Why you need community management training
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Managing an online community is one of the toughest jobs in the social media space. It requires much more than most people think, including a distinct skill set that is often realized a little late in the game by the person doing the job. And once realized, that person, who is charged with managing, growing and nurturing the community may decide they're not up to it at all or that it simply isn't what they bargained for.
I don't find fault with those people, because it is a job for tireless individuals who are deeply passionate about the community and willing to fail often just to see mild success. And that's tough for a lot of people. The good thing is that you can learn to be very good at managing online communities if you'd like and you don't have to be born with all of the skills that I deem crucial for success, though having most of them, is ideal.
First off, let me be clear about those skills I'm referencing. Here's an excerpt from a blogpost I wrote on this very topic in April of last year, after having managed an online community for two years. Keep in mind that it was written after a particularly rough day, but there can be many of those and you have to be prepared to cope.
"...I’m talking about razor-sharp interpersonal communication skills, the ability to exhibit an enormous amount of tact, an extremely thick skin and a boatload of compassion for people you would rather not give an ounce. Did I mention grace under presssure, courage under fire, openness to criticism and tolerance beyond belief?"
I went on and on throughout that post about it being time to be open and honest about what it takes to manage and grow an online community, largely because I felt it was being sugar-coated by people with great influence in social media. It still is in my opinion, and that's why the training I provide is steeped in reality and one of the main reasons several chapters in my book about online community management deal with the tough issues that a lot of people never truly discuss.
It's never too late to for this type of training, regardless of the stage of your community. It's great to have in the beginning for guidance on seeding content, developing relationships, attracting new members, and growing the community overall, but it's also good when you're looking to regroup, revamp or move on to the next phase. Perhaps you've been without a community manager and want to figure out what kinds of interactive features or editorial franchises might be of interest to the masses. There is always an opportunity to learn and do more and sometimes a fresh set of eyes is all it takes for that new perspective and ideas that will change the community dynamic.
So that's why I think you, or someone within your organization needs community management training. The question is, will you go and get it. I know someone who knows someone, who can help you out. :-)
Comments
Everything you described is so true. I watched you take daily "virtual beatings" from adults acting like children on a school yard.
I also watched others come to care a great deal about you and the good that the community could accomplish....
More importantly though, than the community leader having said skills, is that the community actually HAS a leader.
Some may think a community can manage itself, with a part-time employee peeping in every so often to pull inappropriate material, but that is not the case at all...
You are a wonderful community leader Angela. You forgot to mention it also takes being firm and swift with discipline, while never losing compassion... you were good at that as well
Please introduce me to somebody who knows somebody. I have been interested in learning more about the technicalities of managing an online community, because of the social networking work I have done for organizations over the past couple of years.
Your book will probably be a great place to start.
Angela I agree with what you say about the skill-set required to manage an online community and I would like to offer a distinction between Qualitative and Quantitative purposed Online Communities. DigitalMR's definition of a qualitative online community for co-creation is 300-500 participants, whereas an online community destined for quantitative market research and possibly marketing has thousands of members. I have found that the the skill-set required to manage a large online community is akin to that of managing an access panel. I would be interested to know if differentiate between the training you provide between qual and quant purposed communities.
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