advice Archives

Getting Started in Community with Jephtah Abu

December 8, 2022 By Lindsey Leesmann

Lessons from The NEW Community Manager Handbook is a limited-run podcast series, featuring the 21 community leaders showcased in the Handbook in conversation with Anne Mbugua.

Episode 13 of Lessons from the NEW Community Manager Handbook features Jephtah Abu, Community Manager, Cerulean Blue on getting started in community.

Jephtah and host, Anne Mbugua discuss how volunteering can be a good way to break into online community management as a career and the importance of networking – both online and offline,

Jephtah Abu on Getting Started in Community

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About Jephtah

Jephtah Abu is a community manager with more than five years of experience. He has worked with B2B brands, tech start-ups, and SAAS organizations to help build diverse and inclusive communities for their audience members.

About Cerulean Blue

Cerulean Blue believes in a more accessible, equitable Web through community building and new technologies. Their global team consists of creatives, technologists, NFT enthusiasts, veterans of the art world, designers, decentralized finance professionals and others with a shared vision: To enable artistic expression by connecting creatives with brands.

About The NEW Community Manager Handbook

The NEW Community Manager Handbook features 21 profiles of community leaders sharing advice and ideas on everything from accessibility, hiring, strategy, gamification, defining the digital workplace, technology, and more. Each profile is paired with research from the State of Community Management reports and includes tactical advice for implementing what you’ve learned.

Learn from community management experts at Easterseals, Glencore, Microsoft, UKG, the World Bank Group, Analog Devices, Inc., AAMC, Zapier, Doctors Without Borders, and more.

Download the New Community Manager Handbook

Ashleigh Brookshaw on DEIB in Community

August 25, 2022 By Jim Storer

Lessons from The NEW Community Manager Handbook is a limited-run podcast series, featuring the 21 community leaders showcased in the Handbook in conversation with Anne Mbugua.

Episode 11 features Ashleigh Brookshaw, Senior Manager – Customer Experience & Community at NICE CXone.

Ashleigh Brookshaw has spent her career building community in the insurance, association, and now software spaces, so she knows her way around the foundations of community management. Still, some things surprise her.

Listen in as Ashleigh, and host, Anne Mbugua discuss how to build an authentic focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in online community programs.

Listen to Ashleigh Brookshaw on DEIB in Community

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About Ashleigh Brookshaw

Ashleigh Brookshaw, M.A. is a detail-oriented and digital change enthusiast with expertise in online community engagement, cultural & transformative change management through DEI, and strategic digital marketing communications to drive business results.

She has worked with both internal and external audiences with a variety of organizations including nonprofits like Chicago Gateway Green, Fortune 500 companies like Allstate Insurance, professional associations like the American Society of Safety Professionals, and the SAAS industry like NICE CX One.

Ashleigh holds a B.A. in Advertising/Public Relations and minors in Marketing & Spanish from Loyola University Chicago. She also holds an M.A. in Multicultural/Organizational Communication with a concentration in Training & Development and a project management certificate from Depaul University.

About NICE CXone

At NICE we are passionate about removing the friction between companies and consumers, creating extraordinary experiences that build brand loyalty and create unbreakable bonds.

We enable organizations to address today’s consumer and employee expectations, by delivering effortless, consistent, and personalized digital-first experiences with CXone, the world’s leading cloud CX platform.

We are known for our innovation and comprehensive end-to-end CX approach, combining digital entry points, journey orchestration, smart self-service, prepared agents and complete performance suite, all embedded with our purpose-built CX Analytics, AI, and domain expertise.

About The NEW Community Manager Handbook

Learn from community management experts at Easterseals, Glencore, Microsoft, UKG, the World Bank Group, Analog Devices, Inc., AAMC, Zapier, Doctors Without Borders, and more.

Why Community Management Is Ideal for 20-Somethings

March 8, 2016 By Jim Storer

By Georgina Cannie, Community Manager at The Community Roundtable

With the influx of recent grads flooding the job market, I’m surprised more of them haven’t caught the community bug. Community management is an ideal space for millennials to dive into the work world and, 20-somethings spoiler: it’s not just the free PBR and office foosball tables that make it such a good option.

Start Up City
While online communities are not new, they are only just stepping into the organizational spotlight. As such, new-school start ups have been quick to adopt them as methods to business success. This means that many community initiatives are manned by newly-formed and open-minded teams with horizontal structures- where a millennial can fit right in.

Tech Generation
Who grew up taking “computer class” in elementary school? If your hand is in the air, you’re a millennial. Technology is second nature to this group, who are well practiced in using it as a primary form of inter-personal connection. Not only are they already familiar with many of the apps in the community manager’s toolbox, they are fluent in the subtle language of online communication – a serious leg-up in the community market.

Millennial Values
Community is, by nature, transparent, collaborative and decentralized – each of which millennials push for and value according to Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant in their research on“When Millennials Take Over”. The way community functions aligns quite nicely with how 20-somethings wish all organizations were run in general.

People vs. Products
Millennials grew up assaulted by marketing campaigns on every screen they laid their eyes on. They are acutely disenchanted with product-centric organizations and have a knack for seeing through sales ploys. Community provides them a safe haven from consumerism by offering human connections and consumer-to-consumer interaction.

2-Hour Commute? No Thanks.
Most 20-somethings I talk to are utterly flabbergasted to realize the reality of a 2-hour commute through traffic (talk about an opportunity cost). But community has a fix for that too – The Community Careers and Compensation research conducted by TheCR found that nearly 45% of all community professionals work remotely.

Make a Career and Your Rent
Speaking of the The Community Careers and Compensation, the 2015 research found that the average salary for a Community Manager is close to $70k. A community professional can climb all the way to a Director of Community job title – a gig that boasts and average salary of $113k. Take that, student loans.

Make a Difference
If you have spent any time on a college campus or reading HuffPost, you will know that the new world of work is all about an organization’s vision – Even your local burger joint is on a mission to improve the planet these days. But community is no cheesy gimmick – millennials working in community have the opportunity to connect people in a meaningful way and help accelerate collaboration in every industry.

Are you a 20-something exploring a career in community management? I’d love to hear your perspective!

Looking for Expert Community Advice? A Thank You to TheCR Network Guest Speakers

May 11, 2015 By Georgina Cannie

By Georgina Cannie, Community Fellow at The Community Roundtable.

One of the most exciting and valuable aspects of TheCR Network is the regular Roundtable calls we organize for members. These calls are most often lead by distinguished industry experts and experienced community practitioners. It goes without saying that we love to boast about the amazing roster of guest speakers we host. Most recently, we have had the honor of partnering with Jane McConnell, Michael Sampson, and Peter Gloor.

Jane McConnell is a thought-leader, researcher and adviser to global organizations on digital workplace strategies. She led a call for TheCR members about helping workplaces evolve via digital work solutions. Jane is the force behind the renowned Digital Workplace research report, which has been published annually since 2006. Her extensive research knowledge makes her an utmost authority on organizational intranets and digital strategies. She has worked with corporations, government bodies and international agencies. Jane writes a magnificent blog and leads thought-provoking conversations at public conferences and private briefings.
Michael Sampson is a consultant who provides organizations with assurance of their strategy regarding the effective use of collaboration tools and approaches. Michael joined us in TheCR Network to share his insights on building a culture of collaboration and to explain his ROADMAP acronym, which he uses to approach collaboration technology as a business initiative. Michael works with financial, professional and legal firms, academic institutions, and public sector clients. Michael has a monthly newsletter, two subscription-based publications and also gives presentations across the globe. He has written five books. Most recently, Collaboration Roadmap and User Adoption Strategies.
Peter Gloor stopped by TheCR Network in January to discuss his theory of Six Honest Signals that drive innovation and collaboration. Peter is currently a research scientist at the Center for Collective Intelligence at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He leads a project called COIN that explores Collaborative Innovation Networks. He is also the founder of galaxyadvisors– A company that helps clients analyze social networking patterns to their advantage. In addition to being a guest lecturer and honorary professor at a handful of Universities, Peter has written seven books (Yes, you read that correctly). Most recently, Swarm Creativity, Coolhunting and Coolfarming.

Are we bragging a bit? Maybe. It’s hard not to talk about the accomplishments of our distinguished guest speakers and the extraordinary value they bring to our members.

To see a full list of experts who have shared their insights and experience with TheCR Network members, click over to TheCR Network Expert Pinterest page.

Interested in experiencing the magic of TheCR Network first-hand? Join now!

How do I get started in community management?

July 24, 2014 By Jim Storer

By Shannon DiGregorio Abram, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable.

To celebrate the launch of our first ever community manager salary survey we’re going to spend July and August focused on community management as a career. (Haven’t taken the survey yet? Please do – it is quick and your responses provide invaluable insight into the real world of community management!)

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This week we’re discussing what it takes to get started as a community manager. Whether you’ve just graduated and are looking to dive right in, or making a mid-career move into the world of community management you might be unsure of what the best plan of attack is.

Just like last week I asked the TheCR team, members of TheCR Network and our Twitter network what their best advice would be for someone looking to get started in the world of community management.

Several members of the TheCR team have worked as community managers and they had some great advice to give:

Jillian Bejtlich: My best advice is to make sure folks understand what they’re getting themselves into. It can be one of the most rewarding and demeaning jobs all at the same time. Try to aim for communities you’re naturally passionate about (for example, mine is technology, animals, and the outdoors). You’ll find it’s easier to be yourself and a CM at the same time!

Jim Storer: Join a Fortune 500 company’s public forum, preferably for a product you use and/or are familiar with. Become an active member and connect with that Community Manager. Develop a public Twitter list of CM’s and actively read what they share and interact with them.

Next, I opened up the question to TheCR Network. I had a fantastic chat with two community managers from a Fortune 100 telecomm company. They each had some practical advice for new community managers:

Should be knowledgeable and comfortable with all kinds of social media, not just the Forums
Should understand the importance of Social in today’s world, how customers want to be able to talk to companies on social media and get their issues resolved,
Should understand how companies want to be able to engage with their customers on Social Media to promote their products and build loyalty
Definitely learn to double check any post before you hit “send.” Lots of vultures swirling around waiting for a social media faux pas to screen cap and send all over the internet!

I think every blogger and social media practitioner needs to take that last bit of advice to heart!

For my last bit of research I asked our Twitter friends and as usual got excellent advice from the crowd:

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point any potential job seekers in the direction of our resources. You can always find our annual State of Community Management research here and it’s a great starting point to see how community management is evolving and what skills to focus on. Our community manager profiles and community manager spotlight webinars provide exclusive inside looks into the lives of other community professionals.

Oh, and don’t miss our Community Management Fundamentals deck to get some great ideas.

Community Management Fundamentals from The Community Roundtable

Are you looking for your first community job? What are you focusing on in your search? If you have tips for fellow job seekers please share!

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Have you taken the Community Manager Salary Survey 2014 yet? Your insights into your role are invaluable as we document and define community manager best practices across industries. The survey is short (15 minutes) and we’d love to hear from you. Take the survey now.

Ask TheCR: What is the proper etiquette for asking someone to join your community?

March 6, 2014 By Jim Storer

By Shannon DiGregorio Abram, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable.

New feature time! Twitter brings together questions and answers in ways that were impossible before the advent of social media. We love to follow along with several weekly twitter chats – #ESNChat, #CMGRChat and #CMGRHangout to name a few, it’s amazing to see the connections and conversations that take place each week. Sometimes though, you’re struck with a tough community question and you want (need?!) an answer right away.

Last week we got a great community management question via Twitter from Susan Silver, Community Manager for adventure gaming magazine @Gygaxmagazine. Susan asked, “I’ve been struggling with outreach. What is the proper etiquette for asking someone to join your community?” This is a question that both internal and exeternal community managers struggle with – even if participation is encouraged or required by management oftentimes a community manager will still be tasked with driving actual adoption and continued use.

We threw Susan’s question out to our followers and got some great responses:

There is some great advice there – first, connect with people in an authentic way. Develop relationships and then show the value the community offers them. The “what’s in it for me” is a powerful tool – showing people value and empowering current community members to share the benefits are great ways to connect people with a community they might need, but not know about yet.

We also debate the question internally a little bit this week – here’s some additional advice from Hillary Boucher, Community Manager at TheCR Network: “Specifics depend on the situation and the audience, but I would lead with a value offer. Share something they want or need and that the community provides.”

And my two cents? I think connecting with people that have specific struggles or challenges and identifying ways your community has helped others solve for or overcome them is a great way to not say “Hey, join our community because we want more members!” but rather “Hey, check out this group of like-minded people that are facing the same things you are! We can make your life better!”

Any other advice out there? If you’ve got a question you’d like highlighted on “Ask TheCR” you can tweet it to us with the hashtag #askthecr or comment here.

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TheCR Network is a membership network that provides strategic, tactical and professional development programming for community and social business leaders. The network enables members to connect and form lasting relationships with experts and peers as well as get access to vetted content.

TheCR Network is the place to learn from social business practitioners. Join today.

Tips for Community Managers Attending SXSWi 2014

March 3, 2014 By Jim Storer

By Shannon DiGregorio Abram, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable.

Are you heading to Austin for SXSWi this week? Our co-founder, Jim Storer, will be there – if you spot him stop and say hello!

Whether you’re a first time attendee or an old veteran we’ve put together some tips and advice to help you survive and thrive in Austin. We’ve also scoured the session guide to put together our own list of cool sessions, parties and events that would be interesting for anyone with community on the brain.

Take a peek and let us know if there is a can’t miss session, party or meet-up we should include. Do you have advice or a SXSWi tip that we left out? Please share in the comments below.

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The Community Roundtable is committed to advancing the business of community. We are dedicated to the success of community and social business leaders and offer a range of research, training and advisory services. We facilitate TheCR Network – a trusted environment in which to discuss and share daily challenges and triumphs with proven leaders. Our weekly programming, access to experts, curated content, and vibrant discussions make TheCR Network the network for the smartest social business leaders.

Learn more.

What Can The SOCM Research Do for You?

February 20, 2014 By Jim Storer

By Maggie Tunning, Learning and Culture Manager at The Community Roundtable.

Time’s running out – the last day to take the 2014 State of Community Management survey is next Friday, February 28.

The Community Roundtable publishes The State of Community Management research each year to highlight advances and trends in the business of community management. This research is for – and prepared in collaboration with – community managers. Mike Pace sums up the reason to participate – Community Manager: Help Yourself (note: that post links to the 2013 survey – you can take the 2014 survey here).

We want the State of Community Management research to be a useful resource for community managers. How can it help you? Members of TheCR Network use it to:

1. Educate. As community managers, we are on average poorly resourced and largely haven’t yet broken through to having a seat at the executive table. While on one side there’s massive interest in using social to provide better experiences for the ecosystem, on the other side there’s still a broad lack of understanding of what that actually takes. Maria Ogneva

2. Benchmark. The past reports have been a great asset to community and social media managers as they offer insight into how other companies are doing community. It also allows individuals at these companies to take an honest look at their programs. Jeff Esposito

3. Resource. Community Managers will continue to struggle for capacity, budgets, and recognition. But, this can change if we as Community Managers become comfortable challenging our leaders, consistently sharing results, and educating business areas on how to use the tools and successes. James LaCorte

Your participation is important to us and your community management peers, and we’re interested in responses from all types of communities at all stages of maturity. Take the survey here today or help spread the word to others you know. As a thank you for participating, you’ll receive a discount on new individual membership in TheCR Network ($500 off!)

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The Community Roundtable is committed to advancing the business of community. We offer a membership based peer network, community management training programs and advisory services for corporations and individuals.