But I have LOTS of questions I get asked on a regular basis around my job, and it didn’t seem right to split them up somehow. I wanted to keep it as one solid reference, hopefully that you can show your boss or just chew on to write your job description or whatever (this one might help too). It’s okay if you tune out. Better yet, bookmark it and come back later.

But for those of you who are in it for the long haul, grab a bevvy and let’s go. Either way, I hope it’s really useful.

1. How many hours do you work?

I don’t have a particular schedule I stick to, because things move fast and I need to adapt to shifting priorities. I usually work about 10-12 hours per day on average, but that’s broken up in chunks and sometimes during non-traditional hours, like in the evenings or weekends.

Evening and weekend hours are mostly because that’s when I get some of my best and most uninterrupted thinking done, but Twitter and blogs are still active outside of business hours, so I try to be responsive there when it’s reasonable and I’m able.  I probably spend 2-4 hours working and managing stuff on each weekend day. Much of that is self-imposed, because it’s how I work best. Your mileage will and should vary.

2. How do you prioritize your tasks?

I use a rather simple but effective triage system for most of what I do.

Engagement

• negative/support/concern posts first, no matter the medium. ASAP.
• specific company/brand inquiries that indicate a lead or customer service opportunity. Twitter first, because of it’s short lifespan (within 15 minutes if possible). Blogs next (within a few hours).
• compliments and kudos, including review blog posts (as immediate as possible)
• industry discussions (social media monitoring, social CRM, community management, etc)

Do I respond to every mention? No. I can’t. I respond mostly to things that are catalysts for discussion, or invitations for connection. You’ll know the difference, and it will evolve over time. Nothing here is ever static or set in stone.

Priorities

Engagement with the community is always first. Then comes internal, longer-term priorities and projects that further our community needs. For example, we’re building a resource library on our website, and modeling a listening grid for our organization that can hopefully help other companies build theirs. We’re also doing a lot of work on the subject of articulating social media ROI. I’m involved in all these projects, because our community has asked for them, and our whole team is involved.

General insights, industry discussions, and ongoing relationship management tuck in for the rest of the time. That includes all channels, including email, social networks, and phone calls. Everything from helping someone out with a monitoring question via email to vetting event and speaking opportunities, participating in a chat on Twitter, or being part of a professional network like the Community Roundtable. Does it scale well? No. But I do the best I can to get to everyone.

3. How do you decide where to spend your time on social networks?

Professionally, I base that purely on where our customers and potential customers are. Because we monitor these conversations closely – about our brand specifically, our competitors, and our industry as a whole – I know that most of our active discussions take place on Twitter, blogs, and forums (in descending order).

Twitter is like the phone to me. It’s up constantly, and it’s a key channel for us, so I use that the most. I spend several hours on Twitter every day, some of it passive (listening) and about 2-4 hours interacting. I spend about 2 hours a day commenting on blogs, and woven in to all of this is routing posts that need others attention, that are sales leads that require follow up, and the like.

All in all, I spent 3-5 hours engaging online, and another hour or two routing things and analyzing our work. But remember, this is my JOB. If you’re doing this as part of your role it’s going to be a lot different. And your customers might not be where mine are. That’s where the listening bit comes in at the start.

4. What else do you do besides social network stuff?

I manage our company’s event presence (sponsorships, speaking opportunities, and the like). I probably put about 30 min. to an hour into logistics each day, and I have help on that front with our awesome coordinator, Dave Clark. During heavy event season (March-June and September-November), I spend about 50% of my time on the road at or face time with our community and doing speaking engagements on listening and engagement and community management. When I’m traveling, I have members of our kick-ass team that help me respond to timely needs on Twitter or blogs when I can’t be as immediately responsive, and assign stuff to me that I can engage with later on.

I also create tons of content, including writing for our blog, podcasting, website content, case studies, and other resource material for our community. This typically comes in waves, and probably totals 1-3 hours a day on average. I write. A lot.

Lastly but not least-ly, I do strategy work, including considering what’s next to support our community, continuing to broaden our social media presence as an organization, helping frame out community and engagement best practices for us and our clients, measurement and tracking of our community outreach efforts. That’s a few hours of solid work each week, and several nights scribbling in the notebook beside my bed.

5. Where does your job live within the organization, and how big is your team?

In our company, our marketing/PR/community team is kind of all one thing. We don’t draw lines, because we think it all blends together. In many other organizations, this type of role reports into a communications department, like marketing or PR, and sometimes even customer service. Depends a lot on the goals of the organization (as do all things). For us, it makes sense as a unified group.

My role reports to David Alston, our VP of Marketing and Community. We also have Mike Huggard, our Community Analyst who does a lot of biz dev support as well, and Warren Sukernek our Director of Content Marketing, who drives the creation and promotion of our content. Also on the content creative side, we have Bob Beaton, our awesome design and UI dude, and Andrew Embury, our video rockstar.

We’ll be adding more people as our engagment and content development model evolves, and several  members of our executive, support, and business development teams participate and engage on a regular basis as part of their overall responsibilities. And because they get it.

6. What metrics do you use to justify your position?

This could be a long answer. But for ease of conversation, let’s say that we look at:

• Our ratio of posts/mentions/discussions engaged vs. not, and how much time it takes to respond. In essence, how engaged and converstaional we are as a brand.
• The trending number of posts about and around our brand over a 30 day period (awareness and reach)
• Our share of conversation in social media, both within our industry and as compared to our competitors, and tracked over time
• The overall sentiment of posts about us, and the ratio of positive/negative/neutral (brand affinity)
• The volume of leads generated through social channels, and their conversion rate
• How many customer support issues are initiated (and resolved) through social networks
• The breakdown of types of posts about us: support, reviews, passing mentions, compliments, complaints, etc.
• Discussions, referrals, and mentions that come from different segments of our community: customers, prospects, specific events, etc.
• How our website traffic from social content converts and behaves

There are tons more things I want to be tracking, and we’re working hard on lots of best practices in this arena. Community positions impact all these areas and more, because the relationships they forge affect every bit of the business. Stay tuned for more as we learn and evolve, and as I get more relentless about justifying the existence of folks like me to the c-suite.

7. What tools do you use?

Radian6: Yes, surprisingly, I do all of my monitoring, measurement, tracking and engagement, and reporting through our own platform. It works. For a list of how I might do it manually, look here.

Twitter: for ongoing conversation with friends and colleagues, inquiries about our platform, customer service inquiries, and industry discussion. I use TweetDeck and our own Twitter engagement capability through the Radian6 platform (which helps me track and capture responses). I use Tweetie when I’m on the go on my iPhone.

Adium: for IM. I use this more internally than not, and rarely at that. IM tends to get overwhelming.

Yammer: We use this as our internal Twitter/chat stream, to share news about ongoing company activities and goings-on and talk amongst ourselves.

Google Docs: We use collaborative calendars, spreadsheets, and word processing docs. Especially important because I work remotely.

Google Reader: My RSS reader of choice. I subscribe to about 75 blogs, and I’ve pared that down. I click “Mark All As Read” probably once a week. I scan liberally, read about a dozen or so posts in depth every day, share what I can, and have to skip the rest. There are only so many hours, and information overload is mine to control.

Entourage: my email client, which is the lesser of many evils. I get about 100-150 emails a day across two main accounts, and they’re about 60% internal. Twitter has dramatically reduced my email volume in day to day work, probably by half at least.

Facebook and LinkedIn: We’re just starting to really build a foundation for our community in these outposts, but I have accounts there. I don’t keep separate personal and corproate accounts. It’s all one and the same to me. I’m part of my company and vice versa. Argue with me on this later.

WordPress: My blogging platform, both at Altitude and for Radian6.

Books: I read. Voraciously. Analog isn’t dead. I have about three books going right now, two of which are business-related.

8. How did you get your job?

I started my professional career as a fundraiser for non-profit organizations, beginning in performing arts (symphony orchestras and music conservatories. I was a music performance major in college). I did that for about seven years and was recruited into corporate marketing/communications, and did that for four-plus years, including branding, PR, and corp communications.

I’ve always maintained an interest in the online world, blogging (journaling) when it was nerdy and even trying my hand at programming (I don’t have the attention span). I was a chat room nerd, too. My nonprofit days lent well to community building with donors and volunteers, both online and off. And I always tried to infuse this stuff into my corporate job, whether I was successful or not.

When I decided to go it alone in 2008 and leave my corporate gig for solo work, Radian6 was one of the first companies I worked with. Lucky for me, when it came time to hire someone full time to do community and social media work, they trusted me with the gig. So here I am. It was much less about some elusive “skill set”and more about understanding the role of online social stuff inside a business environment. Maybe David Alston will tell us in better detail in the comments why I was the right fit.

9. What do you love about your job?

The people. I meet and talk to the most amazing people, every day. And I am so very lucky to work with a company that lives and breathes social media as a business model, not a “channel”. Yes, I realize how fortunate that makes me. Is it always roses? No. It’s hard work, but nothing worth having was ever worth less. And it’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had.

My job is to connect with people, and make them as passionate as I am about the potential of this universe. Does that suck? Heck no. Do I wish that kind of job for everyone? Yes. And I’m going to keep stumping on my soapbox for their benefit, and for the establishment of more jobs like it, until you all tell me to shut up.

10. What would you change?

The barriers to understanding, and the blinders we’ve managed to put on the corporate world for the last several decades. The focus on the tactics and tools instead of the underlying (and rather basic) tenets of relationship-based business.

I’m much less frustrated by a temporarily disgruntled person on a blog than I am by a business person who still isn’t seeing how important and revolutionary this stuff is, and not because Oprah is on Twitter. I’d like to elevate the discussion from “how do I monetize Facebook” to “how do I change my culture to return to the basics of good business and tie this to my overall goals” (which is really all this is, in techie clothing).

I know I’m an idealist. But dammit. Revolutions were never started because someone decided something was “close enough”. ROI doesn’t have to be that complicated. I’m here to change the status quo.

11. How do I convince our company we need a community position?

If you have to do too much convincing, they’re probably not ready. But, that being said, there are a few discussion points.

This job is the evolution and marriage of customer/client service, PR, marketing, and business development. It’s a bridge builder between your internal and external communities, and a liaison. A relationship builder, message deliverer, content creator, hand holder, educator, rain maker, and brand steward, both internally and externally. It’s the hybrid of online and off in all these areas, but without the trappings of outdated tactics that are likely not relevant to your customers anymore.

If your company doesn’t see the value in that and can’t tie some specific deliverables and metrics to the performance of that person, then the discussion is probably too soon. And if you or they can’t imagine that a person like that exists, you’re definitely not ready to have one.

Bonus Round

12. What music do you listen to while you work?

I have crazy eclectic music tastes. Faves right now include Nonpoint, Shinedown, Eminem, Nine Inch Nails, Nickel Creek, Sick Puppies, Shiny Toy Guns, Massive Attack, Josh Kelley, John Legend, Flyleaf, Emilie Autumn, Breaking Benjamin, and some Shostakovich thrown in for good measure.

What Did I Miss?

My (sort of) plan is to keep updating this post as new questions arise, because I know my position and those like it will keep evolving. I know I haven’t answered everything, and I’m happy to keep trying. Just leave your questions in the comments, but remember that there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all. And your answers and insights are just as valuable as mine.

Does this help? Share, won’t you?

A post from Brass Tack Thinking
The Ultimate Community Management FAQ

I want to take a moment to draw a very important distinction between blind, sheep-like following or zealotism and true enthusiasm. I think we’re killing the latter in favor of quashing the former.

Emotion matters, dammit.

Passion and emotion are critically important, even in the cold, clinical world of business. Passion is what drives people to focus attention on what they love. Enthusiasm is what keeps people coming back to an interest or a cause, even in the face of challenges. I think we can probably all agree on the role of these elements in doing something well.

But we’re establishing a bit of a bad habit in lumping in those that are passionate about something into a pile of “Kool-Aid Drinkers”. Most especially, once someone becomes known for their field of expertise, applies their knowledge with passion, and develops a following of enthusiasts, we’re awfully quick to label their fans as those who’ve sipped the intoxicating beverage, and implying by default that their enthusiasm is based on something lacking substance. As if the person or thing they’re excited about loses their value the minute more than a handful of people discover what they’re doing.

It’s the indie band analogy I’ve heard a few times: you love your obscure little band until they hit the mainstream. Even though the music is the same, being popular suddenly makes them uninteresting. Huh?

The Blind Following the Blind?

Okay, I completely understand the Lemming Principle. There will always be a contingent of folks that blindly latch on to something, either because they lack the originality to come up with something of their own, or because they want to belong to something bigger, or simply because they understand something on the surface and it sounds like an okay idea.

Perhaps they’re impressionable. Perhaps they’re lost. And yes, sometimes they’re misguided, easily turning from a follower into a zealot preaching off of someone else’s notes (and notes that are either lousy to start with, or that they may not understand).

But what the heck says that just because I like something or someone that’s popular, I’ve somehow sold out? That I’m basing my enthusiasm on “being cool” or chasing something mainstream when, in fact, I may really and honestly like and be passionate about what they represent?

I’m Cool with Kool-Aid

I like and am enthusiastic about a lot of popular things. I’m a fan and an advocate of Apple products, regardless of their clever advertising. I think Chris Brogan does incredible work – and he did that kind of work long before anyone knew who the hell he was. I think David Armano is gifted, and Seth Godin has an amazing ability to articulate true marketing better than anyone I’ve ever read otherwise.

I listen to and love big ticket bands like Rush, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and even Kelly Clarkson (though you can keep your Coldplay). I drive a Honda, and I love it. I read New York Times bestsellers. I shop at Target. (And to bring this full circle, I still utterly and completely believe in the power and impact of social media and yes, Twitter. I don’t give a rip if Oprah showed up and CNN won’t shut up about it.)

And the key? I think all of these people, companies and concepst have retained their value even once they hit the mainstream. I’m proud to be a fan of their work.

Sometimes, products or people become well known because they’re of high quality. They’re good. They’re helpful. They’re compelling or interesting or fun to be around. And whatever the tipping point for moving from unknown to well known, I don’t think that progression negates the quality that’s there in the first place. In other words, just because something’s popular, it doesn’t mean it’s automatically without value.

Is the sticking point that we think with popularity comes less of a focus on quality? Is it that we believe that true quality doesn’t scale? Does someone or some other business’ mainstream success make us envious, so we rail against it because we can’t duplicate it? Do we think we’re less unique individually – less likely to stand out ourselves – if we join a mass following?

You can call me a Kool-Aid drinker if you want, I don’t mind. I’m still passionate and enthusiastic about things that lots of other people like, too. Because to me, value begets popularity and attention. Not the other way around.

photo credit: chrisdlugosz

A post from Brass Tack Thinking
Sometimes Kool-Aid Is Okay

Communities – online and off – are ecosystems of their own, too. They’re not built. They grow, and they have to be collectively nurtured in order to survive. They don’t just exist without tending, and the people that make that happen are NOT the “community managers”. They are the community members themselves.

We can agree on that part, right? Okay good. Now here’s the rub.

If you are a member of a community, and if you are asking for and expecting the benefits of that acceptance, you have a responsibility to contribute to the community in a constructive manner.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you build instead of tear down. It is your responsibility to steward the health and future of that community as one of its inhabitants.

That’s not to say you can’t disagree, engage in intelligent discourse or respectful dialogue, or hold differing opinions. But if you’re asking to be part of that group of people and asking for them to embrace you (including exercising your freedom to speak your mind), you bear the responsibility of creating dissonance with a positive purpose. Being contrarian for the sake of it is utterly valueless.

Why? That community isn’t owned by you, and it is not your stage. You didn’t build it alone, and you are not entitled to take a hammer to its walls because it pleases you or makes you feel important behind the shelter of that keyboard. That community is collectively invested in, and you are a part of it. You are not it’s purpose nor its sole steward. Simply put, it’s not about you.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s what makes communities powerful.  You are not entitled to membership and acceptance. The community does not owe you anything. Truly being a part of something bigger than yourself means that you earn it. So if you enter communities to tip tables, throw rocks, leech off of others and leave a trail of self-important debris in your wake, you aren’t a community member. You’re a vandal.

We have many platforms that are open and freely accessible today for us to speak our minds, share our thoughts and opinions, and express our individuality. It’s an amazing time to be an individual voice.

But that does not and never will negate the need for respect, and the recognition that you are raising a barn upon which others will also come to rely. Can we learn to behave accordingly?

photo via Wikipedia

A post from Brass Tack Thinking
Our Responsibility To Our Communities