In response to the post I wrote on Job Qualifications and Salaries for Community Managers, I was asked on Miio what I would recommend someone do to get started in the Community Management field. Here are some ideas to get you started.
The place you start is where the conversation is. I firmly believe that the best way to learn is to do. Find out where people are talking about what you are interested in and join the conversation.
Pick a unique name/handle for yourself. Pick something that relates to who you are. Names are great, if yours is unique. Numbers aren’t great – at least in my opinion. Be consistent in using that name across all the social sites where you create accounts. Get a great picture or avatar to go with it and use it everywhere as well. (I have two. My photo is some places and my manga style avatar is others. They look enough like me that it works to have both out there.) Put together a good story about who you are and what you do. Use that when you create profiles. (But don’t always use the exact same wording – it will make you look too much like a robot.)
Follow the best in the community management world, including:
- Connie Bensen, Alterian - http://twitter.com/cbensen
- Shashi Bellamkonda, Network Solutions – http://twitter.com/shashib
- Amber Naslund, Radian 6 – http://twitter.com/AmberCadabra
- Kristie Wells, Social Media Club – http://twitter.com/kristiewells
- Jake McKee, Ant’s Eye View – http://twitter.com/jakemckee
- Sean O’Driscoll, Ant’s Eye View – http://twitter.com/seanodmvp
Follow them on Twitter and anywhere else they are. Read everything they write. Check out the tools they use. Comment on what you read. Get involved. Don’t be a spammer about it, be real and be authentic. But do connect as best you can. Find out where they are and be there too.
Search out forums you can get involved in and start participating. Remember that a good bit of the conversation is still happening in old style forums. If you want to connect with people, create an account where your topic is being discussed. Make sure you fill in profile fields so that people find you. Answer questions. Help out. Do what you can to be a good cyber-citizen.
If you know a certain piece of software, find out where people are talking about that software and start talking. Answer questions more than you ask. Give more than you take. A good place to start is with boards where people are active. If you know Microsoft software, for example, check out the Social Answers site. You probably already have an account there, you just need to make it active.
Start creating content that helps people. Become the one that knows how to do it, then you can become the one who gets paid to do it. Whenever possible add screen shots to your answers. Create screencasts and videos to go with your content. Create a test case which you can use to document your skills. Find a project or non-profit that needs online help and volunteer.
When people ask you questions, answer as much of it publicly as you can. Yes, you CAN answer questions via email and private message. But if you answer them publicly, you help more people. Answering a question privately fixes the problem for one person. Answering it publicly answers it for everyone who has the problem.
Practice measuring and monitoring the social media presence and community presence for a product or brand you love. Check out the best of the monitoring and measurement tools. Learn everything you can about how to track information, gather data, generate graphs, etc. Write about what you learn.
Find new tools and sites for social media. Check them out. Try them out. Offer to beta test them. As you play with them, help others learn them. If you run into problems, report them. When you report the problems, be sure to tell the development team what you were doing, why you were doing it, and what you would have liked to have happened that didn’t. (Looking for a way to find the best social media tools? Ask people. Check out OneForty.com regularly for new tools and ways to use them.)
Finally, pick three of the things off the list of job qualifications that you don’t already know how to do and start learning them. Ask people to help you get better at what you are doing. Ask them how you can help. The more you learn, the more you can share. The more you share, the more likely it is that someone will see what you can do for them and ask you to help out. Every time that happens, you get one step closer to your goal of becoming a full time, paid, community manager.
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3 comments
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40deuce
August 26, 2010 at 1:23 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Great post!
I like to think that I do a lot of what you mentioned, but I’m always looking for ways to improve and do my job better.
Cheers,
Sheldon, community manager for Sysomos
Sue
August 26, 2010 at 6:15 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Lots of practical, real, nitty gritty advice for anyone starting out. Great stuff
Katie Morse
August 25, 2010 at 4:16 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hey there. Amber is a wonderful boss and I learn from her on a daily basis. The list of Community Managers you’ve complied is a GREAT start. I really can’t underscore the importance of learning – continuously learning. It’s applicable for any communications role, I think – but especially for community managers. It shouldn’t stop once you get the job!
Katie
Community Manager | Radian6
@misskatimeo
Online Community Management Links Roundup 27/08/10 | Community Management | Blaise Grimes-Viort
August 27, 2010 at 6:41 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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