Community Management is a job that's easy to take home with you. I'm often jumping on the check an issue was resolved, see how a thread is running, touching base with the Mods. Especially on Sunday night so my Mon morning is no more hectic than usual.
So is the role of Community Management a 24/7 job?
For me personally, no.
But there definitely are community managers out there burning the candle at both ends so I wanted to contribute some tips on we manage a large scale community around the clock.
It is true that Community Managers need to be approachable and accessible. So you need to strike a balance between being available - and not spreading yourself too thin. This isn't always easy as inevitably you will be contacted with a range of problems that are on sliding scales for priority so here are my personal tips:
#1 Define your team
If your community is small and you are a one-person show, these points still apply. If your community is getting to a size where you could do with the help of a volunteer, now might be the time to get help. If you do, try to plan for growth (of your members and your Mod Team) and define roles as early as possible. They will need to be reviewed and developed but you need to start somewhere.
When you are dealing with remote workers you need to be especially clear.
We have two documents, 'The Role of Mod' and 'Mod Expectations'. Although Mods are wonderful volunteers, it is ok to tell them what you expect of them. It is very time consuming to manage people who potentially aren't contributing much to the community and clearly defining these expectation will assist if you need to politely ask if they are too busy to keep up with the demands of Modding.
#2 Define your rules and responses. Communicate effectively.
Will you PM members who misbehave, will you edit part of their post, will you note it was edited by Mods, will you remove it in total? Will you put them on post approval, or ban them. Will you tell other members what happened?
Moderator consistency is key to good community management. Notifying members of rules being broken might be great in the early stages, but is it sustainable? Decide how breaches will be dealt with and this will save everyone a lot of time to-ing and fro-ing.
We have trialled periods where we did not notify anyone, and where we have. Both throw up a lot of response and questions. In summary I think it is most effective to notify the OP but not engage in open discussion with other members. If the member wants, they can answer others.
This point does seem obvious but as a community manager - you manage relationship - and ineffective communication especially over rule enforcement will waste your time. And the 24hr clock is ticking!
#3 Help your team, so they can help you
Ultimately your team are there to support the members and you, but it is a two way street. Enable Mods to get help and support from one another.
This can be as easy as establishing a private forum, a wiki, an IRL meet-up or getting on MSN. Private forums can be the best way if you need to document/track progess of issues. We have private boards (divided into work & social) and a Wiki. The team most of the time resolves issues with minimal input from me.
#4 Establish a realistic timeframe in which you will reply to queries
As honourable as it is to get back to everyone in haste, you only serve to create an expectation of always doing so (beware the slippery slope!). With the community I work with, we say 24-48hrs.
If there is some way that you can delegate 'urgent' queries to a different person/email address etc consider doing so, even if they all go to you it will help prioritise them, which leads me onto point
#5 Establish an escalation system
Clearly define what issues need to be raised to you from your Mod Team, or even above you is this is how your company is structured. For me the Mod Team escalates minor issues to two Paid Mods/Admin staff, and in turn they escalate potential legal issues and posts of a nature that allude to member self-harm, or child at risk circumstances. I notify the Gen Manager of anything that needs to be referred to legal, or could blow up into a major drama. (I don't bog her down with detail, but it much easier to say "you know that issues I emailed you about 3 weeks ago...")
#6 Call for backup. And pretzels.
No matter what size your community is, volunteers, Mods and you will need a break. Our community has a Buddy System. If a Mod needs to take a break, anything from a day to weeks, she belongs to a buddy group of 2-3 Mods.
With 180 forums it is problematic to throw a new cat amongst the pigeons, and much easier for all if the Mods have an understanding of that forum and it's issues.
We also have a sticky with a clear breakdown of each forum, likely problems, things to watch out for.
#7 Appreciate time zones.
A minor point but if your community spans time zones, work it to your advantage. In Australia the West Coast is 3hrs behind us, which means on average our forums are covered for close to 20hr per day. And our un(wo)manned hours reflect the site's quiet downtimes. Perfect.
How does the structure/organisational process of your community work? What tips can you share?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Improving your community - putting forward a business case
You've probably got at least five changes you want to make to your community right? Seemingly simple ones perhaps? But you're stuck in a development queue, don't have the resources right now etc to fix or change them.
Can you relate? A recent post on the IOCMA (International Online Community Management Association) thread landed me in a great discussion about putting forward a business case to improve your community.
In essence there was Justin (his boss is the owner) and me (huge corporate)... both in the same boat.
How do we convince the powers that be that changes need to be made etc when there are more "important" things to do. Read = usually issues associated with revenue.
My points included reminding your company that...
- Visible customer/member dissesion about issues, bugs, lack of improvements and so forth is damaging your brand;
- It be time-consuming (and therefore costly) to improve a damaged brand reputation/sentiment in the community (not to mention regaining reputation is an uphill battle);
- These unresolved issues are increasing your workload. And by not utilising their resources (= you) to their full potential that will impact on your ability to perform/acheive what you had planned for that month/quarter;
- All of which may translate to a loss in revenue.
Another member Fiona from deviantART made the point that it is all about Membership Rentention.
If you don't make the required changes/fixes you will lose members and this directly equates to revenue. So if you can find a way to assign value to your issue this may help get it bumped up the to-do queue.
How do you make a business case for improving and/or fixing issues in your community?
Can you relate? A recent post on the IOCMA (International Online Community Management Association) thread landed me in a great discussion about putting forward a business case to improve your community.
In essence there was Justin (his boss is the owner) and me (huge corporate)... both in the same boat.
How do we convince the powers that be that changes need to be made etc when there are more "important" things to do. Read = usually issues associated with revenue.
My points included reminding your company that...
- Visible customer/member dissesion about issues, bugs, lack of improvements and so forth is damaging your brand;
- It be time-consuming (and therefore costly) to improve a damaged brand reputation/sentiment in the community (not to mention regaining reputation is an uphill battle);
- These unresolved issues are increasing your workload. And by not utilising their resources (= you) to their full potential that will impact on your ability to perform/acheive what you had planned for that month/quarter;
- All of which may translate to a loss in revenue.
Another member Fiona from deviantART made the point that it is all about Membership Rentention.
If you don't make the required changes/fixes you will lose members and this directly equates to revenue. So if you can find a way to assign value to your issue this may help get it bumped up the to-do queue.
How do you make a business case for improving and/or fixing issues in your community?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
When you set fire to your community...
Whether your community is large or small, you or someone at your company, will make a mistake. To err is human.
Not so long ago we experienced a rather (human) unfortunate error, which resulted in a loss of data and sparked the furore of members. The forums were rife with complaint, understandably so, as the information was very important to a significant and close-knit group members as it related to their children.
[Side note: Although you should always launch with a minimal set of features & forums, once you need to branch out and create multiple forums, keep in mind this is a good way for archiving information that pertains to a subject area. If you store all this useful member knowledge in one forum it is a lot harder for members to access/search and most will not click back through pages to find info. Our search function is not as effective as it could be, so this archive system is important.]
Our mistake was time-consuming (and hence costly) to fix it, but we did and by all reports the restore was well received and the community embraced us again, thankfully. But it was a rough few weeks, we were copping a lot of heat, and we weren't sure the problem could be fixed.
Here is what I learnt:
- Admit responsibility and acknowledge the problem and issues it has caused. Without tying an individual to the stake, pinpoint the department if possible so people such as your Mods don't cop the heat or have to field questions beyond their expertise. In our case I stepped in as the Community Manager (we have 30 Mods), with updates from relevant development staff.
- Give regular updates. Promise regular updates (eg. tomorrow by noon, Wed by COB), provide a time and stick to it. If you don't you'll simply be tied up answering questions.
- Provide an email contact. You prob already have a support or feedback email - now is the time to brandish it. This will make it easier to identify the vocal posters who like to complain from the members who have a genuine concern. We received minimal direct contact from members, and these members ended up being very helpful with the issue and were willing to sing our praises when we fixed it.
- Assign a team/person to the problem. If Bob is going to fix the problem, don't forget to point out that Bob is the Operations Manager or Head of the Infrastructure Service Unit. You need to communicate that the most capable person is on the job. This will also eliminate (to some extent) the need to answer difficult technical questions, if tech know-how is not your thing.
- Official statement. You might want to make an official statement about the problem, or how it will be fixed. You could get someone more official to do this - the GM, the site-owner, the tech guy. Be wary if you do this, it might only serve to make you look like the incompetent one. And it could create a demand by members to want this person to answer their queries.
Your members are your community so do everything you can to resolve the problem and communicate with them throughout. Inevitably things do go wrong, from software or server glitches to human error, so good luck.
Have you had any major problems with your blogs or forums? Can you offer any advice?
Not so long ago we experienced a rather (human) unfortunate error, which resulted in a loss of data and sparked the furore of members. The forums were rife with complaint, understandably so, as the information was very important to a significant and close-knit group members as it related to their children.
[Side note: Although you should always launch with a minimal set of features & forums, once you need to branch out and create multiple forums, keep in mind this is a good way for archiving information that pertains to a subject area. If you store all this useful member knowledge in one forum it is a lot harder for members to access/search and most will not click back through pages to find info. Our search function is not as effective as it could be, so this archive system is important.]
Our mistake was time-consuming (and hence costly) to fix it, but we did and by all reports the restore was well received and the community embraced us again, thankfully. But it was a rough few weeks, we were copping a lot of heat, and we weren't sure the problem could be fixed.
Here is what I learnt:
- Admit responsibility and acknowledge the problem and issues it has caused. Without tying an individual to the stake, pinpoint the department if possible so people such as your Mods don't cop the heat or have to field questions beyond their expertise. In our case I stepped in as the Community Manager (we have 30 Mods), with updates from relevant development staff.
- Give regular updates. Promise regular updates (eg. tomorrow by noon, Wed by COB), provide a time and stick to it. If you don't you'll simply be tied up answering questions.
- Provide an email contact. You prob already have a support or feedback email - now is the time to brandish it. This will make it easier to identify the vocal posters who like to complain from the members who have a genuine concern. We received minimal direct contact from members, and these members ended up being very helpful with the issue and were willing to sing our praises when we fixed it.
- Assign a team/person to the problem. If Bob is going to fix the problem, don't forget to point out that Bob is the Operations Manager or Head of the Infrastructure Service Unit. You need to communicate that the most capable person is on the job. This will also eliminate (to some extent) the need to answer difficult technical questions, if tech know-how is not your thing.
- Official statement. You might want to make an official statement about the problem, or how it will be fixed. You could get someone more official to do this - the GM, the site-owner, the tech guy. Be wary if you do this, it might only serve to make you look like the incompetent one. And it could create a demand by members to want this person to answer their queries.
Your members are your community so do everything you can to resolve the problem and communicate with them throughout. Inevitably things do go wrong, from software or server glitches to human error, so good luck.
Have you had any major problems with your blogs or forums? Can you offer any advice?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Why being a community manager is like being a pinata
Heather Champ, Director of Community at flickr posted this slide - which I found particularly amusing and relevant.
Does being a Community Manager make you feel like a pinata?
How does your community view you in general? Are you a benevolent or ruthless dictator, a long-standing member & participant?
Do you participate actively in your community on a social or 'non-professional' level? Where do you drawn the line?
We know you get beaten with sticks but how do you give out candy, and reward members for model behaviour?
Does being a Community Manager make you feel like a pinata?
How does your community view you in general? Are you a benevolent or ruthless dictator, a long-standing member & participant?
Do you participate actively in your community on a social or 'non-professional' level? Where do you drawn the line?
We know you get beaten with sticks but how do you give out candy, and reward members for model behaviour?
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Are Women better Community Managers
Connie Benson recently blogged on the topic of whether women make better community managers.
Whilst I agree with a number of points; women are good at multi-tasking, detail-orientated, relationship-focused, experts at compromise/mediation, I feel it comes down to the type of community you are managing.
As I manage a large parenting community that is 99.9% women, I feel I can bring something to the role that a male may not be able to. Whoah I never thought I'd say something that sounds so sexist! But alas until the responsibilities of raising children are equally shared this may still apply.. I don't think enough men yet face the conundrum of how to balance their career and children.
Although I rarely engage with the community on a personal level, there are definitely times where my personal experience as a mother and woman, have helped resolve or soften the issue I am trying to deal with. And revealing that information reminds the members that yes I am human not an evil rule-enforcer!
There are so many ideologically-opposing beliefs when it comes to parenting, and most revolve around the woman. Including breast vs. bottle, stay-at-home vs work, caesar vs vaginal, controlled crying, co-sleeping and so on. Not to diminish the father's/man's role in raising babies but many of these are exclusively the domain of the woman... (although support from the male often assists the outcome).
So for me personally I feel my gender in this instance really assists my ability to do my job. Not to mention the sheer level of empathy and understanding that helps when dealing with forums that include everything from loss of a child, pregnancy complications, children with special needs, traumatic births, long-term trying to conceive,etc. Our community provides an incredible level of support - and I feel quite honoured as a women - to be able to help facilitate that support.
Is your community skewed to one gender? Are you a female community manager in a male-dominated world? Or a male in a female-one?
Whilst I agree with a number of points; women are good at multi-tasking, detail-orientated, relationship-focused, experts at compromise/mediation, I feel it comes down to the type of community you are managing.
As I manage a large parenting community that is 99.9% women, I feel I can bring something to the role that a male may not be able to. Whoah I never thought I'd say something that sounds so sexist! But alas until the responsibilities of raising children are equally shared this may still apply.. I don't think enough men yet face the conundrum of how to balance their career and children.
Although I rarely engage with the community on a personal level, there are definitely times where my personal experience as a mother and woman, have helped resolve or soften the issue I am trying to deal with. And revealing that information reminds the members that yes I am human not an evil rule-enforcer!
There are so many ideologically-opposing beliefs when it comes to parenting, and most revolve around the woman. Including breast vs. bottle, stay-at-home vs work, caesar vs vaginal, controlled crying, co-sleeping and so on. Not to diminish the father's/man's role in raising babies but many of these are exclusively the domain of the woman... (although support from the male often assists the outcome).
So for me personally I feel my gender in this instance really assists my ability to do my job. Not to mention the sheer level of empathy and understanding that helps when dealing with forums that include everything from loss of a child, pregnancy complications, children with special needs, traumatic births, long-term trying to conceive,etc. Our community provides an incredible level of support - and I feel quite honoured as a women - to be able to help facilitate that support.
Is your community skewed to one gender? Are you a female community manager in a male-dominated world? Or a male in a female-one?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My Name Is...
Alison. Hi! This is my first post in this blog, so I'll fill you in...
I manage a community of 135,000 women - growing at a rate of approximately 500 newbies per week. The social media component is primarily forums but we also host over 4500 member diaries.
Of our 135,000 members approx. 1500 members are active on the forums at any given hour of the day. Participation inequality would suggest thousands more lurk (almost a certain according to Jakob Nielsen's 90-9-1 rule) and this conversion will form one of many challenges I face.
We have a team of 30 Volunteer Moderators. It goes without saying that they are a priceless asset but managing a volunteer team has its challenges, and add to the mix they are remote, not to mention are all busy Mums with kids to keep them busy.
They have all worked their way up from being members which means they have an exceptional understanding of the 150+ forums we have, but it skews their user experience to our site predominately. Almost all of them came to the site as new parents (many over 5 yrs ago) so they are involved in the site on a personal level.
I’ll be blogging about how much visibility (social/professional) Community Managers should have at some point, as this is something I often ponder.
The forums have been running for over eight years, which means changing the culture is a little more tricky. There seems to be a lot of great info & resources for starting & building a community, but not quite as much for managing huge communities. I could be wrong? Point me in the right direction if so. Either way I’ll be happy to road-test a lot of theories (within reason) on our community.
Background info: the site was started by two women nearly eight years ago and was recently acquired by a large media organisation, so the community (and new staff) are in the midst of adjusting to this change. FYI I came on board post-acquisition as there wasn't any scope to have a Community Manager when run by an independent team.
This blog aims to document some of the challenges I meet along the way... there have been plenty already so there'll be plenty more to come.
As a Community Manager I can often getting bogged down in the minutia so I am hoping this blog allows me to step back, see the bigger picture and help develop overarching social media strategic planning.
I’m starting Connie Benson’s Community Manager training course shortly and am really looking forward to it. If you’re a CM too you should jump over to Connie’s site Community Strategist and join in the discussion… As the Online Community Research Network (OCRN) says “the best source of information (by far) is other professionals”.
I manage a community of 135,000 women - growing at a rate of approximately 500 newbies per week. The social media component is primarily forums but we also host over 4500 member diaries.
Of our 135,000 members approx. 1500 members are active on the forums at any given hour of the day. Participation inequality would suggest thousands more lurk (almost a certain according to Jakob Nielsen's 90-9-1 rule) and this conversion will form one of many challenges I face.
We have a team of 30 Volunteer Moderators. It goes without saying that they are a priceless asset but managing a volunteer team has its challenges, and add to the mix they are remote, not to mention are all busy Mums with kids to keep them busy.
They have all worked their way up from being members which means they have an exceptional understanding of the 150+ forums we have, but it skews their user experience to our site predominately. Almost all of them came to the site as new parents (many over 5 yrs ago) so they are involved in the site on a personal level.
I’ll be blogging about how much visibility (social/professional) Community Managers should have at some point, as this is something I often ponder.
The forums have been running for over eight years, which means changing the culture is a little more tricky. There seems to be a lot of great info & resources for starting & building a community, but not quite as much for managing huge communities. I could be wrong? Point me in the right direction if so. Either way I’ll be happy to road-test a lot of theories (within reason) on our community.
Background info: the site was started by two women nearly eight years ago and was recently acquired by a large media organisation, so the community (and new staff) are in the midst of adjusting to this change. FYI I came on board post-acquisition as there wasn't any scope to have a Community Manager when run by an independent team.
This blog aims to document some of the challenges I meet along the way... there have been plenty already so there'll be plenty more to come.
As a Community Manager I can often getting bogged down in the minutia so I am hoping this blog allows me to step back, see the bigger picture and help develop overarching social media strategic planning.
I’m starting Connie Benson’s Community Manager training course shortly and am really looking forward to it. If you’re a CM too you should jump over to Connie’s site Community Strategist and join in the discussion… As the Online Community Research Network (OCRN) says “the best source of information (by far) is other professionals”.
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