'Social hooks them; but a community manager keeps them' and other lessons learnt from #SMBuzzChat 8 with Christie Fidura
It all started out with righteous indignation.
I’ve attended Social Media Week London for many consecutive years, and I’ve continuously been frustrated, aggravated and concerned by the lack of presentations about community management at this event. After all, how many people have I met who have the job title of social media manager/ community manager? Clearly, community management is a thing that some social media managers do… but nobody seems to be talking about it.
So I thought it was time to get the ball rolling and to bring this topic out into the screaming sunlight for some serious deliberation. The first point of my quest was to submit an application to speak at Social Media Week London 2015.
The odds were against me: there is very little precedent that community management would even make it as a topic onto the board; the audience is 95 per cent social media managers; and as previously stated, nobody in the social media industry seemed to be talking about community management.
But then a remarkable thing happened: I was accepted to speak.
After calming my heart palpitations and re-igniting my fervor, I built my presentation to concentrate on the facts, without bias, without judgement, and without upsetting anyone, whilst encouraging my audience to think deeply about the pros and cons of giving one person two jobs.
It’s not just that I don’t think it’s fair to ask one person to do two jobs whilst only paying them one salary. It goes much further than that: specifically, the goals, audiences, methodologies and metrics of a social media manager are completely different from that of a community manager
I then re-ignited this topic for #SMBuzzChat. I crafted specific questions, again to present to a primarily Social Media Manager-heavy audience, to get them thinking. To get their input. To get their feedback. To give them a chance to work out for themselves whether one person really should do these two separate jobs.
The responses were phenomenally interesting. Every single person participating in the chat, no matter which side they were on, agreed on one tangible fact: social media hooks people, but it’s community management that keeps them close.
Thank you to Ruby Love for joining in at Social Buzz Towers last night. If you fancy joining us in the studio for next weeks #SMBuzzChat, tweet at @baconchin.
If you enjoyed It%20all%20started%20out%20with%20righteous%20indignation.
%20%C2%A0
%20I%E2%80%99ve%20attended%20Social%20Media%20Week%20London%20for%20many%20consecutive%20years,%20and%20I%E2%80%99ve%20continuously%20been%20frustrated,%20aggravated%20and%20concerned%20by%20the%20lack%20of%20presentations%20about%20community%20management%20at%20this%20event.%20After%20all,%20how%20many%20people%20have%20I%20met%20who%20have%20the%20job%20title%20of%20social%20media%20mnager/%20community%20manager?%20Clearly,%20community%20management%20is%20a%20thing%20that%20some%20social%20media%20managers%20do%E2%80%A6%20but%20nobody%20seems%20to%20be%20talking%20about%20it.%C2%A0
%20%C2%A0
%20So%20I%20thought%20it%20was%20time%20to%20get%20the%20ball%20rolling%20and%20to%20bring%20this%20topic%20out%20into%20the%20screaming%20sunlight%20for%20some%20serious%20deliberation.%20The%20first%20point%20of%20my%20quest%20was%20to%20submit%20an%20application%20to%20speak%20at%20Social%20Media%20Week%20London%202015.
%20%20The%20odds%20were%20against%20me:%20there%20is%20very%20little%20precedent%20that%20community%20management%20would%20even%20make%20it%20as%20a%20topic%20onto%20the%20board;%20the%20audience%20is%2095%20per%20cent%20social%20media%20managers;%20and%20as%20previously%20stated,%20nobody%20in%20the%20social%20media%20industry%20seemed%20to%20be%20talking%20about%20community%20management.%C2%A0
%20%C2%A0
%20But%20then%20a%20remarkable%20thing%20happened:%20I%20was%20accepted%20to%20speak.
%20%C2%A0
%20After%20calming%20my%20heart%20palpitations%20and%20reigniting%20my%20fervor,%20I%20built%20my%20presentation%20to%20concentrate%20on%20the%20facts,%20without%20bias,%20without%20judgement,%20and%20without%20upsetting%20anyone,%20whilst%20encouraging%20my%20audience%20to%20think%20deeply%20about%20the%20pros%20and%20cons%20of%20giving%20one%20person%20two%20jobs.
%20%C2%A0
%20It%E2%80%99s%20not%20just%20that%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20think%20it%E2%80%99s%20fair%20to%20ask%20one%20person%20to%20do%20two%20jobs%20whilst%20only%20paying%20them%20one%20salary.%20It%20goes%20much%20further%20than%20that:%20specifically,%20the%20goals,%20audiences,%20methodologies%20and%20metrics%20of%20a%20social%20media%20manager%20are%20completely%20different%20from%20that%20of%20a%20community%20manager
%20%C2%A0
%20I%20then%20reignited%20this%20topic%20for%20#SMBuzzChat.%20I%20crafted%20specific%20questions,%20again%20to%20present%20to%20a%20primarily%20Social%20Media%20Manager-heavy%20audience,%20to%20get%20them%20thinking.%20To%20get%20their%20input.%20To%20get%20their%20feedback.%20To%20give%20them%20a%20chance%20to%20work%20out%20for%20themselves%20whether%20one%20person%20really%20should%20do%20these%20two%20separate%20jobs.%C2%A0
%20%C2%A0
%20The%20responses%20were%20phenomenally%20interesting.%20Every%20single%20person%20participating%20in%20the%20chat,%20no%20matter%20which%20side%20they%20were%20on,%20agreed%20on%20one%20tangible%20fact:%20social%20media%20hooks%20people,%20but%20it%E2%80%99s%20community%20management%20that%20keeps%20them%20close.%C2%A0
%20
Thank you to Ruby Love for joining in at Social Buzz Towers last night. If you fancy joining us in the studio for next weeks #SMBuzzChat, tweet at @baconchin.
If you enjoyed #SMBuzzChat last night, or you’ve never participated in one, sign up to our Facebook event for next weeks with Alex Shebar; head of community at Yelp.
Also, want to guest host a #SMBuzzChat and get the community to answer your questions? Drop Adam Libonatti-Roche an email and we’ll sort it out.
We only include choice cuts from the chat; for the full discussion, follow the hashtag #SMBuzzChat on Twitter.
">#SMBuzzChat last night, or you’ve never participated in one, sign up to our Facebook event for next weeks with Alex Shebar; head of community at Yelp.Also, want to guest host a chat and get the community to answer your questions? Drop Adam Libonatti-Roche an email and we’ll sort it out.
We only include choice cuts from the chat; for the full discussion, follow the hashtag It%20all%20started%20out%20with%20righteous%20indignation.
%20%C2%A0
%20I%E2%80%99ve%20attended%20Social%20Media%20Week%20London%20for%20many%20consecutive%20years,%20and%20I%E2%80%99ve%20continuously%20been%20frustrated,%20aggravated%20and%20concerned%20by%20the%20lack%20of%20presentations%20about%20community%20management%20at%20this%20event.%20After%20all,%20how%20many%20people%20have%20I%20met%20who%20have%20the%20job%20title%20of%20social%20media%20mnager/%20community%20manager?%20Clearly,%20community%20management%20is%20a%20thing%20that%20some%20social%20media%20managers%20do%E2%80%A6%20but%20nobody%20seems%20to%20be%20talking%20about%20it.%C2%A0
%20%C2%A0
%20So%20I%20thought%20it%20was%20time%20to%20get%20the%20ball%20rolling%20and%20to%20bring%20this%20topic%20out%20into%20the%20screaming%20sunlight%20for%20some%20serious%20deliberation.%20The%20first%20point%20of%20my%20quest%20was%20to%20submit%20an%20application%20to%20speak%20at%20Social%20Media%20Week%20London%202015.
%20%20The%20odds%20were%20against%20me:%20there%20is%20very%20little%20precedent%20that%20community%20management%20would%20even%20make%20it%20as%20a%20topic%20onto%20the%20board;%20the%20audience%20is%2095%20per%20cent%20social%20media%20managers;%20and%20as%20previously%20stated,%20nobody%20in%20the%20social%20media%20industry%20seemed%20to%20be%20talking%20about%20community%20management.%C2%A0
%20%C2%A0
%20But%20then%20a%20remarkable%20thing%20happened:%20I%20was%20accepted%20to%20speak.
%20%C2%A0
%20After%20calming%20my%20heart%20palpitations%20and%20reigniting%20my%20fervor,%20I%20built%20my%20presentation%20to%20concentrate%20on%20the%20facts,%20without%20bias,%20without%20judgement,%20and%20without%20upsetting%20anyone,%20whilst%20encouraging%20my%20audience%20to%20think%20deeply%20about%20the%20pros%20and%20cons%20of%20giving%20one%20person%20two%20jobs.
%20%C2%A0
%20It%E2%80%99s%20not%20just%20that%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20think%20it%E2%80%99s%20fair%20to%20ask%20one%20person%20to%20do%20two%20jobs%20whilst%20only%20paying%20them%20one%20salary.%20It%20goes%20much%20further%20than%20that:%20specifically,%20the%20goals,%20audiences,%20methodologies%20and%20metrics%20of%20a%20social%20media%20manager%20are%20completely%20different%20from%20that%20of%20a%20community%20manager
%20%C2%A0
%20I%20then%20reignited%20this%20topic%20for%20#SMBuzzChat.%20I%20crafted%20specific%20questions,%20again%20to%20present%20to%20a%20primarily%20Social%20Media%20Manager-heavy%20audience,%20to%20get%20them%20thinking.%20To%20get%20their%20input.%20To%20get%20their%20feedback.%20To%20give%20them%20a%20chance%20to%20work%20out%20for%20themselves%20whether%20one%20person%20really%20should%20do%20these%20two%20separate%20jobs.%C2%A0
%20%C2%A0
%20The%20responses%20were%20phenomenally%20interesting.%20Every%20single%20person%20participating%20in%20the%20chat,%20no%20matter%20which%20side%20they%20were%20on,%20agreed%20on%20one%20tangible%20fact:%20social%20media%20hooks%20people,%20but%20it%E2%80%99s%20community%20management%20that%20keeps%20them%20close.%C2%A0
%20
Thank you to Ruby Love for joining in at Social Buzz Towers last night. If you fancy joining us in the studio for next weeks #SMBuzzChat, tweet at @baconchin.
If you enjoyed #SMBuzzChat last night, or you’ve never participated in one, sign up to our Facebook event for next weeks with Alex Shebar; head of community at Yelp.
Also, want to guest host a #SMBuzzChat and get the community to answer your questions? Drop Adam Libonatti-Roche an email and we’ll sort it out.
We only include choice cuts from the chat; for the full discussion, follow the hashtag #SMBuzzChat on Twitter.
">#SMBuzzChat on Twitter.