The Community Roundtable

Empowering global community leaders with research-backed resources, training, and tools.

Friday Roundup: Five Year Anniversary Edition

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

The First TheCR Live - Five Years Ago

The First TheCR Live – Five Years Ago

Yesterday we shared this picture via twitter in honor of #tbt (throwback thursday) of Rachel and Jim at our very first TheCRLive, at the Barking Crab in Boston, MA. It’s hard to believe that was five years ago. This month we’ve been looking back at those five years though interviews with veteran community practitioners (so far we’ve chatted with Heather and Nigel), a podcast series with our founders and a fun infographic of our favorite milestones.

You can catch up on any content you missed in our links, find new community jobs, and more!

We’ll be back next week to share one more week of anniversary content before we release the 5th annual State of Community Management 2014 report on April 22! Stay tuned for the final two parts in the founders podcast series, another interview with a community manager and a podcast with a very special guest!  Have a great weekend!

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Did you know that 95% of TheCR Network members agree that the content and peer input improves the quality of their work? It’s true! Membership in TheCR Network saves community and social business leaders time and improves the quality of their work by connecting them quickly with peers, experts and curated information. Learn how joining TheCR Network can improve the work you do.

Friday Roundup – Spring is Here Edition

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

Spring

Photo credit: 3rd House Pary

Spring has finally sprung in Boston! Today there are crocuses blooming, marathoners training in shorts and the Red Sox open their season at Fenway Park – so many things to celebrate! I hope you’re enjoying spring whereever you are – even if it’s been warm for longer than three days!

This week we celebrated April 1st and kicked our month-long anniversary celebration, leading up to the release of our 5th annual State of Community Management report on 4/22/14. We are so excited to share a look back at the last five years in the community management space, and doubly excited to share the results of our 2014 research. In the meantime, you’ll have to wait it out with this week’s links. We’ve got a few new community jobs, an interview with long-time TheCR Network member Heather Strout, a recap of our March Community Manager spotlight webinar, an interesting look at community-driven game development and more!

Thanks for reading! We’ll be back on Monday with the first in a three-part community retrospective with Rachel Happe and Jim Storer. Have a great weekend.

 

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Looking to take your career in community management to the next level? 92% of members agree that TheCR Network supports and advances their personal and professional goals. Learn how our research, access to peers and experts, targeted content and exclusive concierge service can help you achieve your goals.

 

Friday Roundup – Goodbye to Q1 2014

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

Hard to believe that the first quarter of 2014 is almost over. We’ve done some exciting stuff in this space so far this year – launched a new community manager profile series, started a new webinar series spotlighting the cool work our community manager members are doing and taken on three community themes – building, connecting and innovating.

Next month we’re switching gears and offering a retrospective of the last five years in the community management. We have some fun content planned – podcasts with early experts in the field, interviews with early community practitioners and more – all leading up to the release of our fifth State of Community Management report. I can’t wait to share it all with you – but first, the links:

 

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Did you know that TheCR Network members work with all kinds of communities? In fact, about 25% work in either internal or external communities and 50% work with both! No matter what kind of community you work with membership in TheCR Network will save you time and improve the quality of your work by connecting you with peers, experts and curated information. Learn how joining TheCR Network can improve the work you do.

Friday Roundup – Will Winter Ever End? Edition

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

seasons-winter-comic-funny-cartoon-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Illustration by Sarah Lazarovic)

Despite it being not quite halfway through March we are very ready for winter to be over. After an unseasonably warm weekend it snowed twice in Boston this week. Enough!

We are already looking forward to April – and not just for the (hopefully) nicer weather. April marks our five year anniversary and we are ready to celebrate. This week we announced our 5th anniversary celebration – a Happy Hour in Cambridge, MA. If you’re in the Greater Boston area we’d love to see you!

That’s all for this week, friends. Have a great weekend, beware the ides of March and we’ll see you back here on Monday!

 

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Did you know that 95% of TheCR Network members agree that the content and peer input available inside the Network improves the quality of their work? It’s true!

Membership in TheCR Network saves community and social business leaders time and improves the quality of their work by connecting them quickly with peers, experts and curated information. Learn how joining TheCR Network can improve the work you do.

Friday Roundup – Are You at SXSWi?

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

Spot Jim Storer at SXSWi

Did you board a NerdBird and head for Austin this week? Maybe you’re reading this while refueling with huevos rancheros, or perhaps you’re at a desk with a giant cup of coffee, manning the office back home.

No matter where you are we’ve got a great set of links for you this week, including a recap of our Community Manager Spotlight webinar and tips and session suggestions if you are at SXSWi. If you are one of the lucky SXSWi attendees our very own Jim Storer is there – if you see him say hello and snap a pic – we’ll be looking out to see who can #spotjimstorer!

Have a great weekend whether you are in Austin at SXSW or at home shoveling snow! We’ll see you on Monday!

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Did you know that 95% of TheCR Network members agree that the content and peer input improves the quality of their work? It’s true! Membership in TheCR Network saves community and social business leaders time and improves the quality of their work by connecting them quickly with peers, experts and curated information. Learn how joining TheCR Network can improve the work you do.

Friday Roundup – The One Lucky Winner Edition

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

winner

The 2014 State of Community Management survey closes today and we’re going out with a bang. If we reach our goal of 150 completed surveys one lucky participant will receive a free one-year membership to TheCR Network (that’s a $1495 value!) So if you’ve always wanted to be a member now is your chance to win your way in! The survey is open until midnight today – Friday, February 28th and one participant will be selected at random. Good luck!

Now with all that excitement out of the way, on to the links!

  • Want to introduce new behavior? Find the the people that don’t mind being weird.
  • What if “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t really work?
  • The guide to building and growing a community for your business
  • Insight into the Bosch social business story
  • How to keep your members engaged and connected during a slow time
  • What do you think? Do introverts make the best community managers?
  • Interesting data on how full time community staff lead to better measurement
  • What’s the difference between being a boss and being a leader?
  • Ever wonder what is going on in TheCR Network? Check out this sneak peek!

Thanks for reading – have a great weekend. We’ll see you in March!

The fine print – one survey participant will be randomly selected to receive a free one-year membership in TheCR Network (a $1495 value) if we receive 150 or more total completed surveys. The winner may not be a current Network member and the membership offer is non-transferable.

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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

Friday Roundup – One Week Left Edition

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

Our annual research initiative – the State of Community Management survey closes next Friday, February 28th. If you have already taken this short survey (only 15 minutes!) – thank you! If you haven’t taken it, and are a community manager, community strategist, community program leader or volunteer who has community management responsibilities we would love to hear from you – you can take the survey here.

On a programming note, we’re offering a free, public webinar next Wednesday at 1pm ET focused on best practices for managing community platform changes. Register now! Now, on to the links:

Have a great weekend – see you on Monday!

 

 

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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.

Friday Roundup – The We Love Community Managers Edition

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

We love you.

Today is St. Valentine’s Day and we want you to know how much we love you. How much? So much! Community managers are our favorite – quite seriously our reason for being over here at The Community Roundtable. Yesterday we highlighted some light-hearted cards to send to your favorite community manager, but this one is for you  ——————————————————->

I hope that warmed your heart! Looking for a more personal valentine from us? In honor of Valentine’s I have a deal for you – if you haven’t taken the 2014 State of Community management survey and do so in the next 24 hours, we’ll personally send you a nerdy valentine email. All you have to do is take the survey (15 minutes!) and then comment here with your email or twitter handle. Then just sit back and wait for a fun surprise! Deal? Deal!

Enough about love, onto the links:

Have a wonderful weekend – we’ll see you next week!

 

 

Friday Roundup – Connecting Through Community

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

That blasted groundhog.

The first work week of February is almost over and that groundhog has doomed us to another six weeks of winter! In Boston that meant another foot or so of snow, with more on the way! Snow or not, we’re forging ahead with our focus on connecting through community and looking forward to an exciting guest post next week, a sneak peek at the State of Community Management survey and a little holiday love for all those community managers out there.

A quick reminder: if you haven’t yet taken the (very quick!) State of Community Management survey we would love your input. We are looking for communities of all sizes and types. You can take the survey here and it should only take 15-20 minutes. As a thank you, you till get a pretty nice discount on any new TheCR Network membership too.

This week some of our favorite links were centered around the idea of connecting through community – whether at a live event, through a job your passionate about or through inspiring leadership. Read on:

Have a great weekend – we’ll see you on Monday when we’ll kick off a discussion focused on connecting with peers.

 

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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

Friday Roundup: January is in the Books

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

Another January in the books! The first month of 2014 flew by (personal note: I did get married and honeymoon this month, which probably helped the time move fast for me!) and our first experiment with themed content was a great learning exeperience. I really enjoyed sharing ideas and content around the theme of “Building Community” – next month we’re tackling the idea of “Connect” and I can’t wait to see what the month will bring!

This week there were two pretty big events on our radar #CMAD (Community Management Advancement Day) and the IBM Connect event in Orlando, FL. Both provided a wealth of really great content we want to share so the link list is extra long today.

  1. A fun list of the top 100 Community Managers on Twitter
  2. The first in our new Faces of Community Management profile series
  3. A growing list of community manager books.
  4. Should you give thanks (or a bonus?) to your community manager?
  5. Community Manager: Key to the Future of Business
  6. How to Truly Show Your Online Community Manager Appreciation
  7. Redefining management in the Digital Age
  8. Social Technologies: A Catalyst to the Practice of Knowledge Management
  9. Social Media Salary Guide – Infographic
  10. Social Business Myth Busters from Sandy Carter!
  11. Really great advice on approaching people who are smarter, busier, and more important than you
  12. 24 Community Management Tips from the Experts
  13. Why All Community Managers are Improv Artists
  14. Online Community ROI, Redefined (In Pictures)

Wow that’s a lot of links! We also launched the survey for our 2014 State of Community Management Report this month. If you haven’t taken it yet we’d love your input – we’re looking for community folks from every size company in every stage of the community journey. You can take the survey here. Thank you in advance for your help.

Have a great Superbowl weekend – I’ve got big plans that involve some homemade kettle corn and watching the game (and the commercials!) with friends. I’ll see you in February!