David Spinks‘s CMX Summit did something rare yesterday. It gave us the usual community management tips and cheerleading, which are always appreciated…but it also gave us perspective. We learned from seasoned veterans and psychologists. We talked to people from every type of company and every size role. And we discussed community management as a real career, not a novelty.
From Robin Dreeke we learned that empathy, which many of us have considered a cornerstone of community management for years, is not only a powerful way to accomplish goals but so important that it can get you a “head of” title at the FBI!
Ego suspension: a necessary tool in making others feel valued @rdreeke #cmxsummit
— BenRonHavemann (@brhavemann) February 6, 2014
Dopamine is released when people talk about themselves. Suspend your ego and let them talk. #CMXsummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 6, 2014
Listen to the content itself, not how it’s delivered. It’s all about them. Figure out how to make it about their goals. @rdreeke #CMXSummit
— Danya Cheskis-Gold (@danyacg) February 6, 2014
The difference between manipulation and influence is intention #CMXsummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 6, 2014
David McMillan taught is that for a true sense of community there are a lot of elements necessary : shared experiences, complimentary skills, risk, and the much-maligned turnover…a lot more than you’re going to get from simply tweeting cute stuff to your audience a few times a day!
Sense of community: membership, influence, shared emotional connection, reinforcement integration of fulfillment of needs #CMXSummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 6, 2014
Tell the story, create rituals, traditions – David McMillan #CMXSummit
— Maria Ogneva (@themaria) February 6, 2014
Boundaries make communities sacred. How Facebook succeeded and why it may fail… #CMXsummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 6, 2014
“If the community does not bring something of value, it will not last.” – David McMillan #cmxsummit
— Jessie Wood (@jessiewould) February 6, 2014
Value only comes when you integrate differences. The sum of our parts. All the same = no added value. – Dr. McMillan #cmxsummit
— Danya Cheskis-Gold (@danyacg) February 6, 2014
This part we all struggle with: community needs to transform people, and they need to transfer power to new blood and LEAVE #CMXsummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 6, 2014
Emily Castor showed how very intentional – and often very tiny – elements can help set the whole culture of a community.
Great example of developing rituals is the @lyft pink stache – you know what to expect instead of an unmarked car. Familiarity. #cmxsummit
— Nick Cicero (@nickcicero) February 6, 2014
Reward those that help positively change the #community @lyft gives out Golden Mustaches @emilycastor #cmxsummit pic.twitter.com/GnrAko72h4
— Joselin Mane (@JoselinMane) February 6, 2014
Ligaya Tichy showed us how communities and community management must evolve with a company.
Magic formula for #ROI via @ligayaya #cmxsummit pic.twitter.com/xjfZDVlfv0
— Ally Greer (@allygreer) February 6, 2014
“Vanity recognition doesn’t work in the long run.” Think about meaningful engagements –@ligayaya #cmxsummit
— Megan Berry (@meganberry) February 6, 2014
Don’t give a badge for every click a user makes and expect to have N engaged community @ligayaya #cmxsummit
— Brittany Walker (@brittpwalker) February 6, 2014
Josh Miller reiterated what even Buzzfeed has admitted: clicks aren’t engagement.
Branch and Potluck KPIs: what % of users are participating? –@joshm Stop chasing clicks and likes! #CMXsummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 6, 2014
Nir Eyal showed us that getting folks to regularly contribute to a community is not just about good intentions, it’s about carefully building habits.
Now at #CMXSummit @nireyal on how to build habit-forming community systems pic.twitter.com/2aCkIDH0ql
— Van Riper (@vanriper) February 6, 2014
“Variable rewards of the hunt” explains why news feeds are so common and powerful in tech products – @nireyal #cmxsummit
— Megan Berry (@meganberry) February 6, 2014
“The unknown is fascinating”. The anticipation of reward creates more happiness than the reward itself. –@nireyal #cmxsummit
— Amy Muller (@AmyGSFN) February 6, 2014
Glad @nireyal talked about the ethics of habit-forming products at #cmxsummit. Just because you can hook somebody doesn’t mean you should.
— John Mark Troyer (@jtroyer) February 6, 2014
And Ellen Leanse showed us that none of this is new, that permeability is better than bottlenecking, and that we must persevere.
“Why are so many companies resisting #community when community serves to make us better?” @chep2m #cmxsummit
— Caterina Rindi (@CaterinaRindi) February 7, 2014
Gotta do this more. RT @catykobe: And @chep2m brings it back: Ask your teammates what you can do for them. Then apply community. #cmxsummit
— Evan Hamilton (@evanhamilton) February 7, 2014
“Don’t tell them why they need a community. Go to them and ask what problems they have. Start small.” – @chep2m #cmxsummit
— Jenn Pedde (@JPedde) February 7, 2014
“The ROI question (of community) still bugs me after all of these years. The ROI should be self evident”. @chep2m #truth #cmxsummit
— Amy Muller (@AmyGSFN) February 7, 2014
Who knows what the #%*& Dave McClure taught us.
What I came away with was a much better look at how our skills are more crucial than they’ve ever been…but also a keen sense that we need to step up to our potential and actually hone these skills, use these frameworks, do and read research, push for the right things instead of accepting the status quo, and go kick some ass. We are in such a position to help companies succeed and stay on top…but we need to put on our big person pants. We have the power. Let’s use it.