Online community management is crucial for brands seeking to deepen customer loyalty, drive engagement, and foster organic growth. By nurturing a vibrant community of advocates, content creators, and problem-solvers, brands not only enhance customer retention but also…
Community Manager Live©
Community Manager Live is currently on hiatus. If you enjoy authentic, reflective discussions about community building, please check out the blog below for insights and practical tips on community management.

What is Social Media Management?
Social media management is the strategic process of creating, scheduling, analyzing, and optimizing content across multiple social media platforms to grow a brand’s audience, increase engagement, generate leads, and manage reputation. It involves a combination…
What is Community Management?
Community management is a trust business. If you want lasting success, treat every interaction as a chance to build confidence and reinforce your group’s unique character. Don’t just create rules—live them, so people know what to expect. The best community manager…
When “Community Manager” Means Everything but Community – Why Most CM Job Descriptions Miss the Mark
Too many job postings call roles community management, but in reality, they’re listing tasks better suited for marketing, customer support, or admin. This common confusion leads to burnout and frustration for both companies and candidates. Here’s how to spot and cor…
Beatitudes of the Online Tribe
Blessed are the lurkers,for they remind us that listening is participation too. Blessed are the question‑askers,for they spark the conversations others didn’t know they needed. Blessed are the moderators,for they keep the peace without killing the joy. Blessed are the…
Your Community Platform Isn’t Forever: Treat It Like a Living Strategy
Picking a community platform isn’t a final destination, it’s a checkpoint. What worked perfectly for your first 50 members won’t necessarily hold up at 5,000. The best communities don’t cling to tools out of nostalgia… they evolve their spaces as needs grow, t…
Your Host
Meet David DeWald
David DeWald is a pioneering online community professional with over 25 years of experience building, managing, and evolving digital communities of all sizes—some reaching millions of members. Since the late 1990s, he has partnered with diverse organizations and businesses to establish impactful online presences that foster engagement and growth. David is widely respected among his peers for his deep expertise in community strategy, engagement, moderation, and advocacy development. Beyond managing communities, he actively contributes to the industry through thought leadership, including public speaking, and blogging, sharing actionable insights to elevate the practice of community management globally.

Community Professional at Ciena
Meet Tim McDonald
Tim has worked with No Kid Hungry, Cinnabon, and Carvel Ice Cream where he lead the overall marketing vision, strategy and execution of social media activations, including blogger programs and influencer relationships. In the two years working directly on the No Kid Hungry campaign, Giving Tuesday fundraising increased from $56,000 to over $249,000 in 2015.
Previously the Director of Community for The Huffington Post, where he set strategy and oversaw a team of moderators, support and standards for the leading online news site with over 300 million comments and 70,000 bloggers. Prior to this position, Tim built and managed a community for Huffington Post’s live streaming network, HuffPost Live, resulting in over 9,600 guests from more than 85 countries have joining live on-air and over 1.3 million comments on the platform.









