One of the many ideas behind #cmgrhangout (to me) is to share ideas, strategies, and methods behind the best community management initiatives out there. As Scoop.it’s community manager, I’m constantly coming across web curators and community strategists using the web in ways I never thought of to make big things happen. Frankly, I’m not sure why it took this long for the lightbulb to go off in my head to bring these two things together, but now that it has, I’m more than excited to bring expert Scoopiteer Martin Smith to this week’s hangout as the guest of honor.

Who is Martin Smith?

Marty Smith is an internet marketer, blogger, startup enthusiast, and cancer survivor who has documented his journey with the help of social media. He’s extremely intelligent and is a nonstop curator of interesting information.

What makes Marty so interesting from a community standpoint is his dedication to bringing people together around a cause. As I mentioned, Marty is a cancer survivor and has dedicated the rest of his life to helping others become survivors as well. His most recent project is CureCancerStarter.org, which is “a new crowdfunding platform bringing cancer patients, their friends, families and donors together with cancer researchers.”

Cure Cancer Starter was founded on the principle of “Save The World Marketing” which essentially embodies the goal of all community managers – creating emotional connections with consumers and community members through storytelling and social communication. Bringing communities together around a cause is one of the most meaningful and rewarding types of community management, and I’m super excited to have the opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business!

We will host a LIVE Google Hangout at 2pm EST NY-USA (find your local time here http://ht.ly/jjG3U) on Friday, May 24, with Marty and you are invited!

Questions to be discussed:

1. What’s the best way to leverage personal stories in community and marketing efforts?

2. How can you find advocates to help build your community?

3. How do you make sure that your personal connections don’t hinder your professional efforts?

4. How do you keep a distinguished line between community building and marketing when it comes to sharing a message?

5. How can you scale personal anecdotes to build a global community with impact?

Join us this week as Jonathan Brewer  and Tim McDonald  will be Hosting the Hangout and brandie mccallum and  Sherrie Rohde will being moderating the Twitter chat #cmgrhangout
Don’t forget to confirm you are attending and be on the lookout for a G+ notification about 1:55pm EST if you want to join the hangout.
Want to participate on Twitter? Watch the YouTube video here and use #cmgrhangout  when tweeting.

The post How Communities Can Save The World appeared first on My Community Manager.

“There’s more to being a community manager than a little social networking. You need a thick skin, a pleasant personality, and the ability to organize and prioritize.”
—Deb Ng, Online Community Management for Dummies

If you’re considering a career in Community Management, I highly recommend Online Community Management for Dummies by Deb Ng. Deb covers everything from becoming a Community Manager to discovering successful existing communities to how to track community stats and run an offline event.

This book serves as a fantastic resource for existing community managers as well. I found myself reaching a level of information overload, but in a positive way. With highlighter in hand for future reference, I was able to power through and take notes of which nuggets of wisdom I could apply now and which to work on in the future.

I absolutely loved that Deb was able to pull together so much information that applies no matter what type of community you are or which tools you are using. This book does a fantastic job on focusing on key concepts in community management in a way that you can apply regardless of your situation.

Here are a few of my key takeaways:

The reason many leaders fail is because they don’t respond well to feedback. Community managers know that the best way to improve or grow is to ask questions, request feedback, and respond to that feedback. Brands can no longer assume that they know what’s best for their customers. By asking questions or using surveys to request feedback, community managers are able to pass on valuable information to the brand.

Customer confidence really isn’t a difficult thing to achieve. It involves delivering what you promise, being an active presence in the virtual world, answering questions honestly, and not sweeping anything under the rug.

People are loyal to brands that are loyal to them. They don’t like products to change too much, and they want them to deliver what’s promised.

Your community members invest a lot of time in your brand. You owe it to them to treat them as equals and to be honest with them. Backpedaling, tap-dancing around issues, or pretending that you didn’t read or hear something are insults to their intelligence.

My advice? Grab this book, take a look at the index, and decide which areas you want to focus on.

What can you improve today?

A Word from Deb

I’ll be honest, this is the first book review I’ve written. I know I’m not focusing much on the specifics, but I really wanted you to get to know Deb herself. I had the pleasure of meeting Deb in NYC this February during our Community Manager UNconference. Let me just say, after a day of discussions I can assure you her wisdom is truly authentic.

To switch things up a bit, I asked Deb for a bit of an interview. She happily obliged.

What is the #1 takeaway you hope readers will find in your book?
I hope they’ll close the book and realize community management is a strategic role, more than just tweeting or posting to Facebook and that there are a lot of factors involved in running a successful online community. With that said, I hope they also walk away with questions answered and the confidence needed to achieve their goals.

What inspired you to write this book?
My passion is in building online communities, especially in starting from scratch. When I originally began talking with Wiley about writing a Dummies book, they suggested several titles for me. I wasn’t really feeling them and asked them how they felt about a book on online community management. It was a bit of a hard sell, but it worked out in the end.

What book (or author), other than your own, would you recommend to Community Managers and why?
The list of books I read and enjoy changes on a daily basis. It’s also subjective. We all have different reasons for appreciating certain books. Here are the books that helped me as a community manager:

• Trust Agents – Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
• Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World – Peter Shankman
• Fierce Loyalty: Unlocking the DNA of Widly Successful Communities by Sarah Robinson

What is one random thing about you that most people don’t know?
I didn’t learn how to drive until I was 38 years old. This seems very old to folks out here in suburbia but I lived most of my life in New York City and it’s not unusual not to have a Driver’s License in the city.

About Deb Ng

Deb is the former community manager for several online brands including BlogWorld/New Media Expo and BlogTalkRadio. In addition to “Online Community Management for Dummies,” she’s the co-author of “Social Media Marketing All in One for Dummies.” When she’s not oversharing on the social networks, Deb’s blogging at Kommein.com and helping brands with community development.

The post Review: Online Community Management For Dummies appeared first on My Community Manager.

After Brew returned from a Translator focused lab session with librarians earlier this week, we chatted about how many parallels there were between community management and librarians. Of course we’ve already compared a trial attorney to community management and had a rock star tell us how she grew her Google+ community, so why not invite Patty Wanniger, with Polaris Library Systems to discuss what community managers can learn from Librarians.

Who is Patty Dwyer Wanninger?

Patty spent 25 years working in all types of libraries. An early adopter of “online card catalogs,” experienced in running, managing, and building public libraries in Wisconsin and Illinois. Since 2008, worked in the private sector representing companies that provide software and hardware solutions for library automation.  Graduate of UW-Madison School of Library Science.

She returned to Milwaukee two years ago after many years living in Janesville, WI. Thrilled to be resident of Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood, and back in my natal zipcode.  Lurker on Twitter.

Patty’s daughter (who received her Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt last Friday) is trying out for Jeopardy today. And you have to have little anecdotes in case you get on the show and Alex has to chat with you. So here are Patty’s: I like to wait at stage doors; I have met Angela Lansbury, Robert Goulet, Christopher Pluumer, among others. I own a million beads. I have 101 first cousins. I passed the Jeopardy test a few years ago but never was selected for the show, I think because my anecdotes are weak.

We will host a LIVE Google Hangout at 2pm EST NY-USA (find your local time here http://ht.ly/jjG3U) on Friday, May 17, with Patty and you are invited!

Here’s what will be talking about:

1) How do you take advantage of people’s initial perception of you (judging a book by the cover)?

2) How do you stay engaged with a community when they “check out” from you?

3) You use a card catalogue for books, how do you identify and organize people?

4) How does customer experience help grow your community?

5) What ways can you “elevate” a person who just comes in for a book?

Join us this week as Jonathan Brewer  and Tim McDonald  will be Hosting the Hangout and brandie mccallum and Sherrie Rohde will being moderating the Twitter chat #cmgrhangout
Don’t forget to confirm you are attending and be on the lookout for a G+ notification about 1:55pm is you want to join the hangout.
Want to participate on Twitter? Watch the YouTube video (will be linked)  and use #cmgrhangout  when tweeting.

photo credit Gwen’s River City Images

The post What Community Managers Can Learn From Librarians appeared first on My Community Manager.

Have you ever done something for the first time after years of wondering what it would be like? For me, at age 45, I hired a coach for the first time. Coach Jennie. Wonder why, after all these years, I decided to work with a coach? Regardless of where we all are, there is always a place to still go. Have you ever heard, “You can never see the full picture when you are inside the frame?” By working with someone who helps you see the full picture, the path which you still need to journey, becomes clear.

Normally, coaching sessions are private and confidential. Normal has never been my style. We modified the coaching contract and agreed to record and broadcast the coaching sessions using Google Plus Hangouts. This is where transparency comes in. Transparency is not PR, it’s not marketing and it’s certainly not about baring all. Transparency is being honest, being open and being accountable.

You’ve heard about the transparency and the coaching, but why does the title of the post say Americano? We hangout at 9:30am EST which means I’ll be having an Americano during the coaching session. You’re free to stick with regular coffee, tea or even juice, but please join us and see what a coaching session looks like. At least this coaching session. Here’s our agenda:

What’s new with you? Is there anything I should know about?

I verbally agreed to a paid speaking opportunity and started looking at doing a TEDx Talk after 5 people in 48 hours told me my story sounded like a TED talk.

What challenges or frustrations are you currently facing?

Self confidence.

What progress have you made on your commitments since our last session? 

Negotiated speaking opportunity, but haven’t finished the talk outline.

Experience any “Aha” moments since we last spoke?

Hearing “that sounds like a TED talk” for the 4th time. The first couple, I dismissed, then it sunk in.

What outcomes would you like to walk away with from this session?

Stop talking. Start doing.

What question(s) are you hoping I won’t ask you? 

This question.

Have you worked with a coach? What’s been your experience?

The post Transparency, Coaching And An Americano appeared first on My Community Manager.

Oxpeckers and rhinoceroses. Sea anemones and clownfish. Moray eels and cleaner shrimp. Movies and popcorn.

Just kidding on that last one, but really. Nature is full of symbiotic, interdependent relationships. Some are obligate, requiring each other for survival, while others are simply facultative where their relationship is mutually beneficial but they can live without each other.

Community, while comprised of people, follows a similar symbiotic structure. As community managers, we talk all the time about what we need our community to do for us and how we can get them to do so, but when is the last time you thought about what your community needs from you?

When I worked with our partner community, my main focus was always on how I could help them. Most of the time this rocked their world, but the truth was, if I knew how to make them look good and shared their goals, they had us on their minds constantly and wanted to share our company with their clients.

What does your community want from you? Public recognition? Spotlight them. If it fits with your community structure, feature them in a showcase. Invite them to guest blog. Give them a badge or something to brag about. Attention? Check in with them without any underlying motives. Sincerely ask them how they’re doing, expecting nothing in return. Exclusivity? Create a secret clubhouse for your brand ambassadors where they can discuss high level topics around your product.

If you listen to them, your community will tell you what they need. If you help them with their needs, they’ll likely want to know how to help you with yours.

The post Community is a Symbiotic Relationship appeared first on My Community Manager.

Link Building Tips For Community Managers

After reading a post from Sean McGinnis this week (Link Building Techniques That Work), two things made us think of community managers: 1) community managers involved in developing content for their site or are involved with SEO, should know about these; and 2) many link building practices sound like what community managers do every day.

We will host a LIVE Google Hangout at 2pm EST NY-USA (find your local time here http://ht.ly/jjG3U) on Friday, May 10, with Sean and you are invited!

Here’s what will be talking about:

1) What is link building and why is it so important?

2) You say “write epic shit” What exactly makes writing epic?

3) What are best practices for guest blogging?

4) How can events be used for link building?

5) What are some other top tips for link building?

Join us this week as Jonathan Brewer  and Tim McDonald  will be Hosting the Hangout and brandie mccallum (and hopefully Sherrie Rohde too!) will being moderating the Twitter chat #cmgrhangout
Don’t forget to confirm you are attending and be on the lookout for a G+ notification about 1:55pm is you want to join the hangout.
Want to participate on Twitter? Watch the YouTube video here and use #cmgrhangout  when tweeting.

The post Link Building For Community Managers appeared first on My Community Manager.

A funny thing happened. After years of working out of my house, I now am working from an office Monday – Friday. I take the same bus every morning. I stop at the same coffee shop every morning (The Bean NYC, if you were wondering). I don’t even leave the house many weekends (mostly the result of not having a car and Lori working). What have I learned?

Routine is a curse. Yes, it’s comfortable. I’m productive, predictable and positive. What’s the problem? I’ve created a routine that has limited my creative juices. Sound familiar?

Go quit your job, visit a new coffee shop every morning and take a different route every day. I’m kidding! At least about quitting your job. It’s not your job’s fault, it’s yours. Wait…it’s my fault! I’ve done this. I need to break it. Maybe take the train or a different bus. The one that goes to Midtown instead of Wall Street. That would mean a new coffee shop every day! Seeing and experiencing new things spurs new ideas. Routines stifle new ideas. This is the curse of routine.

What is your routine? How do you mix it up to get your creative juices flowing?

The post The Curse Of Routine appeared first on My Community Manager.

Many thanks to Alexandra Dao, Eric Herberholz, Gary Nix, Hillary Boucher, Kristie Wells, Krysta Gahagen, Laura Horak, Megan Murphy and Monica Wright for sharing their thoughts!

The post What is #cmgrUN? (video) appeared first on My Community Manager.

When was the last time you read a book and it made you want to tell all your friends about it? Let’s keep this to business books, other wise at least half of you would say 50 Shades of Grey. Now, what was the last book you told your friends about?

Here’s mine: Your Network Is Your Net Worth by Porter Gale.

Why? As a community manager, I sum up my position in one word: connector.

Networking leads to connections and connections lead to relationships. That’s how I met Porter. This was actually a social networking connection. I met Jessica Northey via Sean McGinnis and a group of bloggers he had assembled on Triberr. I noticed Jessica was very active in the country music scene. I’m not a county music fan, but loved her passion. That lead me to ask her to join on of my live streamed shows I hosted. She was not able to make the date I requested, but when I asked if she knew anyone I should interview, it was Porter Gale. I was so excited. This was the former CMO of Virgin America, writing a book, willing to join me for an interview. That was how I met Porter. Sound familiar? If not, you definitely need to order Porter’s book. If it does, keep reading.

Fast forward to last month. I was about to head to San Francisco for Community Manager UNconference. I searched my contacts in the bay area who I wanted to attend, and invited them. Porter received one of them via a Facebook message. She told me she had other plans. I didn’t let it stop there. Since I had never met her, I told her I love to meet in person and she agreed to meet me for breakfast on Sunday with her daughter. How does this all relate to her book? That meeting lead her to give me an advance copy of her book.

This is where I get personal. I read the book. The whole book, not just a few chapters or giving it a skim. I agreed not to quote the book (since it’s not released yet), but I can tell you this. It spoke to me. It made me feel at home, yet want to reach beyond what I have achieved. Networking is so much more than just making connections. It is a never ending task. And task is not a bad word. For as uncomfortable as it may feel at times, with practice, the right people and knowing where to look for it, uncomfortable becomes comfortable, and task becomes something you look forward to.

Porter has written a book that I could’ve have written in about 2 more years. You don’t need to wait. Why am I writing about this on My Community Manager? Because I am passionate that the common bond all community managers have is their connections. Personal, professional, and inter-company. This book shows you how Porter, and so many other successful people, have made their networks their net worth.

My disclaimer: I already made it. Porter gave me an advance copy. When have you ever heard me gush about a book? Much less, write an entire post in this personal of manner? If you don’t know, never.

Remember when I told you to keep reading if my story of meeting Porter sounded familiar? Well, I learned so many things from reading this book. I know you will too.

I can’t wait until you read it and can share your comments. I look forward to your thoughts.

The post Your Network Is Your Net Worth appeared first on My Community Manager.

Well, we’ve been to Chicago, New York City and San Francisco with the best of the best. It looks something like this:

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