January 20, 2009
Community Management in a Something-Dot-Whatever World
By: Amber Naslund
So then. The dust has settled a bit, and I’m getting cozy with my new role here as Radian6‘s Director of Community. It’s no small occasion, not just because it’s a new job to me, but because I think it’s indicative of something bigger and more important that I’m hoping to see in the business world.
Community management is in many ways the first of what I think will be a host of hybrid disciplines that will filter out of the 2.0 era. It’s not customer service, it’s not communications, it’s not brand management or business development. It’s all of those things, but rooted in a very fundamental principle: being accessible to customers and empowered to help make your business more useful to them.
It’s the next step to getting involved with social media as a business, but it’s a critical one that almost needs to happen simultaneously. Community roles provide the human element that completes a healthy cycle of communication from company to customer and back again, all with a real, personalized voice. (After all, what good is talking if you have no accessible and approachable way to listen and respond?)
Just like we’re discovering that the same communication strategies and tactics are evolving alongside business, so too are the roles that have been traditional touchpoints for customers and clients. Silos don’t work anymore (I would actually argue that they never have, but this for another discussion…). We’re all responsible for stewarding our brands, and community roles put customer relationships front and center to doing that well. It’s less about a laundry list of responsibilities, and more about being fluid and flexible enough to learn what your customers and clients need from you, and adapting to that.
But this has a host of challenges, right? How do you scale humans to be everywhere they need to be? What’s the balance of familiarity and professionalism that’s needed to do it just right? How do you keep up internal communication and make sure you’re doing something with what you learn? And most importantly, does this role matter to your customers and if it does, what are their expectations for it?
So let’s hear from you. Let’s talk about what *you* think community management is all about, and what unanswered questions we should be tackling. Is this an essential role to you, or a glorified buzzword? Why? And how do you see it fitting into today’s business operations? The comments are yours.
Tough questions. But, I’ll agree with the analysis that it is all of those things (business development, customer service, etc.). As technology grows and becomes even more complex, and as we develop businesses around it, then we’ll have to develop new professions and new ways of doing business. This is a prime example.
Congrats again on your new job.
Being a community manager requires a large skill set.I think you make great points in this post, but the questions you pose are even better. I can’t wait to see you summarize the answers in future posts.
Hi Amber,
I think you are absolutely right. To manage an effective communication process you definitely need a ommunity manager. And yes: it is much more than customer service. I think theres another question on the social media regarding a community manager: wether it should be a person from the community itself or an enterprise offivial. To me, that belongs to the goals I have working with my community. Some processs are better organized by a community itself, some should better be organzd by a professional, like e.g. dealing with educational-matters or managing product-evolvement. At least, I will keep interested in what is the right way, to manage the “special communication” in communities and who will be in which situation the riht person for that. Keep on going!
Hi Amber,
I think you are absolutely right. To manage an effective communication process you definitely need a ommunity manager. And yes: it is much more than customer service. I think theres another question on the social media regarding a community manager: wether it should be a person from the community itself or an enterprise offivial. To me, that belongs to the goals I have working with my community. Some processs are better organized by a community itself, some should better be organzd by a professional, like e.g. dealing with educational-matters or managing product-evolvement. At least, I will keep interested in what is the right way, to manage the "special communication" in communities and who will be in which situation the riht person for that. Keep on going!
First of all, congrats! Your role is a big challenge. In my opinion, whan makes it really interesting is that it sits on the border / frontier between the old / less structured way to approch digital communication and the new / organised way to handle it. Of course there seem to be no clear separation of “old” and “new” but lines are blurring.
Being on that blurred line is the real challenge.
To me, a community manager needs to
. connect (consumer and brands – both ways)
. foresee the upcoming changes and possibilities from a provileged point or view
. integrate with the community (watching’s not enough)
. evolve with the community according to product insights gaines.
That’s true: silos are disappearing. In roles, but also in methods. For instance, the POST method by Forrester, which I recently wrote a post about in my blog.
So have a nice time on the blurring line!
First of all, congrats! Your role is a big challenge. In my opinion, whan makes it really interesting is that it sits on the border / frontier between the old / less structured way to approch digital communication and the new / organised way to handle it. Of course there seem to be no clear separation of "old" and "new" but lines are blurring.
Being on that blurred line is the real challenge.
To me, a community manager needs to
. connect (consumer and brands – both ways)
. foresee the upcoming changes and possibilities from a provileged point or view
. integrate with the community (watching's not enough)
. evolve with the community according to product insights gaines.
That's true: silos are disappearing. In roles, but also in methods. For instance, the POST method by Forrester, which I recently wrote a post about in my blog.
So have a nice time on the blurring line!
What a great role! You are at the forefront of an era, a pioneer. Stefano has great points. In addition, two things:
1) Learn from other "Community Directors"
– this role needs to always be vigilant of how other companies are getting bad press (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/9l6bnz) and good press. The fine balance between what is too personal and what is old school corporate communications (slow, structured, and cold).
2) Connect inside the company.
– This role is a senior role with access to R&D, new products and a direct voice to the customer. It is not a one way street. It is not a "put some folks on this social media thing". The community director role needs bi-directional access. This role needs access to decision makers and senior leaders within the organization to provide them a clear vision of the community voice. The community director needs the respect and trust of key players in the organization.
I would love to have a position like this! Best of luck!