First off, this is not a bash against my former employer. They did what they had to do, much of which involved figuring out next steps for the community and how they’d like to see it develop going forward. That, I understand. After all, no one knows the struggles better than me, the person who launched and managed it from its infancy. At the end of the day, you have to make good business decisions, and they are known for doing just that.
But here is a post from a community member asking them to bring on another community manager, and since we discuss this type of thing here all the time, it is truly my duty to share it.
Here’s the link: GOLO Mods: We deserve another “Angela”. There are 70 comments as of this writing, and it is interesting to see how many times they mention my name. But this is much bigger than me as an individual. Another person could step right in and pick up where I left off, given the chance.
We could argue all day long about my level of involvement, but I was charged with a job of growing and cultivating that community and I took it seriously. I get the feeling that the community knows they once had a real ambassador and it just doesn’t feel the same. They want another one.
So, if you get a chance, give it a read. I think there’s a lesson in this for us all.
Oh, and here is the farewell blog I posted during my last week. A fond farewell from Angela.
10 comments
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June 11, 2010 at 12:44 pm
vaughanmatt
Wow – that truly shows just how important and influential a community manager can be. I know it is tough to see that happen to “your baby” but it proves that a strong online community only goes as far as its manager is invested.
June 11, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Kathy Jacobs
Isn’t it interesting that your former company not responded to the thread with any kind of information? That is part of what they lost when you left: The ability to understand that you can’t just let things like that happen – you have to acknowledge them and do what you can to help correct the situation.
My two cents
June 12, 2010 at 8:55 am
Angela Connor
Hey Matt: You said it best. A community manager can be very influential. It’s tough but I think the users do appreciate the presence of a CM.
June 12, 2010 at 8:56 am
Angela Connor
Hey Kathy: I am hopeful that they will respond at some point. I know they are aware of it. Sometimes it take a little longer, but I’m hopeful. But you’re absolutely right. Thanks for the comment.
June 14, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Genie2u
Hey angela – I see you mentioned my blog! I am so glad to know you are still watching over us, even if afar. THey could NEVER replace you but at least they shuold have tried! – genie2u
June 14, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Angela Connor
Hey there Genie: So nice to see you over here on my blog. Thanks for saying that. Like I said on your profile page, I hope you get what you’re asking for. Thanks again!
June 17, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Janet Gershen-Siegel
Leaving a community without a manager (even if there are moderators) seems akin to allowing inmates a vote in the control of the asylum. Even if fairly well-ordered groups of people, it just seems that it’s a recipe for disaster.
June 23, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Kaushik
Hi Angela,
This is not a comment related to this specific post but since this is my first visit to your blog a quick note in general. I really love this blog and i have spent a good hour going through all the posts. I am looking forward to ordering your book online as well. I have recently entered into the world of communities and am truly a big believer in the potential of communities. A few of us have been experimenting with some concepts on a community that we have set up called Peepaal – http://www.peepaal.org/campus/. Would love your feedback on the forum. Really its not anything professional yet but we hope to be able to get there. I am hoping to learn a lot through this blog and your book and start applying concepts there. Its been a little bit of a struggle lately.
Thanks,
Kaushik
June 26, 2010 at 2:01 am
Brinstar
Whilst I think they should have maintained a CM presence after your departure, I think the community’s attitude that you “could never be replaced” is troubling. It speaks of a community that may be too attached to a single personality, and who could potentially make it difficult for a successor CM to take on the same role due to the fact that the customers are loyal to your personality rather than to whomever holds that role. I’ve seen this happen in communities, where a manager leaves, and some of the most outspoken voices judge the successor harshly simply because their personality is different from the predecessor, and this difference is perceived as not performing the job well.
August 3, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Monty
I can totally relate. I managed the online community at newsobserver.com and triangle.com from 1999 until I left in 2006.
Later that year, rather than replacing the Community Coordinator, the management nuked the existing community site, giving the community members two hours notice that they were deleting everything they had shared over the previous seven years.
Needless to say, that upset the community members, who abandoned the site and created their own new community site(Several attempts were later made to lure them back, but the damage had been done. They were not going back to a brand that they felt treated them so callously).
I still poke my head in every now and then on the “renegade” community, and even as late as March of this year, four years after I left the original community, I was mentioned in a post discussing ways in which the community might consider handling problematic posts.
I think it is a testament to how a community manager is important. And as Brinstar points out, there is a fear of making one person too valuable. However, I think it is obvious that is not the case here. They re-created and have maintained their community for four years now without me, yet my actions are still remembered in a positive light amongst them.