Community management is its own distinct discipline, yet every week numerous job postings pop up calling for “community managers” whose duties have little to do with what real community work entails. Instead, these roles often read more...
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...
Choosing a community platform isn’t a one-off decision you lock in forever. It’s a living strategy that evolves as your members, needs, and goals shift. Community platform choice isn’t something you check off a list and never look at...
I’ve seen talk about celebrating big membership spikes or post counts, and I want to throw in a perspective. Vanity metrics are the babysitting story we all know: telling the parent, “The kids had so much fun tonight!” while conveniently...
There is a popular myth about the future... that it waits somewhere on the horizon, a place we can reach if we walk fast enough, work hard enough, innovate brilliantly enough. In this myth, community is often treated as part of that...
Reddit’s subreddits flourish when members are active, collaborative, and united by purpose. This manifesto puts Redditors and meaningful engagement first; replacing rigid rulebooks with flexible, member-led community building. We see...
Starting a new online community is a lot like launching a business or hosting a big event: it takes way more work than most people expect, especially in the early days. If you want your community to thrive, you have to be the one putting...
The biggest issue is that Discord is basically like trying to build a community in a rushing river - everything just flows by and disappears. If someone shares an amazing resource or has a brilliant discussion on Monday, good luck finding...
Remember the last time you walked into a party where you didn't know anyone? That overwhelming feeling of being lost in a sea of faces? That's exactly how members feel in large, unsegmented online communities. The Magic of Breaking Things...
Let me share some things that transformed my work life - when you're spending hours connecting with members and coworkers, the right tools make all the difference. Here's my curated list of game-changers that any community professional...
Updated Dec. 4, 2024 Recently, there has been a notable shift of people moving to BlueSky, including many community managers and professionals seeking a fresh space for connection and collaboration. This platform offers a unique...
What is PLATO? PLATO, which stands for Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations, made its debut in 1960 at the University of Illinois. While it was initially designed to facilitate computer-assisted learning, PLATO quickly...