So…You’re an Online Community Manager?

“We weren’t trained to do this!” This was what I was told on a phone call with two association professionals that had recently taken over community and moderation responsibilities at their organization.A lot of us in the association community space (and community space in general) were never “trained” to do what we do. But we make a huge impact on our organizations if we know what to do. Here’s the encouraging thing…I’m a firm believer that you cannot be “trained” in moderation (and some elements of community management). Every situation is different and it’s YOUR JOB to handle that situation based on previous social skills you have acquired. Scary right? It can be. But, honestly, the core of community management is treating people how you would want to be treated.From talking to community professionals, a lot of them were thrust into the role and had to figure it out. If you’re reading this, you might be in the same boat. There are a lot of us that had to “figure it out” on our own. But you are not alone. There are a wealth of resources. Join these communities and ask the dumb questions.Community by AssociationCMX ProFeverBeeCommunity RoundtableMy StoryMy dream was to be a sportswriter – specifically a sportswriter for the New York Yankees. The movie 61 was my dream. I had journalism internships in high school and college. I wrote for my student newspaper, The Diamondback. We were named the best daily college newspaper in the country my senior year (probably still the professional accomplishment I’m most proud of). I even had an internship with the John Riggins show on ESPN radio. In 2009, when I finished my college education, I knew journalism was changing. I was told by a lot of professional journalists to get out while I still could. Journalism was my passion, but I knew it wasn’t my future.My backup was waiting tables and bartending. I had waited tables through college and loved the short deadlines, meeting new people, and work schedule. I started bartending in Washington, D.C. shortly after making far more money than any 21 should. Fast forward eight years with a child about to start kindergarten and I wanted a day job. I wanted to pursue a career. I didn’t know how to market my customer service skills and journalism experience. But I applied to every job I thought would be reasonable. I applied for a lot of communications and social media jobs.I applied for a social media position at my current organization – didn’t get it. I was asked to interview for a communication coordinator position at my current organization – didn’t get it. I was called back for a new position where “knowledge of Higher Logic” was a plus. I had no idea what Higher Logic was.My current boss saw the value in my journalism experience and my bartending experience. One of the biggest problems plaguing the community was handling moderation. I was hired to handle moderation. Think about it, if you’ve worked the past ten years handling “moderation” in an in-person community (a bar) where people have had too much to drink - aren’t you equipped to handle online moderation?As I spoke with the two individuals that had told me they weren’t trained in moderation, I told them my background. I haven’t been formally trained either. But I have ten plus years of dealing with in-person community moderation. I once had a bar customer say to a group of other customers, “He was alive when the Germans boomed Pearl Harbor.” How do you redirect that conversation? These are things you can’t train for and they happen in your online community.I don’t believe you can learn proper moderation through training. It must be learned through experience. You will encounter situations that just make you stop and exhale. At least with an online community you can do that.Tips on being successful as a new community professional in your organization:Learn, learn, learn - Look at the resources I provided above and soak it up. Associations make it seem like community management is new (I’ve even encountered questions from our staff about what my title means). But, guess what? Community has been around for over 15 years. Community professionals have been recording data and establishing best practices for just as long. That’s what I enjoy about CMX Pro. I love being connected to people that have done it and know it. It’s not new.Know your role - Understand the different elements of your job. There are a lot of responsibilities you have as a community professional and very few people at your organization probably understand what you do. You are handling issues related to member engagement, strategy, moderation, business goals, and technical issues. I wrote a blog post in Community by Association about what you should focus on.Know the industry standards - The Community Roundtable recently put out a report on Community Careers and Compensation. Know your role and your worth.Looking ForwardWhat we do as community professionals has a huge impact on our associations. We shouldn’t have to “figure it out.” I have a six-year-old. When I describe my job to her, I tell her I explain to trolls they can’t post things. She gets that (she loves YouTube) and thinks it’s so cool. The number one career goal for kids right now is to be a YouTuber. That’s not very far off from being a community manager if you think about. We need to develop tools for the next generation to be prepared for our career path.