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The Community Roundtable

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

Why Attend TheCR Connect? Attendees Share Their Stories.

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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.

Connecting the Ecosystem (Video)

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In case you missed out on IBM Connect 2014 here’s a little glimpse into the conversations that were taking place in Orlando. Rachel  sat down with Peter Cardon from USC Marshall School of Business to discuss how businesses are using communities and what form those communities take.

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You can view more “Connecting the Ecosystem” videos from IBM Connect 2014 here.

Recap: Community Manager Spotlight Webinar with Chris Catania, Walgreens

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In January we kicked off a brand-new program – the Community Manager Spotlight series. This was, in part, to really dig into all the different roles and titles that a “community manager” can occupy. Increasingly, we find our members are doing the work of a community manager, but often without the title. Being a community manager can mean different things at different companies; here’s a sampling of member titles:

  • Director of Community
  • Manager, Social Content
  • Global Community Manager
  • Director of Member Engagement
  • Community Evangelist
  • Senior Manager, Research
  • Associate Business Analyst
  • Social Media & Event Manager
  • President & Chief Social Strategist
  • Senior Product Manager

I could go on, but you get the point. Our goal is to advance the business of community and part of that is advancing the discipline of community management. Over the coming months, the Community Manager Spotlight  series will highlight a different person practicing community management at their company, putting faces to names, and providing case studies and best practices from a wide array of practitioners.

In our inaugural webinar Jim Storer (our co-founder) chatted with Chris Catania, Online Community Manager at Walgreens. In the video below Chris and Jim discuss the community journey at Walgreens, and Chris provides a look at how Walgreens is executing their community management strategy. Highlights include a look at how Chris and his team launched their social intranet, The Wall, and how they are using a big red sofa to connect with employees around the world.

Our next webinar is scheduled for February 27th and will include special guest J.J. Lovett from CA Technologies talking about the platform changes they have undergone in recent years and best practices when migrating communities. We hope to see you there!

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WestJet’s Christmas Miracle & The Power of Authenticity

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By Shannon DiGregorio, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable

Our watercooler was abuzz with conversations about the WestJet “Christmas Miracle” video.

In addition to all admitting it got pretty dusty at our desks we marveled in the time and effort it took to pull of such a creative surprise. Our conversations turned to the internet response – over 32 million people watched the video on YouTube. This was undoubtedly a great ad – if I got the chance to fly WestJet I would probably choose them over a competitor based simply on the goodwill I have from watching the video and seeing the great lengths they go to when trying to delight their customers. There was a lot of talk on twitter about how other airlines would respond to this and I think that is missing the point. WestJet created an authentic, thoughtful experience for their fliers, which also happened to be a pretty great story. For a competitor to rush out and throw together a response would be the height of inauthenticity.

Over and over I’ve been mulling this idea – how do you connect with your community in a sincere, authentic way? How can these thoughtful, deliberate interactions create trust and brand awareness? Is there a (profitable) place for companies that want to do good in the world and make money?

I believe that when you authentically invest in your community – whether they are customers, employees or strangers, you begin the journey to an active commitment to something larger than your brand or the products and services you sell. We talk about the “share your custard” mentality of communities – don’t just borrow the eggs, but share the fruits of your labor with your peers. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the power of a meaningful shift to authenticity – and ways that you or your company connect with your communities to do good.