Janet Aronica recently wrote about What a Community Manager Is. In short, a community manager is:

• a brand ambassador
• a helper 
• a teacher

There comes a point, however, when management will only take you so far. And there comes a point when community awareness must surpass the brand, its influencers, and the product. This was my "pivotal moment."

For the past several months, I have been running. Sprinting is more like it.

Announcing 124 accepted and completed new features, 39 product updates, 12 use case interviews....I have barely been able to catch my breath. 

Then one day I didn't have to. The community began doing some of the work for me, which wasn't a bad thing. I merely realized we were at that pivotal moment.

Paying attention to what is directly in front of me -- brand, influencers, product -- may very well have us running in circles. With a clear path, however, or model for permanent, successful communities -- we are much more likely to get somewhere.

We find models in each other, online resources like The Community Roundtable. We come across an awesome book recommendation from a friend or mentor, thereby granting direction from the world around us.

A community manager is indeed all those things that Janet mentioned. But a community builder? In short, a community builder is:

• a member of a professional network
• a seeker of help, as much as s/he is a giver
• a student, as much as s/he is an instructor

Yet the idea of a long-term community may make you wonder, How can we reach the [imaginary] finish line when we can't even see it? For one thing, we have to know that it's there. In the back of our minds we must know we can reach it, one day enabling the community to finally sustain itself. 

Like the cheerleaders in above photo, I hold up the following placards:

Finishing is your only fucking option.

It's OK to cry.

Our marathon is our community. Let us cross the finish line together.