Speakers: Rooven Pakkiri Collaboration Matters has become known for its innovative approach to briefings and show stands, focusing on debate and discussion rather than slideware and canned presentations. At UC Expo in March, we launched the Collaboration Diner, an amazing way to visualise the transformation of society through Social technology. Today at Social Connections, Rooven Pakirri hosts our very own Collaboration Diner discussion, framed using the concepts of the famous Cluetrain Manifesto and focused on the role of the Community Manager. Are they really the rockstars of the Social age? Are they even essential? How would you define a Community Manager? What skills do they need?

1. Rooven Pakkiri
Head of Social Business
Collaboration Matters
@roovenp

2. Market Presence - putting IBM front of mind
Edward Hopper - 1942 Wired Magazine- 2003
We are all about
completely 2012 and original
#cbdiner new
ways of delivering and deploying
IBM Connections

4. Of the Community Manager

6. A 60 page report in 6 slides
“The technology is the easiest piece: finding the right technology for your
specific use case is challenging, but Community Management is going to be
the hardest piece because that skill set and experience does not reside within
most companies right now. “
Which begs the question – do you develop those skills inside or
source them outside your organisation?
Hold on to that thought - it has a number of interesting
ramifications…
Let’s get to grip with the role and these new skills first …

7. The Job Description
“A Community Manager is NOT an IT person, it’s not a ‘Web Expert’, it’s not even someone who
claim to be a ‘Social Media’ expert. They don’t exist by the way. Don’t let them fool you, please!”
“The Community Manager might look something like the spider in the web, weaving the web. Yes,
there you go, it’s a Weaver – A Weaver Of Relationships!”
“The Community Manager is more like a networked journalist or extremely clever and creative
person who can take an idea from nothing and create something beautiful or smart.”
“We see community leaders as explorers, builders and translators – charting new paths for their
organisations in a complex new environment”
Wow! That’s some job description

8. The Explorer
The pace of change has become dramatically faster as networked
communications on a massive scale flatten the access to information.
Community leaders need to excel at and relish the role of explorer – not only discovering
emerging environmental factors, but also exploring the behaviour, interests, and goals of
their community members.
This curiosity is critical to helping communities and the organisation that sponsor them.

9. The Builder
Communities and relationships will rarely , if ever, be perfect.
Successful communities are built by those who have a predilection for action and who will
experiment instead of waiting for perfect timing .
While planning is important…. trying to predict what a community will do and be before it
exists is impossible.”

10. The Translator
Ensuring that different constituencies can understand each other and making
sure stakeholders know how to evaluate the opportunity and risks in a community approach.
New technologies often seem like fads to enterprise stakeholders. They need to have a
discussion of realistic opportunities and risks in their own language in order to effectively
understand and offer support in this space.

11. The rise and importance of the
Community Manager

12. Gardener
Piñata
Cheerleader
Concierge
Traffic Cop
Sculptor
Mediavore
Spam Warrior
Empath
Sponger
CRUSH TROLLS
CRUSH TROLLS

13. Those leaders that can evangelise and bring the value of communities into
organisations are seeing their work rewarded with increased budgets,
recognition and new opportunities
My goal from the output of this discussion is to use it to inform our
Community Manager Job Description – in our Collaboration Garden

14. Questions
To get things going here are some questions I would like you
to consider:
Q- Do you agree with the report that the Community
Manager is the hardest piece of the Community
Management puzzle?
Q - If the corporate cupboard is bare, how will companies
solve the problem of sourcing of Community Managers in
the short term?
Q - Who will the Community Manager report to?