Why do Community Managers rock? On Community Manager Appreciation Day (#CMAD) we asked this question and got answers ranging  from culture-keepers to smiles to those with grace under pressure.

@radian6 The good ones understand the audience and listen. Can’t stress that enough.

— Jason Mollica (@JasMollica) January 23, 2012

@radian6 Because they’re the coolest people I know. It takes a certain personality, and its a great personality to be around.

— Joe Amodio (@Jmodio) January 23, 2012

@radian6 I love that a CM’s answer to “did you hear about/see that…” is always “yes” before the Q is even complete #aheadofthegame #CMAD

— Abady Alzahrani (@AbadyA) January 23, 2012

@radian6 Thanks for sharing the post! Why do you think CM’s rock? Am 1, hence rockage. Huge in Estonia. We r glue that holds it all 2gether.

— Joy Schoeph Helfrich (@iScreamSocMedia) January 23, 2012

Correction: @radian6 #Community Managersgreet you (w/ a warm, inviting personality), guides & keepsconversations rolling. #CMAD ; )

— Coretta(@CorettaJackson) January 23, 2012

@radian6 Community managers rock because you need people, not press releases these days.

— Patrick Hussey (@PatrickRiot) January 23, 2012

@radian6Community managers can help a brand/company be proactive about issues & communications instead of reactive#CMAD

— Vanessa Penagos (@VanessaMP) January 23, 2012

@radian6 Because we’re engagers, innovators, communicators…and we do it with a smile! #CMAD

— Tab Bourguignon (@tab_b) January 23, 2012

@radian6 ’cause our job is the combination between tech and humanism. Understanding humans as a sport to give them information through tech.

— Liza Durón (@TedeFrambuesa) January 23, 2012

@radian6 – Comm Managers are the ‘Culture-Keepers’ of their communities – the only currency that matters in OCs #CMD

— Colm Shalvey (@cshalvey) January 23, 2012

@radian6 Community Managers rock b/c they get to be at the front of the action, share feedback & make things happen on the fly! #CMAD

— Caitlin Madden (@caitm) January 23, 2012

@radian6 Community Managers bring a face to a company and a more personable attitude to every community they work with. #CMAD

— Kim White (@WhiteKim) January 23, 2012

Amazing knack for controlling the uncontrollable > RT @radian6 We’d love to hear from you! Why do you think community managers rock? #CMAD

— Charlie Isaacs (@charlieisaacs) January 23, 2012

@radian6 You’re welcome! A lot of brands have yet to learn that good people are the back-bone of any #SocialMedia strategy!

— Lisa Maynard-Atem (@STYLISA) January 23, 2012

@radian6 They are out there putting out fires on a daily basis and representing your org’s brand.

— Ese(@emerhi) January 23, 2012

@radian6 ComunityManagers needs 2 be celebrated everyday cause they have all entire weight of the brands!! #CMAD

— LetsKalk (@LetsKalk) January 23, 2012

@radian6 @eric_andersen Community Managers rock b/c they personify grace under pressure, delivered with a smile #cmad

— Greg Meyer (@grmeyer) January 23, 2012

@radian6 @grmeyer oh that’s easy – they make the community feel appreciated, which is quite a challenge!

— Eric Andersen (@eric_andersen) January 23, 2012

Don’t see yours on here or have another reason to add? Feel free to share it in the comments section! We would love to hear what you think. If you’re interested in #CMAD, here are some more posts around on the topic.

Including social media in your campaign is becoming less and less of an option and more and more of a necessity. What we all need to remember is that since social media enables two-way communication and immediate response from your community, you need to make sure that you have an engagement plan ready to go. Social campaigns cannot just be planned to be one sided. You’ll need to take the time to think about the possible reactions your community can have to your campaign and be ready to response to each situation. This can mean building out a playbook for response for every different campaign. Take a look at a campaign we run multiple times a day, the pushing of our content.

This looks at an easily repeatable action of out-posting blog content, but can be used on a much larger scale. The important thing it shows is the strategic thinking behind every possible response. By taking the time to build out such a model, you’ll be able to have the right resources ready to make sure that the engagement around your campaign stays active and that you are able to pull back all that positive and negative feedback to make meaningful action items for your next campaign.

Let’s look at the graphic again but this time, let’s walk through it step by step asking ourselves the types of questions for successful engagement.

Brand Step 1 – Outpost
Where will you be positing? Who will handle the out posting? What type of message are you trying to convey?

Community Step 1 – First Response
Will you monitor for general shares? Will you monitor for feedback and for people who are extremely positive? Will you monitor for negative concerns?

Brand Step 2 – 1st Engagement
Will you respond from a corporate channel or personal voice? Will you say thank you to all those who share? Will you respond to negative feedback?

C0mmunity Step 2 – Follow Up Response
Do you want to track their feedback? Do you want encourage large discussions? How will you share this information internally?

Brand Step 3 – 2nd Engagement
When will you take conversations to a more private space? When will you choose to end the conversations? Do you want to have long discussions? When will you not respond?

No matter how long your engagement goes as far as steps are concerned, it’s important to be prepared at any stage to answer any questions, receive any feedback (good or bad) and to move all this information through to your campaign reporting. By being prepared you’ll make the most of what social media campaigns can offer you in community engagement.

How do you prepare for the community feedback to one of your campaigns? Would you be prepared if the feedback was negative? Do you have a list of resources for follow up questions? How are you tracking this engagement?

If you are looking to learn more about how social media campaigns can help with two way communication with your Community, check out Chapter 1 of this month’s eBook. If you’re a Radian6 user and looking for a way to track this engagement, gain an understanding of Workflow functionality in this post.

One of my mentors once said that the thing that turns a story from being ordinary into unforgettable is the honesty and truth behind the writer’s words. That is why you often hear people saying, “write what you know” since we’re usually pretty truthful about the things we know well. If the content that you produce is part of your social media strategy, one thing that will help you connect with your community and build a strong relationship is putting a little of your personal passion and truth behind your words.

Adding your own personal voice to posts about your company or organization can be a hard thing to do. You need to find the right tone, voice and your own comfort level for sharing your thoughts. The benefits you’ll gain may help to justify the time and effort spent. Think about the stories you’ve read that have really spoken to you, the blogs you always come back to and even the commercials that tug at your heart strings. They all have someone’s strong personal truth mixed into the story.

Walk yourself through some of these questions the next time you put up a post.

• Why does this piece of content matter to me?
• Do I have a personal experience I can share?
• Do I care about what I am saying?
• Is there someone else who is more passionate about this than me?
• What do I hope people think after reading this?

How would you answer? If it helps, here’s what I would say about this particular post.

• Why does this piece of content matter to me?
• I love seeing people show off their passion through writing and even though we are talking about our work lives, I believe we can still be passionate about them.
• Do I have a personal experience I can share?
• Every single writing mentor I’ve ever had has always told me that if you believe in the words you are writing, the truth and passion will show through and feed the reader.
• Do I care about what I am saying?
• Yes, because it relates directly to what I love doing.
• Is there someone else who is more passionate about this than me?
• Other people on my team are just as passionate and could add to this story, I should discuss this with them.
• What do I hope people think after reading this?
• I hope people take a few moments the next time they post some content and add a slight personal passion when possible and appropriate. I also hope people share their stories of what part of social content is so exciting for them.

Remember, you aren’t just writing content for the sake of having a blank space on your website filled. If you are, the lack of passion and honesty in your writing won’t do anything to build a strong connection with your community.

So how do you build a relationship with your community through your content? Be honest, show your passion and write about what you love.

What is it that you love about using social media for sharing your content? What topics really stir up your passionate side?

Genevieve Coates is a Community Manager at Radian6. She’s a data geek who loves to talk so feel free to shout to @genevievecoates.

Last Friday I shared some great ideas for content curation with you from Joey Savoy at District 16. Today I wanted to share a bit more about the District and what they are up to because I think it can inspire us all.

While visiting the representatives from District 16, 15 and a group from the Netherlands the common theme was to determine the best ways to raise the next generation of Global Citizens and what a big responsibility indeed! The importance of proper social media and new media education is incredible. As Joey shared, “The value of collaboration has been immeasurable in School District 16. It has provided our students with authentic learning experiences that cannot be found in any textbook. On a daily basis, our District thrives on promoting 21st Century Learning Skills such as Communication, Collaboration, Global Citizenship, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving.”

Premier Alward, and local MLA's hosting the morning video announcements at Gretna Green Elementary.

So how can we learn from some of the things that are happening in the District and how do we apply them to our own communities? The following are three key takeaways:

Reward
School District 16 takes great pride in the creativity and innovation shown by its teachers and students. Technology has been leveraged to support the curriculum and enhance student learning. Every year District 16 celebrates these achievements by hosting the CUTE Awards, which recognizes the “Creative Use of Technology in Education” The community is very supportive of this event, which has been referred to as the Academy Awards of Technology in District 16. Supporting partners from the tourism and business sectors are always more than willing to take part in this amazing event.

Think of ways to reward your community and recognize them for some of the great things they do for you. This encourages and empowers them to go out and continue to strive to be great.

Lead the Way
On the global front, School District 16 has often been recognized as a world leader in the use of technology in education. In June 2010, the Miramichi region was recognized by SMART Technologies Inc. as the 1st SMART Showcase Community in the world for the implementation of SMART Boards in all schools and throughout the community.

Think of ways that you too can lead the way and be an expert in various areas for your audience. Leading the way sets you apart and encourages others to look to you for advice and ideas.

Be Unique
In addition to this, School District 16 has also been designated by Scientific Learning as the only National Reference Site in Canada for Fast ForWord Learning.

Think about how you can stand out above those around you. What ways are you drawing others in and providing something unique?

Also consider that District 16 is by no means the biggest District or the most well known in Canada, but their community (and now you!) know what they are doing and are inspired by them. Thousands of people are visiting their school websites daily. Most specifically friends and family of students and their local community members, but they know how to inspire and speak to this audience because they have found a way to keep them coming back. You don’t need to be the biggest company or the most well known globally. You need to speak to your audience and find ways to keep them engaged.

Next week I will review how District 16 has set-up their websites to ensure their parents and friends return. We’ll look at why their audience checks back on their websites daily and what you can learn from this.

What are some ways you reward, lead the way and stand out as unique? What are some ways you plan to do so in the future?

Melanie Thompson is a Community Analyst at Radian6. When she is not engaging with the Radian6 community she can be found reading or blogging. Find out why she calls herself Mrs. 20 Q’s by reaching out to her on Twitter @MelanieAThomp.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? It’s an age old question and can be used to explain many situations in life and one of them could be how your social media content is being received. If you share an amazing blog post and no one is there to read it, is it still amazing? Since the value of a piece of content is always going to be subjective based on the reader’s own set of values, opinions and interest area, you can write an amazing piece of prose and have it fall flat without the right people there to read it. How do you know you are writing the type of content that is being well received by your audience? Question every single piece of content you produce.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t have confidence in what you are writing, but rather accept the fact that there are many different tastes in your community and not everything you put out there is going to receive a standing ovation right off the bat. In order to produce successful content that speaks to your community, you need to listen to what your community is saying about your existing content. How do you gain the understanding about your content if the main thing you see is a sea of retweets (RT’s)?

To start, every time you post something to your community, ask them what they think, even to the RT’s. Scared it could get a little monotonous? So what! The five seconds it takes you to write a quick question is worth the possible engagement, feedback and understanding that you could gain from your audience.

You shouldn’t feel like you always just need to ask, “Did you like the post?” Here are 15 different styles of questions that all fit nicely into a tweet you can use to get feedback.

• Did you have any favorite parts of the eBook?
• Would you care to share your thoughts?
• Did you find <insert topic> was what you expected?
• What type of items would you add to the list?
• Are there any parts of the post that you are using in your day to day?
• Have you found that <insert topic> works in your business?
• How could this post speak to you more?
• Any thoughts you would like to add?
• What are your thoughts on the topic?
• Did you find this is true for you specifically?
• How does this relate to your industry?
• Do you think others would agree?
• Anything you disagree with in the post?
• How much time does your company spend on these topics?
• What are some ways that have worked for you on this topic?

No matter what way you ask the question, be open to hearing your community’s opinions. That way you’ll always have amazing content that is constantly heard.

What are some questions you ask your audience? What did you think of this post? Be sure to check out Chapter 4 of our latest eBook for more information on shaping your content from your relationship with your community.
Genevieve Coates is a Community Manager at Radian6. She’s a data geek who loves to talk so feel free to shout to @genevievecoates.

This week we’ve taken a look into ways to share and organize content for your community. Today, I wanted to take the time to share a great example of this. A few short weeks ago, Cory Hartlen and I had the privilege of traveling to Miramichi, NB to visit some great people. We met a group of educators from District 16, District 15 and from the Netherlands, who gathered together to share how they are using social media for educational purposes. They also shared some of the successes they have seen as a result.

There is so much to share from this visit that I wanted to break things down into a few posts. Today though, I simply wanted to share a few ways that some of the people from District 16 and beyond, organize and share valuable information for their own communities. I hope that it will inspire you to think about how you are curating resources for your community.

There are several ways to organize and share content with your community, but the key is understanding your community first. This is something that can often be forgotten. When it comes to sharing information with their educators Joey Savoy from District 16 explained to us several different ways that he finds and shares educational resources with his colleagues.

LiveBinders.com is one way that Joey shares resources. It is education specific and allows you to create virtual binders to share information with others and to find ‘binders’ on a variety of topics. This allows you to create and grow binders on a wide variety of topics that can be shared throughout the district or community. For example, a science binder can be created so that all science teachers in the district can access and review it.

Joey also explained that he uses Symbaloo.com which allows him to compile great resources on various topics and display them all on one page with quick links. This is a fast way to provide access to a page full of useful resources on a specific topic.

Another way that Joey stated he gathers resources, is by following some popular twitter chats such as #iwb (Interactive White Board – which they use in District 16)  as well as #edchat and #edteach. Finding relevant discussions and following along or participating in them, is a great way to find new and valuable resources.

I realize these resources are predominately education focused, but the important thing to recognize is that combining the right informational resources and curation tools is very important. Recognizing what works for your community and how they can quickly access what they need, makes the process of collecting these resources worthwhile.

I look forward to posting again about our day in Miramichi and sharing a more in-depth look at the great work these educators are doing.

What are some ways that you curate valuable resource to share? Be sure to check out Chapter 3 of our latest e-Book for more information on Content Curation.

Melanie Thompson is a Community Analyst at Radian6. When she is not engaging with the Radian6 community she can be found reading or blogging. Find out why she calls herself Mrs. 20 Q’s by reaching out to her on Twitter @MelanieAThomp.

Looking around and seeing the people you’ve spent years growing up with can be a sobering experience. You’ll recognize those who have become your mentors, those who are your confidants, the people you love to be around, the people you avoid, the people who challenge you and the people who are there with you, day in and day out – no matter what.

Stop for a minute. Think of your life. The moments you’ve laughed, the moments you’ve cried, the moments you’ve wanted to pull your hair out, and the moments you’ve wanted the whole world to know who you are.

Now that you’ve got those moments in your head, think about what you heard, saw or read that influenced you during these times. It could have been as simple as a quick instant message from a friend or as complex as a full advertising campaign from a company. Either way there was probably some form of content that inspired or influenced you.

All the content we find influencing our decisions and lives may seem random, it’s what speaks to us personally. The planning behind it probably doesn’t matter to us as individuals. However, there is usually a large of amount of planning behind what influences us daily. So what influences you? How do you find that perfect vacation spot? Where do you go when you need to learn something new? What are the formats that you help you understand information better?

Take some time and ask yourself the following questions to gain some inspiration for your content:

• What is the last TV commercial I laughed at? Why did I find it funny?
• What are the type of blog articles do I always share?
• Do I click on the video links that people share? Why or why not?
• Do I filter my social media feeds by photos, videos or comments?
• What type of life events do I share and which ones do my friends connect with me through?

Understanding what influences you and those around you, will help you create ideas when you are sharing content with others. Try using your personal inspiration to influence your content creation and sharing.

Where, What and How does content influence your personal life? Can you use the same strategy in your business life to make successful content?

Over the past few years, we’ve seen the onset of Social Media Managers and Community Managers to help orchestrate everything “social” for both corporations and agencies. If you have been on the outside looking in at this social media revolution, you might have heard that the person responding to you is a Community Manager and that they see you as a part of their corporate global community. This might catch you a little off guard. It might even make you wonder about this person’s role and why you are engaging with them. So why do we have these jobs with “Community” in the title? Why are we trying to control how customer relationships grow? Why do we care so much about managing the experience of our community?

Having a strong Community means that your customers have come together in a safe place to share experiences, good and bad, that you can learn from and that other social customers can build opinions on. The reasons for having people in these roles to manage your communities are countless but include customer support, being a knowledge and just plain being someone to reach out to when your customers are in need. If you want to know if your community needs this managing or if the managing you are doing is effective, just ask some of your clients these questions.

1. Do you feel like your voice is heard by us?

2. Would you recommend us to someone us?

3. How do you like connecting (phone, email, social channel) with us?

4. What ways could we improve the ways we connect?

5. What else could we do to improve your customer experience?

Simple though they may seem, questions like these are what are going to tell you if your clients feel like you are making them an integral part of your company giving them the one to one attention social demands or if there are areas where you could improve and help to build a stronger relationship.

Would you give these questions to your community to answer? Do you feel comfortable with the responses you think you would get? How would you answer these questions about Radian6?

Genevieve Coates is a Community Manager at Radian6. She’s a data geek who loves to talk so feel free to shout to @genevievecoates.

It’s been said that content is king. If content is king, then dare I say that community is queen.

Whatever your brand, chances are you have a thriving community. So, when you think about your community, do you think primarily about clients or consumers? Brand advocates and influencers? What about the people who have yet to try your product or service, those who are still on the fence and not quite ready to commit? Do you consider them a part of your community? If you don’t, you should. Depending on your brand, your community can be made up of clients, consumers, fans and those interested in learning more about what you have to offer. Don’t just spend time focusing on your brand’s influencers. Every member of your community is important and plays a vital role in the health and prosperity of your business.

Where Does Community Live

You community doesn’t have to, and probably won’t, reside solely on your website or blog. Your community can be, and most likely is, spread far and wide across various social networks. Sure your community will be on website and blog but they can also be in social spaces like Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, forums and even your mailing list and newsletter. Your community members want to connect – not just with you but with each other. Therefore, give them a place to congregate, cooperate and communicate collectively.

Community is Powerful

Your community members are an important part of your business. They can share experiences, learn from one another, instruct and inform. It’s not unusual to see community members offering advice or assistance before a brand has an opportunity to respond. It’s also pretty exciting to see a strong community of loyal members come to the defense of a brand (Maker’s Mark ambassadors are a great example of this), but that’s what community is all about. During good times and the not-so-good times, if you take care of your community, your community will take care of you.  Your community is powerful. Chris Brogan says this about community “It’s not static. It’s not single-minded. It’s not an unending resource. It’s not self-sustaining. It’s not orderly.” You have to nurture your community. Give more than you take (free content, covering topics your community is interested in, is a great start) Ask questions, let them ask questions, listen and take the time to get to know the people in your community.

Community is Ever Evolving

Your community will change. There will be times when your community members are more active and times when they’re not. These relationships will have an ebb and flow . Your connection to the members of your community will evolve.  Just as you encouraged and cultivated the growth of your community, you must also be open enough to accept some of the changes you will experience within your community. Rachel Happe, Principal at The Community Roundtable, says “The ability to support the waning of a relationship is just as important as the ability to support the growth of one. Why? If you make it comfortable for someone to leave you behind as they move forward, you make it comfortable for them to re-engage you later.” It’s a natural part of relationships so it makes sense that it will be a natural part of your relationship with your community members as well.

Do you think community is queen? How in-tune are you with your community? Has your community changed over time? Let us know, in the comments below.

Trish Forant is a Community Manager at Radian6. She blogs about social media, sunny South Florida and her ever-growing menagerie. Connect with her on Twitter at @Dayngr.

There is often some hesitation that comes with the concept of becoming a Social Enterprise. For instance, when you’re working toward a one-to-one customer experience and focusing on the relationship, there is the social expectation to be available 24/7.  In this connected online world where everything moves a mile a minute, it can be overwhelming to think about the amount of opportunities you open yourself up to by being social. The expectation of being available all the time is just one of many assumptions.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In fact, social media is not the only medium with set expectations and mindsets.

Chris Brogan has written some great posts about email management. He brings up the points of effectively getting your email answered. Much of these tips can be used in the social side of things when it comes to blog posts, tweets, etc. There is, however, another side that we all have to keep in consideration as we click send: Our mindset. If companies and consumers can adjust their mindsets (even slightly in a few places) it will help everyone create and maintain stronger relationships.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when engaging and being engaged.

Human response time
We’d all love to have a speed reader to go through our inboxes every morning, but unfortunately, that just doesn’t happen. Do your best as a business to set expectations that are achievable. On the customer side of things, remember that the people behind that brand are just human! A little understanding can go along way to create a strong relationship.

Respect each others’ time
In these times when we are all constantly plugged in, it’s very easy to forget that just because someone is online at 9 pm doesn’t necessarily mean they are working at that time. In the social realm where personal and professional accounts and actions can be blurry at the best of times, keep in mind that some companies you work with have after-hour emails & phone numbers for you to contact in an emergency. On the company side, make sure to have this information available for your clients at all times.

Just be upfront
With your busy schedule, keeping up with emails & tweets could be the last thing on your plate. If it is, be upfront about it. Even a short message to say, “Let me get back to you in X amount of time” can go a long way. As a customer, you can work with businesses and give them a heads up as to the importance and details of your issue. A tweet saying, “I’m having issues” can be vague and but something like, “I need help within the next hour for a major system issue” is a lot more descriptive and sets timelines.

What ways do you deal with the social expectation? What are the roadblocks you’ve hit in dealing with companies or clients? What ways do you think you could better manage?

Genevieve Coates is a Community Manager at Radian6. She’s a data geek who loves to talk so feel free to shout to @genevievecoates.