Expert Community Management resources for professionals. Explore the history, strategies, and practical guides to building online communities from a 25-year industry veteran.
A stubborn myth: communities don’t appear just because you launch a space; they grow when you start small, hand‑pick the right people, design reasons for them to rely on each other, and keep tending the relationships long after the launch glitter fades.
Why “more followers” won’t save you from a relationship problem The big mistake everyone keeps making Somewhere along the way, “We’re building a community” became a fancy way of saying “We’re getting more followers.” Slack workspaces with no conversation got rebranded...
From a community strategist’s point of view, the biggest mistake I see is organizations hiring “a social person” and expecting community outcomes. Followers, impressions, and clicks do not automatically turn into belonging, advocacy, or retention. Those come from …
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...
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 of...
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…
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.
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.
