Image via sxc.hu How many times a day do you participate in some kind of online community? Whether we're interacting over Facebook, Twitter, forums, or some.
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Resources, tips, and insights from real live community managers!
Curated by
Ally Greer
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Scooped by Cedar Brown onto Community Managers |
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Woah! We're happy to announce that Rafflecopter is officially hiring :) In addition, we've hired our first employee over the past month.
Jordan Sanders's insight:
So excited to be @Rafflecopter 's Community Manager (and more) :) Delete the scoop?
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So youve been tasked with building your brands online community strategy. Fantastic! 
Sculpt's curator insight,
May 25, 12:49 AM
An inspiring Community Manager Hangout (#cmgrhangout) Friday afternoon spawned this quick and dirty blog post. WHY does your brand create? Build your community on a foundation of shared purpose, engagement (and action) will come easy. 
Martin (Marty) Smith's comment,
May 25, 1:29 PM
Appreciate Ally's great take here. We uncovered an interesting truth in our #CMGRhangout yesterday: Authenticity = TRUST and trust is GOOD :).M
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With 5 years of Community Management under her belt, Kat French offers some great advice on how to take care of the person who takes care of the community.
Crystal Coleman's insight:
Really good companion piece to Maria Ogneva's great "Dark Side of Community Management" article from last week. Delete the scoop?
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Bringing communities together around a cause is one of the most meaningful and rewarding types of community management. Marty Smith shares how he does it. Via Martin (Marty) Smith
Ally Greer's insight:
So excited to have Marty Smith on today's #cmgrhangout! We're going to talk about storytelling and bringing communities together around personal stories to make an impact and "Save The World."
Martin (Marty) Smith's curator insight,
May 24, 10:55 AM
Looking forward to my HANGOUT with Ally, Tim and Jonathan discussing how community saves the world AND your Internet marketing.
Martin (Marty) Smith's curator insight,
May 24, 1:15 PM
Thanks to Ally, Tim and Jonathan for including me into today's How Community Saves The world G+ Hangout. Delete the scoop?
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While it's true social networks often start with relatively few ads, it's a given that'll change in time. Now Yahoo has acquired Tumblr, and more ads are on the way. Needless to say, not everyone is happy about this.
Jordan Sanders's insight:
Something we should all (#cmgr) keep in mind Delete the scoop?
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According to a definition in the Gamification Wiki,"Game Mechanics are constructs of rules and feedback loops intended to produce enjoyable gameplay." To break the definition into simpler terms, game mechanics let you build features that are fun and addictive.
Ally Greer's insight:
I'm currently trying to learn as much as I can about gamification, and this post was suggested to me by a fellow community manager. It has some great insights, as well as this super useful chart that can help figure out what types of gamification you can implement to meet each of the innate human desires. Gamification is some really interesting stuff, and I would definitely recommend all community managers to investigate it, at least on a basic level. Delete the scoop?
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We spoke with professional community managers and asked them to list a few of their personal must-have resources. Many of these may be of use to you.
Ally Greer's insight:
Hey community managers - wondering what resources the best of the best are using? Check out these tips from some of the coolest minds out there. Delete the scoop?
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Jason Falls identifies the true qualifier of a brand building a community — It’s found in its behavior toward its customers, not anything having to do with the brand itself.
Ally Greer's insight:
Great post by Jason Falls on what makes people feel like a member of a community. Yes, it is necessary to have a good product or service as a basis, but this is not what forms the community around it. Anyone can have hundreds of thousands of people using a product - creating a community takes certain human behaviors and a concentrated effort of making those users feel a part of something. Delete the scoop?
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Want to know what it takes to be a good community manager? Empathy and listening skills are musts, says Tim McDonald, community manager for the Huffington Post Live.
Ally Greer's insight:
Some awesome insights in this video from our very own Tim McDonald! Delete the scoop?
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Leading Through A Crisis With The Mentality of Success
Ally Greer's insight:
It's true: there's no real way to prepare for a crisis. That said, it's something that all community managers have to be prepared for. Here are some interesting and thoughtful tips on how to maintain a sound mind - remember them during your next crisis. Delete the scoop?
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Blog post at Sanera Camp : Deborah Weinstein is President of Toronto PR Firm Strategic Objectives, her team led PR in Canada for Oreo’s news making, 100th Birthday [..]
sherrierohde's insight:
This, so much this! --> "By telling the right stories, brands can emotionally resonate with their audiences and give meaning to their purchasing decisions." Delete the scoop?
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Business 2 Community
Cedar Brown's insight:
Great insights from community managers in not-so-sexy industries! Delete the scoop?
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I wish I had this checklist when I first started as a community manager years ago, so print this out, bookmark it, and refer to it as you get started (The 7-Point Community Manager’s Checklist http://t.co/Qcx8YmJ4w6)...
Cedar Brown's insight:
Great list of important things to do when starting out in community management. Getting to know the position, other cmgrs and the goings on of the web are very important. Not only do you build a community for a brand, you build/join one for yourself too! Delete the scoop?
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As I've pointed out before, with so many people urging every business and every brand to use social media channels to create their own online community, it's important to first stop and ask yourself why you should create an online community. Via Cultivate.ning.com 
Patrick D. Chappelle's comment,
May 28, 12:16 PM
More people should read this article (or like ones), and I wouldn't have to keep suggesting some of these same strategies to individuals who have already started their community, but have no idea what to do with them.
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![How Community Saves The World - Ally, Tim, Jonathan & Marty [Video] #CMGRhangout | Community Managers | Scoop.it](http://img.scoop.it/2oeFB4RoFBeE4MJXGT4eNTl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJ)
Fun Hanging out with Ally (from @Scoopit), Tim and Jonathan today. NOTE: We had some bumps and the conversation starts at the 6:00 mark. Via Martin (Marty) Smith
Ally Greer's insight:
This morning's conversation was seriously awesome! Coming together, telling stories, and having a purpose is extremely inspiring. Check out the video to watch the entire talk! 
Crystal Coleman's curator insight,
May 24, 7:27 PM
Sad that I missed this, but look forward to watching the recording later.
Martin (Marty) Smith's comment,
May 25, 7:03 AM
Fun to talk about my favorite topics (Internet marketing, community, saving the world) with such dedicated and smart fellow travelers. Appreciate the invitation and the company : ).M
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In between scheduling posts and hunting for relevant memes to share, remember there are real people on the other side of your exchanges. 
Ally Greer's curator insight,
May 28, 4:32 PM
No, we don't just sit on Facebook all day. I'm learning (by doing) that being successful on Facebook takes a lot more than just posting links and photos. In fact, it's somewhat of an art. From figuring out the right time to post, to the right image and caption, to deciding between images, links, and plain text, there's a lot of strategy that goes into Facebook management. What are your best practices for Facebook? Delete the scoop?
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New reports show that more large companies are using social media to promote their brands.
More Fortune 500 companies are using social media to promote their brand online, according to a report from the Center for Marketing Research (CMR) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. That's quite a change from last year's report, which found use of social media the Fortune 500 waning.
The newest report, titled Social Media Surge by the 2012 Fortune 500, reveals that large companies are increasingly adopting the same social media tools that have been used extensively for years by smaller businesses and startups.
Social media engagement has long taken a back seat in the eyes of many Fortune 500 companies, and last year's CMR report demonstrated a stall in adoption by all but the most progressive Fortune 500 companies. At that time I suggested that the Fortune 500 could be rightly accused of neglect when it came to taking advantage of such valuable marketing tools.
So it comes as a pleasant surprise that in 2012, many of the nation's largest businesses appear to be embracing social media. In particular: Corporate Blogging: This year's report shows Fortune 500 companies have increased their use of blogs by 5 percent -- with 28 percent actively blogging in 2012 compared to 23 percent last year.Microblogging: Twitter use for corporate communications is also on the climb, up 11 percent to 73 percent from 62 percent last year.Facebook: The number of Fortune 500 firms that embrace Facebook is up 8 percent over 2011 (66 percent versus 58 percent).
In addition, 62 percent of the Fortune 500 is now using YouTube. Another 2 percent (11 companies total) are dabbling with Pinterest.
While more large companies are using social media to promote their brand, a recent report from social engagement software developer Genesys says that despite the uptick in adoption, 55 percent of Fortune 500 companies shy away from using social media as a means for customer service and support.
"Many large consumer-facing companies are still struggling and not confident in their ability to deal with customer queries and complaints via social media," said Genesys' head of global sales, Tom Eggemeier. "Consumer-facing companies need to resolve this disconnect by developing a customer service strategy that understands and integrates social media channels across every customer touch point."
Viewing social media exclusively as a marketing tool fails to take into consideration why consumers follow brands online in the first place. While they certainly want to know about the latest deals and offers, consumers are increasingly interested in answers and solutions to real-time questions and problems, and they're not shy about using your business or brand's Facebook page to ask questions and complain about your response, or the lack there of.
When businesses and brands fail to monitor social utilities like Facebook, Twitter and even their own blogs, they do more damage than good. As a result, it doesn't really matter what percentage of the Fortune 500 uses social media. What matters is how they're using it. Via Tocquigny, Avi Prasad, Elise Franzetta
Jordan Sanders's insight:
That's what we like to hear! 
Avi Prasad's curator insight,
May 9, 9:52 PM
Application is the key to any companies success. Adapting to the platforms that their target users are using and becoming modern as well as relevant. Adaption in succuess and survival. This is a good article as if reflects successful companies who have integrated and adapted modern forms of communication to hold the attention of their consumer. Corporate Blogging: This year's report shows large companies have increased their use of blogs by 5 percent -- with 28 percent actively blogging in 2012 compared to 23 percent last year. Microblogging: Twitter use for corporate communications is also on the climb, up 11 percent to 73 percent from 62 percent last year. Facebook: The number of major firms that embrace Facebook is up 8 percent over 2011 (66 percent versus 58 percent). 
faisal bin afif's comment,
May 9, 9:56 PM
I agree, this is a good article that highlights the main points as well shows actual successful companies that have implemented the right media platforms in communicating with their users. I also agree with what you've said - adaption is key to any business survivals, thus marketers must always be ready to adapt and seek out whats new and what their consumers are using to communicate.
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Two of the most common questions Forrester receives from marketers are “How do I know if it’s worth having a community?” and “How can I prove to my executives that my community is worth their investment? Via Cultivate.ning.com
Crystal Coleman's insight:
Providing evidence of value... the holy grail of community management. Delete the scoop?
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What can retail learn from community managers?
Crystal Coleman's insight:
I was just saying this morning how work in retail customer service should be a prereq for community managers. Here are some of the reasons why.
Crystal Coleman's curator insight,
May 3, 6:39 PM
I think it'd actually be interesting to look at the flip side, too... what can retail learn from CM. Delete the scoop?
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Ian Cleary of RazorSocial stops by to provide a great reference of the various tools that you can use to improve your productivity on Facebook.
Jordan Sanders's insight:
I've used Rafflecopter several times with excellent results. The other tools I haven't used yet but plan on trying soon! Delete the scoop?
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Tips on managing a Google Plus community from a rock star!
Ally Greer's insight:
We talked about Google Plus on My Community Manager's Community Manager Hangout today with Daria Musk. A true rock star who put on an impromptu performance for us at the end. Delete the scoop?
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Community Management should be first on the budget not the final consideration when you're planning a social media program.
Ally Greer's insight:
Not like we're biased... ;) Delete the scoop?
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The recent "dongle incident" demonstrates that we are living in a world with no room for error. Where will it lead?
Jordan Sanders's insight:
This just blew my mind - must read for any #cmgr Delete the scoop?
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Not every community manager is part of a team that is set up to constantly monitor the 24/7 world of social media.
Ally Greer's insight:
It's hard to be everywhere at once. As a community manager, you're expected to stay ontop of any and all requests of your community members, and in most cases, you want to be there at all times. Realistically, this can certainly take a toll on even the most passionate community manager, and you'll end up looking like that guy up there in the photo. Carrie has some great tips to stay ontop of your community without completely burning yourself out. Delete the scoop?
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The social network is making a big announcement tomorrow. Here’s what could be in store for companies on Facebook.
Jordan Sanders's insight:
How the new FB changes can affect brands aka us #cmgr people that RUN brand's pages :) Delete the scoop?
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Whoa! There are great tips from top to bottom here! I learned something on the very first tip, Twilert, awesome! I hope you find this helpful, because I think every CMGR can always use a little advice or help.