Online Community Manager: Role, Skills, and Resources
When you're responsible for building communities, it's easy to forget that you also need a community of your own. As an online community manager, relying on professional communities for connection, support, and growth is essential.
Online communities help community managers stay updated on best practices, share ideas with others, and improve their skills. In fact, when companies hire community managers, they often look for candidates who are actively involved in professional networks that encourage ongoing learning.
What Is an Online Community Manager?
An online community manager guides and interacts with community members across online platforms. They work on building meaningful relationships, promoting brand loyalty, and keeping the community active and supportive.
Their tasks include:- Creating content and moderating discussions- Using community management tools to track engagement and analytics- Handling event management and organizing networking opportunities- Ensuring the community platform is user-friendly- Creating and following a community management strategy aligned with company goals
Community management is closely tied to company growth. According to research, 63% of survey respondents selected community management as their primary responsibility, with additional contributions to marketing, executive management, developer relations, and customer service.
Why Professional Communities Matter for Community Managers
Knowledge Sharing and Skill Development
Online communities focused on community management provide platforms where professionals exchange insights, share experiences, and learn about new tools and best practices. This continuous learning helps community managers stay ahead and improve their skills.
Networking Opportunities
From customer support to external engagement, there's no one-size-fits-all community manager. Professional communities bring together peers from all kinds of industries, backgrounds, and roles. Building a strong network can lead to collaboration, job opportunities, and partnerships.
Emotional Support and Problem-Solving
Community management can be emotionally challenging—managers deal with conflicts, negative feedback, and community crises. A support network of fellow community managers alleviates stress, provides emotional support, and offers tried-and-tested solutions to common problems.
Trend Spotting and Innovation
As part of a community of peers and experts, community managers stay up-to-date on latest trends, emerging technologies, and innovative strategies. This knowledge enables them to keep their communities relevant and ahead of competition.
Advocacy and Thought Leadership
Community managers can voice concerns, discuss industry-wide issues, and advocate for the value of community management as a profession. This benefits both individual managers and the industry as a whole.
Finding the Right Professional Community
Networking Opportunities
A good community should allow you to connect with fellow professionals. Pay attention to membership size and diversity, as well as networking events. Joining a community in your region can lead to in-person meetups and local job opportunities.
Quality of Discussions
Analyze topics being discussed, depth of conversations, and expertise among members. A valuable community encourages collaboration, sharing of insights, and helpful critique.
Resource Availability
Look for accessible resources: industry news, articles, guides, and webinars. The community should have archives for reviewing past discussions and shared resources.
Ease of Use
A user-friendly platform makes it easy to engage in discussions, access resources, and attend events. Evaluate design, navigation, and mobile compatibility.
Top Communities for Community Managers
CMX Hub
A leading online community and resource platform for community professionals. CMX Hub offers high-quality content, strong networking opportunities, and diverse events including local meetups, an annual conference (CMX Summit), paid membership tier (CMX Pro), resources, and a dedicated job board.
FeverBee Experts Community
Founded by Richard Millington, FeverBee provides discussion forums, online courses (including Strategic Community Management), webinars, and resources. It's appreciated for educational content and active forum discussions, though it caters more to experienced professionals.
The Community Club
An inclusive community designed for community builders across industries. Now an independent nonprofit, it offers community discussions, events and workshops, mentorship programs, resources, and a job board.
The Community Roundtable
Founded in 2009, this hub emphasizes research and data-driven insights. It offers the annual "State of Community Management" report, training and certification programs, webinars, and networking opportunities.
Rosie.land
Founded by Rosie Sherry, this community focuses specifically on tech industry community management. It offers discussions, events, resources, a job board, and a regular newsletter.
Community Feelings
A unique space focusing on emotional well-being for community professionals. It provides support group meetings, emotional support, and a judgment-free zone for sharing experiences.
Skills for Effective Community Management
Communication
Clear, empathetic communication is essential—both in writing and verbal interactions. Community managers must explain guidelines, mediate conflicts, and represent the brand voice.
Organization
Managing content calendars, events, member programs, and analytics requires strong organizational skills. Project management tools help keep everything on track.
Data Analysis
Understanding community analytics—engagement rates, retention, content performance—enables data-driven decisions. Familiarity with analytics tools is increasingly important.
Empathy
Understanding member perspectives, frustrations, and motivations helps create better experiences. Empathy also helps when dealing with conflicts or difficult situations.
Adaptability
Communities evolve constantly. Successful managers adapt to changing member needs, platform updates, and business priorities.
Tools for Community Managers
Community platforms like Bettermode provide comprehensive tools for community management:
Engagement tools. Discussion boards, Q&A sections, and groups for shared interests.
Member directory. Searchable directory where members find others based on skills, interests, or roles.
Customization. Fully align community with brand using custom designs, themes, and templates.
Feature requests. Collect, prioritize, and manage feature ideas from the community.
Analytics. Track engagement rates, user activity, and other metrics.
Mobile compatibility. Allow members to engage on any device.
Integrations. Connect with tools like Slack, HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Amplitude.
Ready to level up your community management? Get started with Bettermode.
FAQs
What is an online community manager?
An online community manager is responsible for building, growing, and nurturing a branded online community. They stay connected with members, facilitate conversations, provide support, and ensure the community remains active and positive. Their role involves creating content, managing forums, addressing concerns, organizing events, and analyzing analytics.
How do I become a community manager?
Start by learning about community management tools and software. Gain hands-on experience by managing or volunteering in online communities. Stay updated on community building trends. Take online courses to learn about community strategy, event management, social media management, and analytics.
What skills does a community manager need?
Successful community managers combine soft skills (empathy, communication, patience) with hard skills (content creation, data analysis, project management). They should understand the product, customers, and community dynamics.
How can I manage my time as a community manager?
Prioritize high-impact activities. Use automation for routine tasks like welcome messages and notifications. Create content calendars to plan ahead. Delegate moderation to trusted community members. Set boundaries to avoid burnout—community management can feel like it's never "off."
