Online community manager
Encyclopedia
The online community manager role is a growing and developing profession. People in this position are working to build, grow and manage communities around a brand or cause.
, had leaders known as System Operators or Sysops. The early 1990s saw the growth of mainstream online computer services such as Prodigy, CompuServe
and America Online
. Prominent features of these services included communities which went by various names; Special Interest Groups, Communities of Interest and so on. And their leaders were often referred to as "Moderators."
She claims such leaders hold the collective vision, create and manage relationships and manage collaborative processes. Anklam does not distinguish a fundamental difference for these roles as related to the varying purposes of network, (i.e. community), creation.
This is an emerging & fast growing profession, especially given the growth of branded online communities, online research communities, corporate blogs and other social media marketing and research activities.
In 2008, Jeremiah Owyang began maintaining a list of online community managers employed by large corporations (a Fortune 5000 company or over 1,000 employees). This list is certainly not exhaustive and does not include the many community managers at smaller organizations, but it does indicate the prevalence of the position in mid 2008.
to take place on the 4th Monday of January.. People are encouraged to send sincere thank you notes to their online community managers. People using Twitter include the #CMAD and #CMGR hashtag in their tweets
about this event.
CA Technologies http://www.ca.com/us/cmad.aspx participated in the 2011 Community Manager Appreciation Day by issuing a press release http://www.pitchengine.com/catechnologies/ca-technologies-celebrates-community-managers/119504/ and a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MwDsae9a2s to publicly celebrate the contributions of its community managers. Many other events around the world commemorate this event.
History of Online Community Management
While the term "online community manager" may not have been used at the time, the role has existed since online systems first began offering features and functions that allowed for community creation. These early efforts, in the form of Bulletin board systemsBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
, had leaders known as System Operators or Sysops. The early 1990s saw the growth of mainstream online computer services such as Prodigy, CompuServe
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
and America Online
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. Prominent features of these services included communities which went by various names; Special Interest Groups, Communities of Interest and so on. And their leaders were often referred to as "Moderators."
General Online Community Manager Roles
Online community managers may serve a variety of roles depending on the nature and purpose of their online community, which may or may not be part of a profit motivated enterprise. Patti Anklam has asserted that "Every network has an underlying purpose" and motivations for such network creation include; Mission, Business, Idea, Learning or Personal.She claims such leaders hold the collective vision, create and manage relationships and manage collaborative processes. Anklam does not distinguish a fundamental difference for these roles as related to the varying purposes of network, (i.e. community), creation.
Professional Online Community Manager Roles
In the fall of 2007, Jeremiah Owyang (was Sr Analyst at Forrester Research: Social Computing) independently gathered job descriptions. His research resulted in his publishing The Four Tenets of the Community Manager.This is an emerging & fast growing profession, especially given the growth of branded online communities, online research communities, corporate blogs and other social media marketing and research activities.
In 2008, Jeremiah Owyang began maintaining a list of online community managers employed by large corporations (a Fortune 5000 company or over 1,000 employees). This list is certainly not exhaustive and does not include the many community managers at smaller organizations, but it does indicate the prevalence of the position in mid 2008.
Community Manager Culture and Appreciation
In 2010 Jeremiah inspired an international Community Manager Appreciation DayCommunity Manager Appreciation Day
- History :Community Manager Appreciation Day takes place every 4th Monday of January as a way to recognize and celebrate the efforts of community managers around the world using social media to improve customer experiences....
to take place on the 4th Monday of January.. People are encouraged to send sincere thank you notes to their online community managers. People using Twitter include the #CMAD and #CMGR hashtag in their tweets
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
about this event.
CA Technologies http://www.ca.com/us/cmad.aspx participated in the 2011 Community Manager Appreciation Day by issuing a press release http://www.pitchengine.com/catechnologies/ca-technologies-celebrates-community-managers/119504/ and a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MwDsae9a2s to publicly celebrate the contributions of its community managers. Many other events around the world commemorate this event.
See also
- Community buildingCommunity buildingCommunity building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area or with a common interest...
- Community of practiceCommunity of practiceA community of practice is, according to cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created...
- Internet forumInternet forumAn Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
- Internet social network
- Market researchMarket researchMarket research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...
- Online deliberationOnline deliberationOnline deliberation is a term associated with an emerging body of practice, research, and software dedicated to fostering serious, purposive discussion over the Internet...
- Online research communityOnline research communityAn Online research community is a part of an emerging and developing area in market research making use of developments in Web 2.0 technologies and online communities...
- Qualitative researchQualitative researchQualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such...
- Research 2.0
- Social networkSocial networkA social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
- Social mediaSocial mediaThe term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
Further reading and external links
- Community Manager Job Description by Connie Bensen
- Community Manager Responsibilities by Connie Bensen
- e-Mint: the Association of Online Community Managers
- Community Manager Room (FriendFeed)
- Online Community Managers Group (Facebook)
- Community Manager, Advocate, and Evangelist (Facebook)
- Online Community Manager (LinkedIn)
- Creating Online communities web site (Joomlapolis)
- Online Community Manager Community Management tool for property owners
- Community Manager Responsibilities in spanish by Webcuatro
- Community Manager Tips in spanish by Bloguismo.com
- MIS 300 Managing Online Communities course at the University of Arizona
- Community Management Description by Two Pi Team
- Rosenkranz, C., Feddersen, C. (2010). Managing viable virtual communities: an exploratory case study and explanatory model. International Journal of Web Based Communities. Volume 6, Number 1: 5-14. http://inderscience.metapress.com/link.asp?id=j2888h3537761355