To create successful online communities it is crucial to have an active Community Manager. But what is a Community Manager? and what are their roles? Zipipop created this presentation to help give you a better understanding.

1. What is a Community Manager?
06.04.2011 Richard von Kaufmann // Concepting Director // co-founder

2. What is a Community Manager?
A Community Manager guides
communities towards smooth
and effective collaboration.
http://www.fillmoregazette.com/arts-entertainment/ventura-college-symphony-orchestra-%E2%80%9Cwinner%E2%80%99s-circle%E2%80%9D-concert-october-25

3. Linking the communities together
Community Managers are often
recruited to manage the interactions
between organizations, partners and
customers.
However, the same needs apply to
closed-communities involving
different departments and
organizations.

4. Community Manager
lives here Partners
RULES
GUIDANCE
Business / SUPPORT
organization
Customers

5. Key Roles of the Community Manager
• Evangelist — motivates users to participate
• Guide — sets the usage guidelines and guides participation
• Moderator — makes sure users behave appropriately
• Councilor — listens to user concerns
• Mobilizer — initiates and schedules content creation
• Content Manager — organizes content to be useful and relevant

6. Community Rules
• Setting the right usage rules for
collaboration tools is crucial
• New users learn the rules through
observing how the community is
already using the space.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/center_for_jewish_history/4352152712/sizes/o/
The usage rules are set by the initial
“champion users”.

7. Driving the Community Forward
• Observe: be aware of issues being addressed
• Check: keep an active eye on activity
• Steer: show people the way forward
• Accelerate: be enthusiastic and promote
activity
• Brake: moderate behavior
http://www.gotbroken.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-
ac-schnitzer-bmw-x6-falcon-cockpit-interior-view-588x422.jpg

8. The Evangelist
• Comfortable using social media
• Enthusiastic about collaborative
ways of working online
• Works with early “champion
users” to set usage rules

9. The Guide
• Observes behaviour and endeavours to
provide help before it is requested
• Makes suggestions on how to use the
tools better
• Seeks help from higher-level support
when necessary
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16339684@N00/2896959750/

10. The Moderator
• Keeps discussion active and productive
— like a chairperson would in a normal
real-life meeting
• Makes sure users are behaving
appropriately
• Give positive feedback in public and
negative in private

11. The Content Manager
• Initiates and coordinates the collecting
of information
• Schedules content creation
• Manages content to make it useful to
users
• Note: In a large organization this work
would be done by a dedicated “Content
Manager”

12. Appointing a Community Manager
• It is normal and often good practice to give the role of Community Manager to
someone in the Communications Department
• The Community Manager’s role, however, is not necessarily suitable to people
who are used to, or prefer, orderly approval processes
• Therefore the role of Community Manager should be considered on case-by-
case basis and not automatically be given a Communications Manager
• Most importantly the Community Manager should be comfortable with using
social me and enthusiastic about its potential
• Personal usage of social media is an added bonus but not essential
• Larger organizations should consider having a Chief Community Manager

13. Social Media Guidelines
Educate users on basic
participation guidelines:
• representing self
• seeking permissions
• avoiding offence
• giving credit
• asking questions
• use a smiley when you mean it
lamunecadelasonrrisaalegre.blogspot.com

14. Thanks!
Richard von Kaufmann
Concepting Director, co-founder
+358 45 11 222 73
richard@zipipop.com