7Seven Habits of a Successful Community Manager

Joyce Davis, Community ManagerIBM Collaboration Solutions & Social BusinessTwitter: @jadintxCommunity: http://ibm.co/ics-communityUser Groups: http://socialbizUG.org

January 28, 2013

Friday, January 25, 13

Friday, January 25, 13

Fairness

Integrity

Honesty

Human dignity

Friday, January 25, 13

Once upon a time...

Friday, January 25, 13

Dorothy Gale

Kansas, US

Corporate PlannerYellow Brick Road Enterprises

Working on an agenda for our next Emerald City project!

Friday, January 25, 13

Dorothy Gale

Kansas, US

Corporate PlannerYellow Brick Road Enterprises

Glinda just promoted me to community manager!

Community Manager

Global

Friday, January 25, 13

The Wizard

of Oz

Friday, January 25, 13

The Wizard

of Oz

Friday, January 25, 13

1. Be Proactive What can you control?

Friday, January 25, 13

1. Be proactive

• Get personally involved and invested inthe community

• Focus energy on the things you can control

• Acknowledge mistakes

• Provide easy opportunities for members to contribute

Friday, January 25, 13

2. Begin with the end in mind What’s your mission?

Friday, January 25, 13

2. Begin with the end in mind

• Create a mission statement for the community with the help of members

• Define a community charter, complete with roles and responsibilities

• Have an on-boarding andenablement process

• Have mentors who help orientnew members

As a member of the community:•Build business relationships•Receive recognition and visibility•Gain technical knowledge•Stay up-to-date•Influence IBM’s products and strategy

Friday, January 25, 13

3. Put first things first Do you know your community?

Friday, January 25, 13

3. Put first things first

• Developing relationships with community members is the single most important role as a community manager

• Communicating with members is more important than the collaboration tool or social channel being used

• Take advantage of face-to-face events to build relationships

• Recognize community members publicly

Friday, January 25, 13

4. Win-win What do you reward?

Friday, January 25, 13

4. Win-win

• Align rewards with the value systems of the community (reward collaboration not competition)

• Don't force people to collaborate a certain way or in a certain place; go to where they are and explore ways improve the community

Friday, January 25, 13

5. Seek first to understand, then be understood

Are you listening to your community?

Friday, January 25, 13

5. Seek first to understand, then be understood

• Listen to the community; consider focus groups, polls or surveys to gather feedback

• Before prescribing solutions, be sure you fully understand concerns

• Focus on engagement, not just broadcasts

• Respond on a timely basis

Friday, January 25, 13

6. Synergize

Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

Friday, January 25, 13

6. Synergize

• Embrace different points of view

• Let different talents shine

• Establish leaders / advocates for different areas of the community (forums, social media channels)

• Ensure fresh and engaging community content by encouraging contributions from various sources

Friday, January 25, 13

7. Sharpen the saw How can you improve?

Friday, January 25, 13

7. Sharpen the saw

• Measure success; ensure you're measuringthe right thing (e.g., engagement vs. followers)

• Periodically review the community charter

• Don't be afraid to make changes (including to the community charter)

• Be careful about burn out. Have trusted partners and community members who can cover for you when you need a break.

• Explore ways that you can strengthen your skills as a community manager (#cmgr, Community Roundtable)

Friday, January 25, 13

The 7 Habits

1.Be proactive2.Begin with the end in mind3.Put first things first4.Win-win5.Seek first to understand, then be understood6.Synergize7.Sharpen the saw

Friday, January 25, 13

7The 7 Habits

1.Be proactive2.Begin with the end in mind3.Put first things first4.Win-win5.Seek first to understand, then be understood6.Synergize7.Sharpen the saw

Friday, January 25, 13

...and the community lived happily ever after.

The End

Friday, January 25, 13

Resources

• The 2012 State of Community Management - Best Practices from Community, Social Media, & Social Business Practitionershttp://community-roundtable.com/socm-2012/

• Digital Habitats; stewarding technology for communities, by Etienne Wenger, Nancy White, John D. Smithhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982503601?ie=UTF8&tag=fullcircleassoci&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=0982503601

• BP304--The Way of the Social Dragon: Ten Key Strategies for Building a Thriving Social Community in Your Organization, included in this .zip file: https://greenhouse.lotus.com/files/app?lang=en_US#/file/5a4e5393-6f1f-4278-a1a1-947d750e1a39

• IBM Connections wikihttp://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/

• IBM Connections Media Galleryhttp://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/xpViewCategories.xsp?lookupName=Video%20Gallery

• Installing the IBM Connections Files Plug-in for Lotus Noteshttp://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/dx/Installing_the_IBM_Lotus_Connections_Files_plug-in_for_Lotus_Notes_lc3

• IBM Mobile Appshttp://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/mobile-enterprise/mobile-apps/

Friday, January 25, 13

Friday, January 25, 13