image credit: geek & pokeNOTE: This is a continuation of yesterday's post on re-thinking your position in advertising and considering a Community Management role.
How To Become a Qualified Community Manager
If you're considering a role as a Community Manager, here are three things you can do to build your expertise.
1. Engage. Create your profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp, FlickR, YouTube and participate. Immerse yourself in the communities and talk about your passions. Learn about proper online etiquette and language so you don't unknowingly publicly embarrass yourself. Many local chambers of commerce or community colleges are offering workshops about basic social media usage.
2. Volunteer. Combine your thirst for social media knowledge with the opportunity to help a local non profit organization build an online community. Cristina Lorenzetti, a Detroit-based freelance copywriter and social media neophyte, volunteered her services to be the community manager for "The Bottomless Toy Chest" a non-profit devoted to pediatric cancer patients. This allowed her to practice community manager skills while benefitting the organization. Prospective employers will now be able to view her writing and community manager skills in real-time on these social channels.
3. Network. There are many resources for community manager wanna-bes to network with others." Web strategist, Jeremiah Owyang hosts a list of community managers on his blog. Peer groups such as Community Manager, Advocate, and Evangelists on Facebook or Online Community Managers on LinkedIn are available to join and learn from those doing the job today.
Likewise, companies should consider these types of experiences as must-haves when seeking out candidates.
Traci Armstrong
@tannarmstrong
in
free advice, the social net
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Strategists & Planners
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3 is intrinsic to the role, as I think are the search engines. Reading as well is a big part of the role - other people's idea's and providing discourse.
Posted on January 14, 2010 06:25
I Qualified myself as a Community Manager at work by being proactive and building my individual brand as an expert in social media and community management. I volunteered to speak at local events for http://hpra-usa.org/ and now I am helping set up the first ever Hispanic Public Relations and Social Marketing Conference in Dallas. Be proactive, even if you are just an employee at a small business. Create them a facebook fan page and twitter account and start getting involved. Advise the business owner the importance of owning his business name in the main social networks. You don't want your business being cyber squatted!
Posted on January 14, 2010 07:04