraging Data Analytics for Community Success
  • Using MVPs to Power Effective Communities
  • Fostering a Productive Workplace Culture with Community
  • Community Building at USAA
  • Building and Maintaining a Strong Internal Community
  • Building Mobile-First Communities The post Five Reasons You Should Try Cohort-Based Job Searching appeared first on The Community Roundtable.

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Summertime means all the fun in the sun and less time on the computer! It’s not a great time for community engagement rates, but it is a great time for health and wellness! Our three quick wins for June focus on finding a balance between maintaining engagement and letting the seasons change for your community this summer.

  1. Plan intentional summer programmingFrankly, your community members may not want to jump on an interactive call at noon when the sun is shining and their kids are home from school… but some of them might want to! Brainstorm a few ideas for low-lift programming that will spark interest. This will be different for every community, and the best way to find out which types of programming your members want is to ask them!

Our Community Manager Mary Emma has some great advice: “lean into trying new things, and embrace the slow season with more passive programming!”

A reading list is a classic way to keep people engaged in a topic during time away. Check out an example from The Community Roundtable here.

  1. Do the unaesthetic self-careWhen we think of self care, we often think of face masks, reading, resting, and relaxing. Sometimes, taking care of yourself means making doctor appointments, cleaning out your fridge, or paying bills. These are the tasks that feel daunting before you’ve done them, but completing them makes you feel accomplished. You may have some of these tasks in your personal life, and/or in your community. With slower programming, you’ll have time for updating your CRM data, refreshing old content, or even creating new content! Choose one and get it done! Then give yourself a high five.

  2. Track your metrics, and don’t be hard on yourselfEngagement will most likely go down for June, July, and August. That’s okay! Even if the numbers aren’t what you want them to be, it’s important to track them so you can be an expert on the flow of traffic throughout the year. In a guest post from Common Room, we learned there are four main categories of metrics that community leaders should consider:

  3. Membership

  4. Engagement
  5. Responsiveness
  6. Business impact

The Community Roundtable has plenty of metrics content to help you if you aren’t sure what to measure! Check out these posts:

Throwback Thursday – Community Metrics 101

Impactful Metrics and Reporting in Community

Using Metrics to Understand Community Growth and Business Impact

The post Three Quick Community Wins for June appeared first on The Community Roundtable.

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Marketing Coordinator Claire O’Brien chatted with The Network’s Community Manager Mary Emma Gary about what’s been happening in The Network lately. Mary Emma highlighted some big happenings in May, and gave us a sneak peek into June programming (drive in movies?!).

To read the Community Careers and Compensation Report, you can download it here.

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Check these three easy community management to-dos off your list and set yourself up for community success.

May the fourth be with you… This month, we’re channeling our inner Jedi to get three community tasks checked off our list. If you’re not familiar with Star Wars, Jedi are trained to maintain peace and justice in their universe, just like Community Managers in their communities! Among their many expectations and responsibilities, Jedi are required to render aid and provide support. Outside of Star Wars, JEDI is becoming a common acronym for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Here are three quick ways to use Jedi ideals and better your community in May.

  1. Render Aid: Get Member Questions AnsweredOur Community Manager Mary Emma Gary does an excellent job of assisting members of The Network when they need help. Of course, depending on the nature of your community, you may want to let others help before jumping in, which is great! It’s good practice to make sure every question is answered, so ahead and query through your community. Have comments or questions been left without a response? Fill in those gaps to make sure every member feels heard and helped.

Mary Emma’s pro tip: “understand member goals when they ask for help, and to be willing to outsource answers since being a CM doesn’t automatically make you a subject matter expert.”

See more tips for putting your members’ needs first here.

  1. Provide Support: Establish a Solid Onboarding ProcessWe’ve preached the importance of onboarding time and time again, but it really does continue to benefit members long after their initial entrance into the community. A great onboarding process will provide resources to refer back to, introduce members to like-minded peers, and establish a supportive relationship between the member and the Community Manager.

Kelly Schott explains in detail five best practices for onboarding new members in this webinar: Identify a member journey, personalize the experience, nurture growth, celebrate and feature, and involve the large member base. If you don’t have a solid onboarding process, make this month’s task to engage with the webinar and brainstorm what you can implement. If you are looking to improve your onboarding process, take Kelly’s advice and integrate one or two practices in May.

  1. Improve Your Community’s JEDI EffortsYou’ve heard of DEIB but have you heard of JEDI? A fun acronym for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, but highly important to implement in your community.

Ashleigh Brookshaw, M.A. gave us great insight in her episode of Lessons from The NEW Community Manager Handbook. She outlined 3 tips for creating safe and inclusive community spaces:

  1. Take a look around. When you start to think about building space and inclusive community spaces, think about your organizational tone and culture? Use these conversations and reflections about DEIB as an opportunity to define it for your community through programming and governance or align the community tone and culture to the organization.
  2. Ask (better) questions. The best way to get the cultural pulse of your community? Ask them. “If you’re not doing regular surveys or check-ins with users, take the time to do so. Ask questions about culture, targeting the elements of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging to see if users find programming relevant. How can we be delivering better content? How do you feel about our community?”
  3. Build a Support Coalition. Any role at any organization that incorporates a focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging is a very energy-intensive job. You can’t build safe and inclusive spaces if you don’t already feel like you belong and are valued. Make sure you have a supportive environment of peers and executives.

You can read more here and get started on these community tasks!

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Check these three easy community management to-dos off your list and set yourself up for community success.

The days are getting longer, the sun is peeking through… it’s time for a SPRING CLEANING! Our quick wins for April focus on cleaning out the old to make space for the new.

  1. Refresh your Community DesignThriving communities update their UX frequently… you want your community to thrive, right? There’s no need to replace the entire interface, but changing icons or adding a feature you’ve been considering can spark interest and, in turn, increase engagement. To make sure your changes are intentional and strategic, we’ll provide some expert advice. Stephanie Field, Community Manager at Carbon Black, has tips for thoughtful community UX:

  2. Do leverage internal experts.Mine your organization for internal resources that are experts in user experience for feedback and ideas. This might include your UX team, designers and QA folks.

  3. Do your research.Conducting research beforehand ensures that you have the interests of your audience in mind. Analytics, stakeholder interviews and end-user interviews all contribute to a well-rounded view of needs.

  4. Don’t procrastinate.When you have to rely on other teams to be successful be proactive with the project deliverables. Getting the necessary resources in place so everything is ready for go-live will make sure you launch smoothly.

  5. Don’t over-promise.Set clear expectations in the beginning of the project of what internal stakeholders and end users can expect. When you crush expectations, then everyone will be even more bought into the UX.

Read more here and get started!

  1. Allocate your Budget WiselySpring cleaning includes cleaning up your spending! We know many budgets are lower than they have been in years past, and that’s okay. You can still improve your community with whatever funds you have. Where should you put your money to get the greatest return? Starting with content and programs is a good idea.

Our 2023 State of Community Management report showed best-in-class communities allocating money toward virtual discussions, new member onboarding, and member spotlights.

Don’t be afraid to leverage knowledge from outside your community team! 76% of best-in-class communities reported to be pulling from “peers from other areas of the organization.” Not only is it a good idea to get a diverse perspective, it’s also usually FREE! The same thing can be said for creating valuable content: utilize your connections who know your company well!

See more content and programming data from the 2023 SOCM report here.

  1. Calculate your Community ScoreYou may be familiar with our Community Maturity model, or CMM. This defines the eight competencies required to build a successful business community. The Community Roundtable created this model back in 2009! It has since been updated and community professionals use it both as a community management checklist and as an organizational roadmap.

The Community Roundtable offers a free tool to benchmark your community using the CMM. If you’ve never done it, great, try it now! If you did it years ago, try again and see how you’ve improved! Knowing where your community stands can help inform you on what to work on next. The Community Score Assessment takes less than 20 minutes, and your answers are not shared anywhere.

Calculate your community score here.

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Check these three easy community management to-dos off your list and set yourself up for community success.

You don’t need the luck of the Irish to get some wins this month! Take luck into your own hands and get the outcomes you want through action. Our quick wins for March focus on community elements you CAN control.

  1. Evaluate your PlatformIt’s easy to blame outside factors for your lack of engagement or other metrics you want to improve. But the truth is, there are things you can do to make your technology the best for YOUR community, and see results. The Community Roundtable’s Community Technology Framework is made up of three layers: Engagement, Management, and Administration. Each layer is equally important for a mature engagement platform. You may be thinking, “I know there are things that need to be changed, but I don’t have time to change them!” This step isn’t about rebuilding your interface, it’s about identifying the potential fallbacks of your current setup. Knowledge is power, and once you have named what needs to be improved, you can create a plan of action.

  2. Try out Generative AIYou’ve heard the hype, but have you tried it yet? Now’s the time to check it off your list. At our Connect event in October, Hans Scharler spoke on the future of AI and community — and the future looks bright! Yes, it can be intimidating, and even scary (…can AI become self-aware? Am I going to lose my job to a robot? Will AI take over the world?!) but it does not have to be!

Start with these:

  • What is Generative AI and Why Does it Matter to Community Managers
  • Beyond ChatGPT: Four Generative AI Tools for Community Managers
  • Four Ways Generative AI Can Help Community Managers

  • Five Tips for Community Managers Getting Started with ChatGPT

  • Make a Community Ecosystem MapBri Leever shared her framework for planning effective content and programs – the Community Ecosystem Map. Her advice: “This framework is just the starting point to help you think about your community content and programs through a new light…Don’t let perfect get in the way of creating something really good in your community and focus on making more tweaks over time than launching something perfectly from the get-go.”

The map process starts by writing three call-to-action items at the top. Bri uses 1) get started, 2) get help, and 3) get inspired, but they’re customizable. She does recommend using “get started” as “it will help prompt you to focus on onboarding as a key step in any member’s activation in your community.”

Filling in experiences is the fun part: you get to categorize the size by color, so get creative with it! Bri’s map above has 3 size categories: big group experiences, small group experiences, and 1:1 interactions. She says “Like all good ecosystems, the strength of your community ecosystem will come from the diversification of experiences offered. That does NOT mean more is better. It means thoughtfully crafting a range of programs that cater to different types of experiences and activate your members in different ways will result in a more robust and dynamic community.”

This mapping process is helpful for all communities — even those that don’t exist yet! Read more about Bri’s process and reasoning here.

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We logged into LinkedIn today, to post our planned Community Manager Appreciation Day 2024 posts, and immediately were sidetracked with more news of amazing community professionals being laid off.

It’s heartbreaking to see so many talented community managers without a community. If you’re reading this there is a really good chance you already know that a community without professional community management is not going to thrive.

In addition to our annual spotlight on amazing community professionals we know, we also want to use today’s Community Manager Appreciation Day celebration to highlight why community managers are so crucial to the success of a online community.

Three Reasons Community Managers are (Still) Crucial to Online CommunitiesCommunity Managers Cultivating a Positive and Productive Environment

Community managers play a foundational role in establishing and upholding a positive and productive environment in all kinds of online communities. In both brand/marketing communities and employee (intranet) communities this involves setting clear guidelines, fostering respectful interactions, and mitigating disruptive behavior.

By maintaining a healthy atmosphere, community managers encourage constructive contributions, knowledge sharing, and positive engagement – key ingredients for a thriving online community. You wouldn’t purchase accounting software, and then expect it to take care of itself. When organizations assume their online community can “just run itself” or delegate pieces to different department without the training, skills, or time to manage it they are setting themselves up for failure.

Community Managers Bridge the Gap Between Members and Organizations

Again, this is true for the bridge between employees and their organizations (internal/intranet communities) and brands and their fans/users/followers. Community managers are the crucial link between two very different parties, facilitating two-way communication, collecting member feedback, and translating it into actionable insights for the organization.

This bridge fosters trust and loyalty among members, allowing them to feel heard and valued. Additionally, it provides organizations with valuable data to improve their products, services, and overall strategy. Successful communities empower their members and that work falls to community managers.

Community Managers Create a Sense of Belonging and Shared Identity

Just like every company has a unique tone for their brand, each online community also has a personality. Without active and thoughtful community management is a voiceless void. By fostering a sense of community, community managers help members feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. This motivates them to contribute, stay engaged, and even act as brand advocates, further strengthening the online community.

These are just three very high-level reasons that community managers are crucial to online communities. Every year, our State of Community Management research reconfirms the fact that communities with strategic community management have an outsized impact on their organization.

You can view our annual Community Manager Appreciation Day post here.

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Community Manager Appreciation Day 2024 is January 22, 2024. Held on the 4th Friday of January annually, CMAD is a celebration of the people behind the world’s vital online communities.

Someone on our team panicked and thought CMAD 2024 was NEXT MONDAY (1/15) but it is NOT until the 22nd. (Full disclosure: It was me, I am the one that panicked.)

The good news is you still have plenty of time to get your favorite community manager a token of your appreciation. (you could also drop this link in your community and just see what happens…)

This will be our 14th annual celebration of online community managers, and the incredible work they do to keep our online spaces safe, productive, and effective. CMAD is a great day to send a note of thanks to online community managers you know. This might be the person or people that run the employee community or intranet at your work, the person in charge of your online alumni network, the moderators of a favorite hobby community, or the community managers for your company’s brand or support sites. If you spend any time on the internet, it’s a safe bet you know some community managers!

We created a couple of easy to use templates for you to share this year. You can download the images below (or screenshot them) and post them in your communities, or email them along to community managers you know.

And, as always, we created a gift guide just in case you need some idea. (No affiliate links, nothing paid. Just cool stuff we like!)

Community Manager Appreciation Day Gift Guide1. Emotional Support Cactus: Remind the community managers in your life they are resilient and can thrive in even tricky environments! (starting from $16.99 USD, etsy.com) 2. Dumpster Fire Desk Caddy/Note Holder: Remind your favorite community manager that sometimes life can feel like a dumpster of actual fire, but they will persevere! ($13.99 USD, amazon) 3. Mug Warmer: Sometimes community work gets in the way of a hot cup of coffee/tea/insert your fav bev here. Your favorite community manager can keep their drink at the right temp – no matter how many things get in the way. ($19.99 USD, target) 4. Notebook: But not just any notebook with a random logo from a tradeshow! A special notebook that will remind your favorite community manager you care! (starting at $17.99 USD, WTF Notebooks) 5. Tiny Work Friend: Perhaps the spiritual opposite of an emotional support cactus, this tiny work friend is there when your favorite community manager needs to vent! (starting at $12.99 USD, etsy) 6. Focused AF Candle: Sometime you just need to light something on fire and focus. Handmade in Kansas City by former co-worker/always friend Birdie Hansen, this candle is the perfect gift for your favorite community manager. ($29 USD, Effing Candle Co.**)

We also got into the CMAD greeting card game, creating individual shout-outs to amazing community managers we know. We’ll spam linkedin with them on the 22nd, and include them all on our annual CMAD page here.

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Pay equity is the concept of compensating employees with similar job functions with equal pay, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, race, marital status or other status factors. When we last conducted specific compensation-focused research (in 2019) we DID NOT ask gender. [Insert grimace face emoji here.]

We do know, based on other research that there are a number of factors that contribute to the pay gap in across industries, including:

  • Women are less likely to be promoted to higher-paying positions. A 2019 study by Hired found that women were 18% less likely to be promoted to senior management positions than men.
  • Pay inequity impacts all races. According to U.S. Census Bureau in 2021. for every dollar paid to White, non-Latino men, White non-Latina women are paid 77 cents; Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women are paid 75 cents; Black women are paid 64 cents; Latina women are paid 54 cents and Native American women are paid 51 cents.
  • Non-binary professionals haven’t been represented. Until very recently, compensation was only analyzed in the gender binary, comparing men and women. Data on LGBTQ+ Americans has been at best limited and at worst nonexistent.

Help us start a global conversation on community compensation that represents all people.We know talking about money is taboo. But we want to change that.

By sharing completely anonymized salary data for different roles, regions, and types of organizations we can start a powerful movement in the community industry toward more transparency and equitable pay.

Here are five reasons you should contribute to the 2023 Community Salary Survey:

1. To help ensure fair pay. Accurate and comprehensive industry-specific salary research helps to benchmark salaries which can help to ensure that employees are being paid fairly. This information is important for both employers and employees, as it can help to prevent pay discrimination and ensure that employees are compensated appropriately for their skills and experience.

2. To help improve your own salary negotiation. The final research (which is always free) will help you you can gain valuable insights into what your peers are earning. This information can be used to strengthen your own salary negotiation position and help you to achieve a fair and competitive salary. We need contributions from all over the world to make this a truly comprehensive data set.

3. To help inform your career planning. The final Community Salary research may also be helpful when thinking about your future in community. By understanding the salary ranges for community professionals in different roles and industries, you can make more informed decisions about your career path and set realistic salary expectations.

4. To help the industry as a whole. The more people who participate in the 2023 Community Salary research, the more accurate and comprehensive the data will be. This benefits everyone in the industry, and helps us move toward a world where transparency and pay equity are standard.

5. To make a difference. By contributing to this community salary research, you can help to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Participating helps ensure that people are paid fairly and that they have the information they need to make informed decisions about their careers.

Bonus number 6: it literally takes two minutes. Really, just two minutes! Learn more and start the survey.

  • Pay Equity in Community Management
  • Community Role Profile: Community Specialist Role
  • Critical Hiring Characteristics for Online Community Roles
  • Community Role Profile: Community Strategist
  • Community Role Profile: Director of Community
  • Community Leadership is the Future of all Leadership
  • Writing Effective Community Management Job Descriptions
  • Community Role Profile: Community Manager
  • Managing Job-Related Stress: Meditation
  • Understanding Community Roles and Responsibilities The post Pay Equity in Community Management appeared first on The Community Roundtable.

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If there are aspects that are measured either through a sentiment survey or functionality, make sure that they’re highlighting cultural elements, and have a mechanism to gather that feedback.

Ashleigh Brookshaw, M.A.

As a member of the 2023 State of Community Management Advisory Board, Ashleigh Brookshaw provided guidance and expertise for research in the Culture competency of the research. She shared three ideas on the state of culture in communities with us.

On focusing on the positive…“Through many conversations with community managers, I’ve realized that sometimes we get focused on the bad things within an organizational culture and kind of get stuck on that. It’s really important to highlight the positive, and find those elements that you can use – and are also measurable. If there are aspects that are measured either through a sentiment survey or functionality, make sure that they’re highlighting cultural elements, and have a mechanism to gather that feedback.”

On community and change management…“One of the main things that is difficult for many community professionals is continuously reinforcing the business value of community. [This is where] having the organizational structure, policies, and procedures to affect that culture change long-term, enables those business conversations with the appropriate stakeholders. You have to be able to articulate what is the business value of community in terms that they understand: impacting the bottom line, etc.”

On disrupting “tap on the shoulder culture”…Community is a great place to enact meaningful culture change. Ashleigh shared an example from her career, “There was a lot of what I’ll call “dissent” among marginalized groups within the community, on seeing the same types of speakers at the annual conference. It’s always the same people, that organizational culture was what I would call a ‘tap on the shoulder culture’, they kept tapping the same people over and over to show up in different spaces. So in the community, I saw some conversation, “Why do you guys always have the same speakers?” I took that to the professional development team and showed them, “There is a gap that’s being discussed via the members, let’s address that and then circle back to them.” It was a very real world, tangible way to use community to kind of disrupt that ‘tap-on-the-shoulder’ culture that had been there all along. This led to a holistic DEIB strategic discussion, and resulted in the organization acting meaningfully and highlighting opportunities across all channels not just through cliques.”

About Ashleigh BrookshawAshleigh Brookshaw, M.A. is a detail oriented and digital change enthusiast with expertise in online community engagement, cultural & transformative change management through DEI, and strategic digital marketing communications to drive business results. She has worked with both internal and external audiences with a variety of organizations including nonprofits like Chicago Gateway Green, Fortune 500 companies like Allstate Insurance and professional associations like the American Society of Safety Professionals. Ashleigh holds a B.A. in Advertising/Public Relations and minors in Marketing & Spanish from Loyola University Chicago. She also holds an M.A. in Multicultural/Organizational Communication with a concentration in Training & Development and a project management certificate from Depaul University. Contact her at ashleigh@c2mdigital.co* Ashleigh Brookshaw, M.A. on Changing Community Culture * Three Ways to Improve Your Community’s Culture * Anne Larsen on Community Culture * Using Online Community to Transform Internal Culture and Communications * Measuring Engagement and Culture: TheCR’s Community Engagement Framework * The Link Between Communities and Culture Change * Executive Engagement Matters The post Ashleigh Brookshaw, M.A. on Changing Community Culture appeared first on The Community Roundtable.

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Have you seen this community management/moderation game Moderator Mayhem that is making the rounds? It is a little too close to home for us to truly be a game! It did get us thinking about moderation, and how the wider world looks at the way community managers use moderation vs. censorship their online communities.

Moderation vs. CensorshipContent moderation and censorship are two terms could be used interchangeably, but they have significant differences when it comes to the use of moderation vs. censorship in online communities. Both are methods used by platforms and website administrators to monitor and manage the content that users post on their platforms. However, content moderation and censorship have different goals, methods of implementation, and effects on an online community.

What is content moderation?Content moderation is the process of reviewing and filtering user-generated content to ensure that it meets the community guidelines, terms of service, and legal requirements. The goal of content moderation is to maintain a safe, respectful, and effective online environment by removing content that is harmful, offensive, or inappropriate. Examples of content that may be moderated include hate speech, pornography, violent or graphic images, and spam.

Content moderation is usually carried out by teams of human moderators or through the use of automated tools such as machine learning algorithms that can identify problematic content. Moderators may use different criteria when evaluating content, including its relevance, accuracy, quality, and safety. Moderators may also apply different levels of moderation depending on the severity of the content, such as removing it, flagging it, or providing warnings to the user who posted it.

What is censorship? Censorship, on the other hand, involves the deliberate suppression of information or ideas that are considered controversial, offensive, or threatening. Censorship aims to control or manipulate the narrative, suppress dissent, or protect the interests of those in power. Examples of content that may be censored include political dissent, criticism of the government or religion, and certain types of artistic expression.

Censorship is often carried out by governments or other authorities who have the power to control access to information. Censorship can take many forms, including internet shutdowns, blocking access to websites or social media platforms, and the imprisonment of journalists or bloggers who express dissenting views.

So what’s the difference?The key difference between content moderation and censorship is the underlying motivation and intent behind each approach. Content moderation aims to protect the online community and its members by removing content that violates community guidelines or legal requirements. Censorship, on the other hand, aims to control information and restrict access to certain types of content for political or ideological reasons.

Content moderation is a necessary and beneficial practice that helps maintain a safe and respectful online environment. A safe and respectful community is the baseline environment for an productive online space, and since people love to push boundaries (and sometimes, just be jerks) thoughtful moderation is a critical component of online community management. While in some cases, content moderation decisions may be subjective, and there is a risk of moderators applying their own biases or interpretations when evaluating content it is overwhemlingly a needed process.

Censorship, on the other hand, is widely viewed as a violation of free speech and an infringement of individual rights. Censorship can limit access to information and suppress important debates and discussions. Governments and authorities that engage in censorship often face criticism and opposition from civil society and international organizations that advocate for free speech and human rights.

In conclusion, content moderation and censorship are two distinct approaches to managing content in online communities – and only one has a place in creating a safe and effective environment for members. Content moderation protects an online community and its members, staff, and organization, while allowing for healthy conflict and free speech.

Read more about effective community moderation.

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Community Conversations is a long-running podcast series highlighting community success stories from a wide variety of online community management professionals.

Episode #90 of Community Conversations features Margaret Hedderman, Communications & Editorial Director at Startup Colorado.

Margaret shares a look at the community journey at Start Up Colorado – the home for resources for entrepreneurs, startups, and small business owners in rural Colorado.

We discuss how they approached choosing a technology partner, must-haves for their online community and their path from ideation to launch.

Margaret also shares how Start Up Colorado uses thoughtful onboarding processes to boost long-term community engagement and what’s next for the network.

This episode of Community Conversations is sponsored by Hivebrite.

Listen to Margaret Hedderman on Scaling Community ImpactCommunityConversations-Transcript-#90DownloadAbout Margaret HeddermanMargaret is a nonfiction (and fiction) writer, podcast producer, copywriter and editor.

You can find her work in BBC Travel, on Apple Podcasts, and in support of rural entrepreneurs and small business owners. Since 2011, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content marketer across industries. I believe that everything boils down to a good story. If you need help telling yours, hit me up.

About Start Up ColoradoStartup Colorado was founded in 2011 by Phil Weiser and Brad Feld at the Silicon Flatirons Center at the University of Colorado Law School. The initiative initially focused on supporting startups on the Front Range, and the effort to support entrepreneurship across the entire state is the latest evolution of Startup Colorado. Since 2017, Startup Colorado shifted its mission to focus solely on the foundation and success of the State’s rural-based entrepreneurs.

Colorado’s rural entrepreneurs are building some of the most exciting business opportunities across the state, from geographically isolated small towns to growing rural hubs. Whether they live inside populations of 60 or 60,000, they are dedicated to diversifying economies, creating new jobs, and fostering local talent. Their goals are mighty and their challenges many. While some business resources are scarce, others are disconnected or hard to find, making it difficult for any entrepreneur to navigate.

Startup Colorado solves for this challenge with tactics that drive greater awareness and cohesion on the playing field for entrepreneurs and the business support organizations who serve them. Through strategic networking, partnership development, and collaboration, we eliminate barriers, mitigate support gaps, and dismantle silos.

Check out more episodes of Community Conversations

  • Community Conversations – Episode #89 – Melissa Westervelt on Policies and Governance
  • Community Conversations – Episode #88: Adam Ballhaussen on Technology Integration and Optimization
  • Community Conversations – Episode #87: Kelly Munro on Content and Programs
  • Community Conversations – Episode #86: Tim Bamber on Automation Tools
  • Community Conversations – Episode #85: Dianne Kibbey on Community Migrations
  • Community Conversations – Episode #84: Jillian Bejtlich on Support Communities
  • Community Conversations – Episode #83: Anne Larsen on Community Culture
  • Community Conversations – Episode #82: Chris Catania on Community Leadership
  • Community Conversations – Episode #81: Allison Brotman on Community Strategy
  • Community Conversations – Episode #80: Marjorie Anderson

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The Community Leadership Awards 2022 recognize Zapier, Progress, Analog Devices, Inc., Microsoft, and Bain and Company, and other global organizations as leaders of innovation in community management. BOSTON, MA – […]

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Community Conversations is a long-running podcast highlighting community success stories from a wide variety of online community management professionals. Episode #85 of Community Conversations features Dianne Kibbey, Global Head\VP of […]

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In our State of Community Management research, we found that 47% of community roles are defined by HR teams, who might not always understand what your community team needs to […]

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The Culture competency of the Community Maturity Model™ addresses habits, motivators (intrinsic and extrinsic), social norms, communications, decision-making processes, development processes, and learning approaches in an organization and/or community. Organizations […]

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Good news! Working in a digital workplace has become more common than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bad news. There are still some who struggle to stay connected and engaged […]

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The Community Maturity Model™’s Strategy competency tracks how business and community goals align to achieve results for both the community program and the organization as a whole. Community strategy balances […]

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The Conference Board planned a big community launch for April 2020. One thing they didn’t plan on was a global pandemic. Learn how the community team at The Conference Board […]

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The writing’s on the wall, your organization can benefit from a community. But how do you get leadership on board? You’re in luck, because we’ve got the scoop on successfully […]

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Lessons from The NEW Community Manager Handbook is a limited-run podcast series, featuring the 21 community leaders showcased in the Handbook in conversation with Anne Mbugua. Episode Two features April Uzarski, Associate Director, Tech […]

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Community managers are burnt out. And they’ve been that way since before the COVID-19 pandemic began — in the 2019 State of Community Management (SOCM) about 50% of respondents reported […]

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