Managing a community and building one are two very different skills.
Managing a community is about developing a sense of community amongst members. It’s fulfilling these 5 roles of community managers. It’s about keeping participation rates high, bringing in newcomers and reducing the distance between members.
Community building is about identifying what people really want. It’s about building the initial links between members. It’s about growing steadily without participation per member dropping.
Some people are very good at community management. Some people are very good at community development. A few people are very good at both.
Just make sure you’re hiring the right person for the right job.
If you’re looking for someone to build a community for you, find someone with experience in building communities from the beginning (that means more than one). If you’re looking someone to manage a community, hire someone with a good track record of managing one.
Just don’t mistake the two.
