7 habits of successful community managers

7Seven Habits of a Successful Community Manager

Joyce Davis, Community ManagerIBM Collaboration Solutions & Social BusinessTwitter: @jadintxCommunity: http://ibm.co/ics-communityUser Groups: http://socialbizUG.org

January 28, 2013

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Fairness

Integrity

Honesty

Human dignity

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Once upon a time...

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Dorothy Gale

Kansas, US

Corporate PlannerYellow Brick Road Enterprises

Working on an agenda for our next Emerald City project!

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Dorothy Gale

Kansas, US

Corporate PlannerYellow Brick Road Enterprises

Glinda just promoted me to community manager!

Community Manager

Global

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The Wizard

of Oz

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The Wizard

of Oz

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1. Be Proactive What can you control?

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1. Be proactive

• Get personally involved and invested inthe community

• Focus energy on the things you can control

• Acknowledge mistakes

• Provide easy opportunities for members to contribute

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2. Begin with the end in mind What’s your mission?

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2. Begin with the end in mind

• Create a mission statement for the community with the help of members

• Define a community charter, complete with roles and responsibilities

• Have an on-boarding andenablement process

• Have mentors who help orientnew members

As a member of the community:•Build business relationships•Receive recognition and visibility•Gain technical knowledge•Stay up-to-date•Influence IBM’s products and strategy

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3. Put first things first Do you know your community?

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3. Put first things first

• Developing relationships with community members is the single most important role as a community manager

• Communicating with members is more important than the collaboration tool or social channel being used

• Take advantage of face-to-face events to build relationships

• Recognize community members publicly

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4. Win-win What do you reward?

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4. Win-win

• Align rewards with the value systems of the community (reward collaboration not competition)

• Don't force people to collaborate a certain way or in a certain place; go to where they are and explore ways improve the community

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5. Seek first to understand, then be understood

Are you listening to your community?

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5. Seek first to understand, then be understood

• Listen to the community; consider focus groups, polls or surveys to gather feedback

• Before prescribing solutions, be sure you fully understand concerns

• Focus on engagement, not just broadcasts

• Respond on a timely basis

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6. Synergize

Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

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6. Synergize

• Embrace different points of view

• Let different talents shine

• Establish leaders / advocates for different areas of the community (forums, social media channels)

• Ensure fresh and engaging community content by encouraging contributions from various sources

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7. Sharpen the saw How can you improve?

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7. Sharpen the saw

• Measure success; ensure you're measuringthe right thing (e.g., engagement vs. followers)

• Periodically review the community charter

• Don't be afraid to make changes (including to the community charter)

• Be careful about burn out. Have trusted partners and community members who can cover for you when you need a break.

• Explore ways that you can strengthen your skills as a community manager (#cmgr, Community Roundtable)

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The 7 Habits

1.Be proactive2.Begin with the end in mind3.Put first things first4.Win-win5.Seek first to understand, then be understood6.Synergize7.Sharpen the saw

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7The 7 Habits

1.Be proactive2.Begin with the end in mind3.Put first things first4.Win-win5.Seek first to understand, then be understood6.Synergize7.Sharpen the saw

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...and the community lived happily ever after.

The End

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Resources

• The 2012 State of Community Management - Best Practices from Community, Social Media, & Social Business Practitionershttp://community-roundtable.com/socm-2012/

• Digital Habitats; stewarding technology for communities, by Etienne Wenger, Nancy White, John D. Smithhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982503601?ie=UTF8&tag=fullcircleassoci&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=0982503601

• BP304--The Way of the Social Dragon: Ten Key Strategies for Building a Thriving Social Community in Your Organization, included in this .zip file: https://greenhouse.lotus.com/files/app?lang=en_US#/file/5a4e5393-6f1f-4278-a1a1-947d750e1a39

• IBM Connections wikihttp://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/

• IBM Connections Media Galleryhttp://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/xpViewCategories.xsp?lookupName=Video%20Gallery

• Installing the IBM Connections Files Plug-in for Lotus Noteshttp://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/dx/Installing_the_IBM_Lotus_Connections_Files_plug-in_for_Lotus_Notes_lc3

• IBM Mobile Appshttp://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/mobile-enterprise/mobile-apps/

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