Photo by lululemon athletica.Q. How can I engage the community without being the dominant voice?
The analogy of 'host' is often used to describe the role of Community Manager. Although it has merit, I think it can be misleading. You are the host in the sense that you provide a venue (platform), but ideally you're not the host in the sense the star or "life of the party". This is a particularly time-consuming role to assume, and you'll want to develop your community with scalability in mind.
The role of a Community Manager has to be very flexible and adapt over time. You'll start in the trenches, and with any luck you'll be commanding a platoon of moderators to run your community over time.
Although you may not want to be a primary participant - it is very important for your business/community to have a face, or multiple 'real' representatives. Don't have a faceless Admin or Moderator profile. Be transparent & authentic - as are the social media golden rules.
Aim to make the community self-sufficient to an extent, and always allow members time to help each other before you step in. When they do - thank them. And if you think another member can answer a specific question better than yourself, recommend them. Call on your community's knowledge.
Initially you will be stoking the fires (ok enough with the metaphors!) and your voice will be more dominant, but there are ways you can engage without making the focus about yourself.
Before you even begin:
- Start with only one or two forums to maximise the number of people in one forum at any given time. No matter what the subject (coffee, parenting, sport) the general chat forums almost always end up being the most popular, so don't try to tell people what they should discuss.
- Ask yourself why you expect members to participate in your community. Is there a clear benefit? Does your target audience have any desire to converse with each other - either online or offline?
- Don't hide the forums with too much navigation. Forums are often obscured as 'community' - which may tick your business wish-list but may not be as enticing from a user-experience POV.
FIVE WAYS TO ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY
What are you doing/watching/loving?
Start discussions by asking your community what they are doing (eg. if artists - what are they working on, what art are they enjoying/suggesting/looking forward to). Remember people generally love to discuss themselves and/or their interests. Hopefully this is why they are even a member of your community. I find if I answer the question myself, or add my experience I get a better response as the post is more genuine and sounds less like a school essay - "discuss".
Chat with your mentor/idol/hero
Bring in experts, celebrities or gurus - get members to submit suggestions on who. Then get members to post questions for the guest. Encourage your members to visit the site and participate live to get some fast-moving discussion taking place.
Meet a Member
Profile a member each week. Status and reputation are primary motivators in a community and members will enjoy the limelight. The profile will serve to put a face to your members and help create community bonds.
Attend a town meeting
Convene a 'town meeting' - can be done in asynchronous fashion but again live is a nice concept. Get input about your site, answers questions from members etc.
Build a list
Lists appeal to a wide audience. Get your members to help you build a top 10 or top 20 list on relevant subject. This will also provide great content you can use elsewhere on your site, or as a way of promoting your community.
All of these things take time - but building a community is an investment. As Seth Godin said it should be viewed as a process, not an event. Much like dating or losing weight, it takes time.
Do you have any helpful suggestions for my friend who posed this question?
