Why Your Community Needs a Good Quarterback
In
Part 1 and Part 2 of his blog series, I introduced the concept that community managers are like quarterbacks. I covered important aspects of the quarterback role and drew parallels to show how the importance of these attributes to community managers and the communities they manage.
Now, let's continue by covering additional aspects of the community management role.
What Type of Community Manager Are You?
Which quarterback most resembles your style of community management?
Click on a quarterback below to tweet your selection.
Reasons Community Managers Are Quarterbacks of their Community
Community Managers Stay Hungry
In sports, everything is competitive. Athletes
do anything they can to get an advantage. They constantly push the envelope to get better. Our coach used to tell us, “stay hungry.” We'd lift weights, run, go to camps and study film.
For community managers, the same principle applies. Just as athletes are changing the game, technology is changing community management. The systems we have at our disposal are constantly changing or being updated with new functionality. This rapid change
offers community managers a lot of room to grow.
You have a lot of room to better yourself with the concepts and
knowledge base around community management. As technology changes, so do your community member’s expectations. community managers need to stay hungry in order to stay on top of their game.
"Community managers: push yourself to continuously learn and improve."
Take Blame for Losses and Give Credit for the Wins
Photo source: User 401(K) 2013 on
flickr.
As a quarterback, there will be ups and downs; how you respond in those moments lets your team know a lot about your character and leadership. When things go wrong, you should step up and take the blame for the mistakes your team made. After all, you are the
leader of the offense and heart of the team.
Don’t shy away from owning your mistakes and errors. Likewise, when you win, your team will thrive if you spread the credit around and highlight the positive things that your teammates did that contributed to the win. Everyone wants to feel valued and a part of the team, so give them that opportunity.
Want to quarterback your own community? Register for a free trial of our online community solution, Evoq Social.
In community management, you will make mistakes. In those moments, be sure to
communicate clearly with the community members and let them know where issues may lie. In doing so, you will earn credibility with your members and you gain confidence as a community manager.
Just as the quarterback spreads the love when there is a victory, a community manager should as well. The victories may come in different forms, such as the community helping each other to solve a problem together. Recognize and praise your community members when positive things happen.
"Community managers: take responsibility for mistakes and share credit for successes."
Recognize Most Valuable Players
Photo source: Georger Gilbert on flickr.
Recognize your most valuable players (MVP). In sports, MVPs may receive trophies, earn bonuses, or simply get their name in the paper. They have something that they can put on their mantle and share with others.
In online communities, MVPs may be established over a longer period of time, but they are definitely worth recognizing. There are several ways you can recognize your most dedicated community members. Show them a token of your appreciation and recognize their contributions and efforts.
Once a community member is recognized, they feel valued: it’s like adding fuel to the MVP’s fire of
dedication and commitment. Give the MVPs a link they can share online or something they can add to their resume. Over time, you’ll notice your community members competing to be recognized as an MVP.
We recognize
DNN MVPs on our site. DNN MVPs get recognized (in person and in front of the crowd) at conferences. MVPs get a plaque and other “swag” that they can wear around. Our MVPs are the pillars of our community and they consistently make contributions in all shapes and forms.
"Build stronger bonds by recognizing the most valuable players in your community."
Execute Trick Plays
In football, both teams might settle into the normal routine of the game. We’ve watched film, we’ve scouted, we know what to expect. Things are going along as planned, until you
hit them up with a trick play! It’s all fun and games until someone runs an end-around, throws a hail mary or kicks an onside kick (like Sean Payton did in Super Bowl XLIV). Then again, what are the most interesting and fun games to watch? The ones with the most action!
Want to quarterback your own community? Register for a free trial of our online community solution, Evoq Social.
For online communities: every now and then,
throw something new at your community, just to see how they react. Fresh content is always welcome and gives your community something new to consume. Do a week-long competition or let a community member take over your Twitter account for a day. Do something different to make your community take notice. This will draw some of those usually silent fans into action and will also be a breath of fresh air to the members of your community.
"Use trick plays in your community in order to spice things up."
Conclusion
In this blog series, I’ve demonstrated several ways in which the community manager roles parallels that of a quarterback. I hope you found this blog series interesting and learned something that will help you in managing your community. Remember: you are the quarterback of your community.
What kind of successful football team doesn’t have a good quarterback?
Be the Quarterback of Your Online Community
Be the quarterback your own online community. Sign up for a
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