TheCR Connect Archives

Three Reasons You Should Not Attend TheCR Connect

September 7, 2017 By Jim Storer

There are so many reasons that community pros should attend Connect, that it’s easy to forget there are very valid reasons why it might not be a great fit for you. Since registration closes tomorrow for our 2017 event I wanted to share three reasons that Connect might not make sense for you.

You need to catch up on your Twitter/Instagram/insert favorite social media here.

Look, I understand. Sometimes you just want to attend an event and sit in the same seat all day long. Those tweets aren’t going to tweet themselves. We’ve all been at an event where you get to tune out and have plenty of time to catch up on your streams, or crush a little candy on your phone. If that’s what you’re looking for I’m going to be honest: Connect isn’t for you. We have an action-packed schedule that involves a lot of moving around, small group sessions, interactive workshops, and a couple of parties. If you’re looking to tune out this is not the event for you.
You like being talked at.

I’ve been to more workshops/conferences/tradeshows than you can shake a stick at and one thing is pretty universally true: at some point, there will be an “expert” on stage talking at you for what feels like hours (this is when you pull out Candy Crush.) Even if the person actually is an expert and not a self-proclaimed guru/ninja/visionary it gets boring and gives you a chance to nap. I’m sorry to tell you that is not what happens at Connect. Our workshop is intentionally kept small so everyone participates. There are no “experts” – only a lot of real community practitioners sharing their stories, and encouraging you to share yours. If you want to zone out at Connect you’ll have to hide in the bathroom.
You’ve got community management 100% figured out.

There is a chance if you’re reading this you’re saying, “Well, it sounds interesting, but I don’t need any help with my community programs.” If so, close this browser tab and get back to work! But, if you are looking to learn from some of the most innovative organizations in the world, and want to meet community professionals that can help you with your community and your career Connect might be for you. Workshops include:
- Launching an Advocacy Program (Atlassian)
- Building Community Allies in the Digital Workplace (Mastercard)
- Assessing the Vendor Marketplace (McGraw-Hill Education)
- Setting Yourself Up for a Successful Migration (Cisco)
- The WIIFM and ROI of Community ROI (Humana)

So – those are the facts! If Connect isn’t for you, I totally understand. If Connect IS for you – run, don’t walk. Registration for this year’s workshop closes Friday, September 8th. I hope to see you there!

Register now.

Three Reasons You Should Attend TheCR Connect

August 31, 2017 By Jim Storer

Our annual community management workshop – TheCR Connect – is coming up soon. TheCR team is busy planning another amazing event – and time is running out for you to join us.

We know you have lots of ways to spend your budget – and that your time is at a premium. If you’re still on the fence about attending Connect here are three reasons why it’s a great decision.

The Agenda

Unlike some events you will not be just sitting in a seat listening to “experts” talk at you. From interactive panels on fixing trust and community careers to small group roundtables covering launching advocacy programs, choosing a community platform, community migration, using social learning concepts to onboard new employees and more you’ll be an active participant in the action. Add in lighting talks from community practitioners on cracking the engagement code and telling your community story, deep dives into the Future of Community with Rachel Happe and plenty of time for networking and you’ll walk away enthusiastic and inspired.
The People

At Connect you’ll never struggle to make small talk, or walk into a room and think “Ugh, who will I talk to?!” From thoughtful cohort groups to intended participant collisions we make sure that you find the people that can help you – and that your expertise is highlighted. We want you to come to Connect with real community challenges to solve – and we’ll help you meet the people that have faced down those problems already and can offer advice, strategies and solutions. Plus we’ve got two great parties planned (signature cocktails, anyone!?)
The Take-Aways

If you’re interested in maybe taking some notes and going back to your team and saying, “Eh, it was fine…” Connect is NOT the event for you. Our goal is to have you walk away with new community connections, big ideas for ways to improve your work and real, tactical plans for immediate implementation. Our deep dive community workshops include sessions on Community ROI, Community Strategy and Rewards & Recognition (Gamification) that will not only get you thinking, but help you plan for the future of your community.

Registration closes on September 8th – don’t miss your chance to attend TheCR Connect 2017.

Learn more or register now.

Why Attend TheCR Connect 2017?

July 25, 2017 By Jim Storer

The theme of this year’s community workshop – TheCR Connect, is “Telling Your Community Story” and we believe that means many things. Some obvious: building a narrative, using metrics to paint a picture, and some not so obvious: defending investments, cultivating stakeholders.

Every community professional is tasked with telling the story of their community – to your members, your stakeholders, your executives and your team, and we want to help you be the best storyteller you can be. Join us for TheCR Connect and you’ll experience an intimate, engaging, results-focused event, unlike anything you’ve attended before.

A few spots for non-members remain. Learn more or register now!

Why Attend TheCR Connect? Attendees Share Their Stories.

May 25, 2017 By Jim Storer

It’s easy for me to tell you how special TheCR Connect is, but you already know I’m biased, right? So, don’t take it from me, or Rachel or Hillary. Take it from past attendees from the event. I’m excited to share five perspectives on TheCR Connect from past attendees!

Check out the video below and hear why community practitioners think TheCR Connect is a community event worth attending.

TheCR Connect 2017 is October 2-3, 2017 in Boston, MA at the Revere Hotel.

The event kicks off at 10am on Monday morning (October 2) and concludes at 5:30pm on Tuesday evening (October 3). There is an optional welcome reception on Sunday night (October 1).

Your ticket to TheCR Connect 2017 includes a welcome party on Sunday night, lunch, snacks and a cocktail reception on Monday, and breakfast, lunch, and snacks on Tuesday.

Still have questions?

Check out more info online, or drop us a line.

Do you have an award-worthy community program?

April 25, 2017 By Hillary Boucher

Seeing the work of hundreds of innovative and creative community professionals is one of the biggest perks of my job here at TheCR. Not a day goes by when I don’t say, “Wow – that’s awesome!” in response to something a member tells me.

Last year we launched a recognition program to acknowledge and reward the outstanding community work we see every day. I was delighted to present nine members of TheCR Network with awards that recognized their unique strengths and contributions to community management.

This year TheCR Connect awards are evolving into a more formal recognition process. Since there is no way we can stay on top of all the amazing work that our members do, we’re opening up the process and encouraging members to submit award-worthy community work in four categories: Best Design Element, Winning Welcome Wagon, Best Reward and Recognition Program and Outstanding Community ROI. An additional award – The Community MVP will be awarded by nominations from community peers.

You can learn more about each award – and more about the recognition process here. Submissions and nominations are being accepted from April 25, 201717 until June 30th, 2017 at midnight PT.

I can’t wait to see what innovative community work our members submit – and to see the peer nominations for Community MVP!

TheCR Network 2016 Year in Review

December 13, 2016 By Hillary Boucher

As we close in on the end of 2016 we are always excited to take a minute and look back at the year. It’s easy to forget about all the things you’ve accomplished when your days fly by (anyone who works in community can probably commiserate!)

In 2016 we saw membership in TheCR Network grow, we expanded our live events series and we got to work with new community professionals all over the world. We are incredibly lucky to collaborate with and learn from some of the brightest minds in the community space. Here’s a quick look back at our 2016 – we’d love to hear what made your top ten list for the year?

TheCR Connect 2016 – By The Numbers Recap

November 30, 2016 By Jim Storer

It’s no secret we’re sort of data nerds over here – I mean have you seen the SOCM lately? Here’s something you might not know though – numbers aren’t my favorite thing – but I’ve never met an infographic I didn’t like. (Longtime readers might remember our brief infatuation with #infographicthursday!). That’s why recapping our latest community manager event – TheCR Connect – through the lens of an infographic seemed perfect to me.

Here’s a little peek into our two day community workshop last month. If you were there I’d love to hear your favorite stat – maybe we’ll even update the infographic with the best ones!

Announcing The Community Roundtable Awards!

November 22, 2016 By Hillary Boucher

This year another fun tradition was born at our annual event – TheCR Connect – our first presentation of The Community Roundtable Awards! The winners were announced at the live event, and now we are excited to share the news with everyone online.

Why Awards?

We want to showcase the amazing work members are doing. Our team sees the many ways members are advancing the discipline of community management in their work as well as contributing to TheCR Network in valuable ways. We want to acknowledge and highlight your efforts

and…

It’s fun. There’s no way around it — handing out awards and amazing trophies (wink, wink . . . see below) is a delightful way to . . . well, surprise and delight. And as we all know hard working community practitioners can use a little more fun in our lives.

Without further ado, here are The Community Roundtable 2016 award winners!

The Cheerleader Award

You keep up with TheCR Network like it’s your job and never fail to cheer everyone on whether it’s liking, sharing, or responding with support.

The 2016 Cheerleader Award goes to Marjorie Anderson, Community Engagement Specialist at the Project Management Institute. From day one of her membership Marjorie shows up. She makes visible and valuable contributions to the network. We can count on Marjorie’s engagement to keep the network vibrant and alive. Thank you Marjorie!

The Journaler Award

You check-in regularly to update us on your work and progress. Your documentation helps all of us better understand what it’s like to be a community practitioner and helps us understand where notable milestones exist. Self-reflection is wisdom earned.

If you work out loud with us regularly you know why this award goes to Lori Harrison-Smith, Enterprise Community Manager at Steelcase. Lori has diligently documented her weekly progress every. single. week. in 2016. When we document a successful collaboration in the weekly Work Out Loud thread she’s almost always involved. Congrats Lori!

The Detective Award

Who? What? When? Where? Why? Your curiosity and questions help the network get to the bottom of things. Without you how would we get to the bottom of community management’s most difficult challenges?

This TheCR member asks questions about questions! Jeff Merrell, Associate Director at Northwestern University M.S. Learning and Organizational Change, puts a lot of thought in exploring meaningful discussions in the Network that allows us all to learn together. He leads the charge in unpacking how people learn and influence organizational change. Well done, Jeff!

The Explorer

You’re willing to go where no community practitioner has gone before. Boxes are not in your vocabulary. You walk to the end of the map of everything that is known about community management and dare to take another step further.

Can anyone find J.J. Lovett, Director, Communities at CA Technologies? We fear he’s fallen off the map. Oh no worries, he’s just discovering and implementing new ways to apply our research and models. J.J. is one of those members who pushes us to evolve our work by applying it and reporting back how he’s using it. Thank you J.J.!

The Social Butterfly

The social butterfly shows up. No matter the event, in person or online, the social butterfly is busy making connections and building a thriving network.

Nothing beats showing up to events, online and in-person, to learn, network and collaborate together and we have one member who makes this an art form. Kirsten Laaspere, Community Manager at Akamai Technologies has been a member since 2014 and helps us make TheCR Network events valuable and fun. When I ask a question on a call and get silence in return she’s there to help spark conversation. She holds a wide network and is generous with her connections. Keep on, keeping on Kirsten!

The Super Geek

This squishy community talk is great, but let’s get down to the data. Numbers quake in your presence and excel spreadsheets are putty in your hands. You know that you can prove the value of community and you are on a mission to make it happen.

Is there even a contest here? Ted Hopton, Director of Social Business at McGraw-Hill Education, walks away with one bedazzled calculator to represent all the incredible work he’s been doing by wrangling community metrics, experimenting with data visualization, and generously sharing his work as he learns so we can all follow along. Great work, Ted!

The Host(ess) with the Most(est)

You are warm and welcoming and help new and returning members feel like they are seen, heard and valued at TheCR Network. You make the network a much better place to learn and work.

I used to diligently welcome new members and tried to encourage other members to join in and help make TheCR Network a welcoming place. It didn’t really take off until Aaliyah Miller, Communications Consultant at Aetna, joined and became a champion of new members. Whether it’s in our main intro thread on individual groups she always takes the time read, acknowledge, and welcome people. We’ve watched her thoughtful participation ripple out and encourage others. Well done, Aaliyah!

The Pack Leader

You rally members around a good cause. When you speak people listen, but you also know a good leader listens and empowers a group. You are generous with your knowledge.

We’re proud to present Jeff Ross, Community Manager at Humana, with The Pack Leader Award for his continued work championing ESNs (enterprise social networks). He saw a gap, organized, distributed leadership and continues to curate knowledge and share generously with all interested. We’re proud of you Jeff!

The Community Manager’s Award

TheCR team has your number on speed dial. You answer our emails, quickly, and are always willing to help. You are dedicated, thoughtful, and supportive and our team relies on you.

We’ve known Claire Flanagan, Director of Social Business Value at Jive, for a long time and we lovingly refer to her as one of our original “cheeseheads”. She’s been a strong advocate and never hesitates to respond with our requests for feedback or strategic advice. An original member of our Member Advisory Board we’re grateful for the way she supports us. Way to go Claire!

Not a member of TheCR Network?

Learn how you can join and benefit from the exclusive programming, resources an d tools available to members. Who knows, maybe next year you’ll be taking home an award!

TheCR Connect Boston 2016 Recap

November 7, 2016 By Jim Storer

Participants brainstorm during a working group session.

By Amy Turner, The Community Roundtable

Working in community you can get pretty numb to the amazing collisions that take place between passionate people. We recently got a reminder of what makes community professionals – and members of TheCR Network – so special.

TheCR Connect brought together community veterans and tactical experts from around the country for a two-day workshop full of inspiring speakers, actionable planning sessions, engaged networking and expert case studies. And just a little bit of networking held around actual roundtables, with delicious food and tasty drinks in hand. (Some extra-special bonding was done during the World Series game we watched as a group on night one!)

This year, participation was limited to members of TheCR Network to ensure that deep connections could be made quickly, and so that every participant could contribute and walk away with inspiration to effect real change in their community. No business cards needed at this event – everyone was already connected online in the Network!

A roomful of community lovers led to great networking.

The Connect workshops, lightning talks and unconference sessions (all led by our amazing members) covered on topics such as Dashboards, Roadmaps, Community Platform Requirements, Gamification, Empathy and Crowdsourcing Innovation.

We even celebrated members of TheCR Network with a series of awards during Connect, to showcase the incredible work they are doing to advance the discipline of community management as well as contributing to Network in valuable ways. Awards covered such topics as “The Cheerleader”, “The Detective” and the “Explorer” and were a fun way to surprise and delight our members.

Members of TheCR Community Team present member Ted Hopton with an award.

Community VIP Claire Flanagan receives a special community commendation.

While we are sad to have another Connect event in our rear-view mirror, these amazing connections and conversations are already living on inside TheCR Network. Our year-round regular programming, including roundtable calls, working groups and discussions ensures that members are always connecting, always sharing and always learning – even if they aren’t in a room together anymore.

TheCR Connect Class of 2016

Learn how your community and your career will benefit from membership inside TheCR Network.

Community Takes Center Stage

June 15, 2016 By Jim Storer

By Shannon Abram, The Community Roundtable

Without a doubt the highlight of our programming year in 2015 was TheCR Connect. We loved getting community pros together to chat about their work, share challenges and problem solve together and deepen the relationships that are started inside TheCR Network.

So of course we’re looking forward to this year’s big event – TheCR Connect 2016: Community Takes Center Stage. I wanted to share some more details about the event, including who you’ll meet, what you’ll learn and what to expect.

We’d love for you to join us inside TheCR Network, and in person at TheCR Connect. The early bird discount expires in just two weeks so now is the time to register!!

You need to catch up on your Twitter/Instagram/insert favorite social media here.

You like being talked at.

You’ve got community management 100% figured out.

The Agenda

The People

The Take-Aways