Online community manager
An online community manager builds, grows and manages online communities, performing community management, often around a brand or cause.
History
The most recognized origin of the term (online) community manager is in the computer games industry with the advent of
While the term "online community manager" may not have been used at the time, the role has also existed since online systems first began offering features and functions that allowed for community creation. These early efforts, in the form of
General 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.[1] She says 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 roles
Community managers are involved in the computer games industry, branded online communities,
Roles have expanded to include a wide variety of responsibilities and skill sets, including social media management, marketing, product support and development, PR, and customer support. At the core, community management encompasses a little bit of each of these while retaining its core tenet - ensuring open communications between the developer and community.
Culture and appreciation
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 and other tools to improve customer experiences. It was created by Jeremiah Owyang in 2010.
People are encouraged to send sincere Thank You notes to their online community managers. People using
See also
- Community building
- Community of practice
- Internet forum
- Internet social network
- Market research
- Online deliberation
- Social network
- Social media
References
- ISBN 978-0-7506-8297-8. | pages=4,31,108
External links
- 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.
- Merlo, Pastrana Carlos (2013) Experience Marketing Sevilla España, ISBN 978-84-686-2758-8