Looking Back For the past two-three years, I've helped build community, manage its volunteers, grow a user base and make money. I earned the respect of my peers, as well as the love of my customers! To date, all of my LinkedIn recommendations are from customers. That's freaking awesome!
Explanations for community management are often puzzling. At its simplest and most basic definition, a skilled community manager does at least two things really well:
design compelling content
implement scalable support
You can imagine the above as the "bread and butter," "meat and potatoes," what-have-you of community management. They're fairly standard, across employers.
In my experience, content was to a large extent tied to social media. Though it also included a sizable amount of copywriting and email marketing. My personal favorite happens to be email marketing, due to very visible changes in traffic and easy access to analytics.
Thanks to my company, my sweet factor includes SEO and link-building expertise. I tell all of my students on Skillshare, in less than one year we climbed from the middle/bottom of page two to the #1 spot in Google search results. And I sometimes brag about uploading a YouTube video that reached nearly 10,000 views over the course of a weekend. Don't worry, they're all white hat SEO tactics!
Looking Forward There's always more that I can learn, however, and from the following definitive job description, the skills I'd like to enhance in my next position include: analytics, business development, events, and public relations.
In the next couple of years, I'd like to be situated in a leadership role. This can be either leading a team in real life and assisting with new hire training and mentorship. Or, this can be leadership in a virtual form. (Or both!) Now the latter would include a larger social network and presentations at regional or national conferences.
Settling down isn't an immediate priority. Sorry, Ryan Gosling.
Travel, however, is an important goal to make happen. I'd like to add more continents to the pages in my passport, including a return trip to Asia and first-time visits to Africa and South America. Note: I will be completely offline from the end of this week to Saturday, November 5th while in Rome, Florence and other Italian cities. Where on Earth did this wonderful, extra income come from, I wonder?! Hm....
One thing's for sure. I am fascinated by challenges, especially those felt by startups. Check out my favorite interviews with execs from Birchbox, Hashable and SecondMarket.
My obsession with startups sometimes preoccupies friends and family members. Agency life, with its security and bigger and better tools, can certainly be attractive! I am open, like most of my peers, to the possibility. Yet, for the right startup (of which there are few) I am all in! In a heartbeat, I wouldn't even think twice.
Show me a startup that can connect me to the new skills on my wish list, where I can grow and be a leader, where I can work toward long-term aspirations and we've got a deal.
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My happiness is in inspiring and helping others. Put in terms of job responsibilities, it goes back to the bread and butter of community management: content and support.
Cheesy, I know. Destiny has its way with being cheesy.
Interviewing sorta feels like waiting at an orphanage for new parents to fall in love with you.
I'm dwelling on 3 incidents from 3 different interviews. They're important parts of my job search journey, so I'd like to share them.
The Double-Booking
To my surprise, I showed up for an interview at the same time as another applicant.
And not just any applicant! A close associate/friend of mine in the New York community manager network.
The executive in charge played it off as "getting wires crossed in Gcal." Which could be the truth, it's a possibility.
I can't help but think it was strategically orchestrated, however. Perhaps you wouldn't have responded the way I did, but I insisted on a joint interview - the three of us together in the same hour.
The pro, I think, was that I portrayed an air of adaptability. The con, unfortunately, was a level of awkwardness and probably a good deal of holding back. It would be the last, but most certainly not the first set of curve balls I was thrown.
The Blind Interview
I really had no idea what I was walking into with this one. The company was in stealth mode, and all lips were sealed as to the product/service under development.
The first question I was asked was the hardest. The CEO inquired, "Why are you here?"
I wasn't completely unprepared. I had come across a story of the importance of drilling down the answer to this question. The challenge was - not really knowing how to answer it in context. Recall: I had no background on the the product secretly being built.
I did the best I could do, which was to tell the truth. "I'd like a new start," I admitted, "knowing everything that I know now - I'd like a clean slate to make everything better."
Dynamics-wise, this was most likely the interview that threw me for the wildest loop. There were times of disagreement, which I didn't find pleasant. Nonetheless, when it was all over - and by the way it ran over - the CEO thanked me and said, "You're very smart."
What that means, exactly, beyond those 3 words? I have no idea!
The Bullet
One interview had the most inconvenient timing. I won't give away why, but I will say that I would have been within reason to cancel.
I proceeded, and I ended up NOT getting the job.
The question that rings in my mind, though, was being asked something to the effect of, "Would you ever like to be the founder of something, and if so what?"
I connected the dots with my life-changing experience at a women's liberal arts college and answered, "Yes. I would like to help young girls be more confident and excel in math and science."
It was an answer that sealed my fate, because it was an inappropriate fit for the organization. Yet it was the truth. And one day I still hope to inspire and make a difference in education. Particularly with cracks in our society.
Once we were through, I walked solemnly to the train station, where I experienced the most memorable and potentially supernatural occurrence in my entire consciousness.
A song was playing. But not just any song. A song that was powerful and by no means a coincidence. It is a song that haunts me to this day. And sometimes makes me afraid to go to interviews. Even the song's timing, which came from a trio of musicians - one of the hundreds occupying New York City subways, was immaculate.
The first note of the violin began with my first step underground as I made my way to the platform. And the last note made its final decrescendo in unison with the train stopping at the station. The precise moment that the train doors opened was the moment the song came to a close.
The track is in the video below. But I no longer want to view it as a song of crippling fear. Instead, I need to view it as a song of hope. And of trust. Somewhere… awaits my new home.
In a TED video, where Richard Seymour examines "How beauty feels," beauty is understood to be something that produces physiological response. When I saw the four positions, I laughed, cried and felt sick to my stomach all at the same time!
I most likely will send in my application soon - because I love them! Hello! They're awesome.
What would be even cooler, though, is if they stepped up their hiring game with a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament for finalists. Since the CEO teaches a class on Poker, and all! It could involve their already growing staff and serve as a first team-building exercise for the incoming hires. Last four applicants at the table could get the available positions. Doesn't that sound like fun?!
I'm all for a little friendly competition. *Ahem* Don't mean to brag, but I founded a Game Night meetup group. Protip: You generally don't want to be playing anything with someone who's got nothing to lose.
But no matter what stage in your community/social media career you are in, Skillshare is a company to follow closely. And if you've got what it takes, I'd like to see you try and apply. Hurry, before I beat you to it. ;)
The most meaningful Skillshare class that I've taken was Negotiation for Entrepreneurs. The most important Skillshare lesson learned in those 90 minutes was - sometimes you have to walk away.
The class is technically entitled "Winning Negotiation in Three Steps," and I have been applying its framework everyday. Any time I enter into negotiations with customers or service providers (suppliers), I create matrices and one time I even had to use a currency converter! In all instances - 100% of the time - I succeeded in increasing revenue for my company. Mainly because 1) I wasn't afraid to ask and 2) I did my best to state my case.
I promised the instructors I wouldn't reveal their entire curriculum, so instead I'd like to use a personal example to illustrate the awesome power of a single Skillshare class and its profound impact on heavy life decisions. Again, the key takeaway is - sometimes you have to walk away.
It's somewhat to scale. The graph represents wage since finishing college.
Red (beta/b) represents actual wage, which as you will see, hasn't budged since summer 2009. To give context, I started off as an executive assistant at an Atlanta headquartered non-profit. Our mission was "educating and advocating for change" in the global movement toward non-violence. At the time it was a dream job, and I felt that I was doing exactly what my alma mater drilled me to do, which was "to think deeply, live honorably, and engage in the social and intellectual challenges of their [my] times."
Fast forward 2.5 years to today, and I'm a community/social media manager for a #1 ranked task management application. I have helped the user base grow tenfold since my first day on the job. For the record, we doubled just this summer. My work has become increasingly complex, from content and distribution strategy, to crisis management, to product refinement under limited resources, to mastering how to optimize and scale customer support. I have had tremendous autonomy with my job. Heck, you could almost say I'm my own CEO!
To my chagrin, actual wage has not budged since having finished college.
But let's pause for a moment and go back to the colors on the graph. Now the blue line, called alpha (a), signifies desires - the type of wage I'd earn in a perfect or more just world, and the type of wage I think I'm worth. The slope should be roughly 1/3.
Whenever I complain about the gap between the red line and the blue line, my community manager friends laugh and tell me I shouldn't be working for a startup! Which is interesting because I don't necessarily want/need to earn wages at the blue line right now. Certainly in 3-5 years, I expect to close that gap. I learned the hard way how outrageous the blue line is for people working in startups and inevitably this played into why I failed at negotiating salary in my first attempt.
The green line, however, is the single most precious detail of the entire wage graph. Anyone with even a remote economics background should be able to take an educated guess as to what it symbolizes.... And get it right!
Actually, it's not a change in the cost of living. Although, that's a good try! Remarkably my wage has remained constant, despite a tangible spike in the cost of living from having relocated (from Atlanta to New York City in summer of 2010).
Far more compelling than that datapoint, however, in reality - the green line stands for inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has everything you need to know about inflation, simply search under the consumer price index (CPI) and state your location.
What is *heart-stopping* about the green line is, that it is essentially the rate I attempted to negotiate my salary the second time around. This time when I failed, regardless of power factors or anything influencing the decision, it meant that I had to bite the bullet. Soon after, I consequently handed in a letter of resignation.
There is no job waiting for me. I have no leads. Yet the engineers and both co-founders told me I'm good at what I do. Their confidence gives comfort.
Unfortunately - and this is no one's fault, because all things happen for a reason - staying where I am will occur at a loss, as I will be forced to eat the cost of inflation. Although I have no offer in hand, I am more poor for remaining in place. Which means I must move. I must act. I must do. I must go. I must be brave.
As sad as that is to accept and as frightening as it is to not know what my future looks like, I put a really powerful lesson into practice. And sometimes you really do have to walk away.
A sense of unfair compensation is soul-crushing. Because for a startup you are all in. You are fully invested. You are the pig, not the chicken. You have barely any free time, and all of your long hours come with a high opportunity cost.
In my situation, where I truly believe that I operate as my own mini-CEO, there should be no glass ceiling. It is not right for the red line representing actual wage to be constant over the long run.
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In case you weren't aware, I am a Skillshare instructor with classes on internet magic (SEO) and other awesomeness.
I am immeasurably fortunate to have Skillshare in my life. To shake me up about life's most important lessons. It has forever left its mark upon me, not to mention literally move the course of my career!
Perhaps of greater value than courage, Skillshare has revitalized me with newfound hope. I am excited to announce my upcoming collaboration with Blaise Grimes-Viort, whom I often refer to as my ideal community manager mentor. He's been in the business for years, one of the top two in the UK in my opinion, and recently published the ebook 60 Insights from Experienced Community Managers.
During my week-long stay in England, he has arranged for us to co-teach a class on community management at a London institution.
That wasn't handed to me on a silver platter, by the way. Convincing Blaise to collaborate required serious hustle - or shall we say negotiation?!
Sometime this week (though not during working hours) I will be running an audit on myself - strengths, weaknesses/room for improvement. I'll also be narrowing my focus on the kind of organization I'd like to work for next. Folks like Mike Handy will not be let down, and I will execute like hell! A self-imposed challenge includes designing a Tipping Point - else die trying.
My last official day at the office is Monday, October 17th. The community, thankfully, will not be left high and dry as I do have plans for departure. Coincidentally, that falls on the night of a company party. What better way to celebrate the end of one's run than with a bang!
Despite failing to get a raise 100% of the time, my mission and the overall experience has been amazing and helped to define me.
Indeed, sometimes you have no choice but to walk away. Like Steve Jobs, you have to trust that walking away may be the best thing to ever happen to you.
A few months ago, after receiving a number of questions for new Community Managers seeking mentorship, I found myself wondering what the one piece of advice or insight I would choose to share about Community Management.
Having pondered the question for a while, I decided to put it to fellow Community Managers who I have worked with, admired from a distance or looked up to over my own career.
A large number of these marvellous experienced practitioners turned out be game, and I am delighted to present the resulting compilation of insights from these Community Managers.
It includes a foreword from Tamara Littleton (CEO at eModeration), and insights from the following:
Alison Michalk (Community Director at Quiip)
Angela Connor (Social Media Manager at Capstrat)
Connie Bensen (Senior Community Manager at Dell)
Derek Powazek (CEO at FertileMedium)
Debra Askanase (Engagement Strategist at Community Organizer 2.0)
DJ Waldow (CEO at Waldow Social)
Jake McKee (Chief Innovation Officer at Ant’s Eye View)
Jamie Pappas (VP Social Media at AMP Agency)
Laurel Papworth (CEO at World Communities)
Patrick O’Keefe (Author of “Managing Online Forums”)
Rachel Happe (Principal at The Community Roundtable)
Rebecca Newton (Chief Community Officer at MindCandy.com)
Richard Millington (Community Consultant at FeverBee)
Sue John (Community Manager at BritishExpats.com)
Tamar Weinberg (Community Support at Mashable.com, amongst other roles)
Vanessa DiMauro (CEO at LeaderNetworks)
… And many many more!
You’ll notice 4 icons bottom right of each page where I have included each person’s website, LinkedIn and Twitter account if you fancy following them. There’s also a heart symbol which will load up Twitter and let you share your appreciation for that particular quote if you so wish.
If you enjoy it, please feel free to share it with someone else you think would benefit from the pearls of Community Management wisdom found within.
Download the eBook
Click on the image or link on the left to view the full eBook for free in your browser, or the link below:
If you would like to make sure you are informed when I publish eBooks, templates or research on Community Management, or to simply receive new posts from this blog, you can sign up to the newsletter using the form below, or add the RSS feed to your favourite reader.
Thanks again to all the Community Managers who took the time to generously offer their insights.
Submit your own insight
At some stage in the future, I would like to increase the numbers of insights to 100, so if you can distill your own experience as a Community Manager into one silver bullet, feel free to submit it using the form below for consideration for the 2nd edition of this eBook.
I'm too lazy to look up where that comes from right now, but I'm pretty sure it's from a TED talk I watched recently. I've become obsessed with them, by the way!
A few days ago I had to give a very hard talk, which was to reprimand someone. This could be one of the many people I "lead," so to speak. From community volunteers based around the globe, to local community volunteers of our in-person meet up group, to the two staff members I have trained and supervised this summer. I lead a lot of people. Anyway, I had a conversation that lasted nearly two hours. It went over things that weren't really working for me - as a leader - and was aimed at achieving a mutual understanding going forward.
But first, I had to come from a teacher's perspective, which is more and more becoming the way I view my role in the world. This began with a simple written 4-question assessment, that I completed in addition to asking my so-called "subordinate" to complete. (As leader, I try *never* to ask of my subordinates what I am not *willing* to do myself.) At the end of the lengthy discussion we shared them, but the survey served as a base measurement for our opposing ideals. It also stood, hopefully, as a foundation for reaching a consensus and being able to maintain a civil conversation, versus allowing for an escalation.
Imagine that! I am not a mere monkey! There is actually a lot of thought that goes into the work that I do, albeit less technical and subsequently under-appreciated than the majority of my team, which primarily consists of engineers.
Ultimately, I was troubled by said individual's demonstrated commitment and needed to better understand where they were coming from - in relation to our joint project. I felt they acted as if they were "not on the same page" with our cause, mission, goals, and so forth.
Getting my point across, however, was a thousand times easier said than done. For one, the person is generally well-liked, and it was hard being "the bad guy." But somebody's gotta do it! It almost felt like being a parent giving a child tough love. And the reason why I say that is because I was having to be firm for the sake of the greater good. I cannot tell you how relieved I was for the whole ordeal to be over! And I cannot tell you how proud I was for saying what I felt needed to be said, what I knew in my heart needed to be communicated, and that no one else mustered up the courage to do.
This learning experience ended up being my unique pleasure and earned distinction.
There are leaders, people in positions of power and authority who are PAID to manage people, and there are those like me - who lead anyway, regardless of vanity titles and amounts written on their paychecks.
It is a huge shame these contributions go unnoticed.
I wish I had read the following article on Yammer about Social Leadership before going into my meeting. It seems every bit of information on leadership helps, and the striking similarities with that post and mine have to do with holding dialogues and asking questions. Lasting leadership, like transformative teaching, is more about collaborative problem solving and co-leading/co-teaching, which means both parties *own* the solution.
Social media is one of the greatest modern inventions.
1:30pm PDT, 3:30pm CST and 4:30pm EST for Michael Castello, Aaron Couch, and the Producteev community team respectively
It was unequivocally the most difficult day of my entire professional career. I'm not at liberty to talk about it. Yea, imagine that! There are some things I choose NOT to broadcast. Only to say that it was utterly horrendous and hard.
And like beams of light, two stars from my community reached out to me and reminded me who I am.
Using the tools I use everyday to communicate with them, *they* engaged with *me*.
And somehow I knew...that: 4,000 support tickets 2,000 tweets 200 blogposts 10,000 English words translated into 5 foreign languages and dozens of beta testing sessions were not in vain
Instead, it was like the highest affirmation that community management was the only "real" job worth my doing.
I had known for some time that social media can make money! The epitome example for us would be the combination of an integrated communication strategy and social recommendations, which doubled our user base in 6 weeks. That's right double! And the number to start was big already.
This is what makes a scruffy startup suddenly possess the audacity to think it no longer has to rely on a capital injection. But Ashton Kutcher, if you're reading this - call me ;)
What I didn't know and perhaps was foolish to underestimate - because it had not happened to me personally - was the miraculous ability of digital connections to move and touch you. Beyond your most insane expectations. To really inspire.... And encourage....
I can't even articulate very well right now, I get too emotional about it!
Perhaps emotion is best expressed in poetry. As a cop out, I leave you with some select lines from e. e. cummings.
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
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And that is the power of social, as well as the power of my job. It is so needed because it is so human.
These thoughts were hashed out with the following individuals in mind: my team and especially - Michael Castello and Aaron Couch
