Community management as a discipline is evolving. It’s not just moderating boards and forums anymore (though there’s still a certain need and place for that). It’s becoming a pivotal and cross-disciplinary role inside companies that are bridging a social communications presence with their offline world.

It’s amazing to me the misconceptions that exist about this type of position, and it might be because roles like this are still new, and they vary from company to company (and always will). But I thought I might help dispel a few of the more common myths and assumptions about community management in hopes that we’ll find them more and more in companies of all sizes, and collectively understand them a little better.

Social Networking Is All We Do

I spend time on Twitter, blogs, Facebook, forums, and social networking sites as part of my job. But it’s not all I do. And I most certainly do not get paid to just hang out on Twitter and chat all day long (as fun as that might be in theory).

The social channels for me, especially Twitter, are like the phone to me. They’re communication channels through which I connect with people. So much like the phone or email are simply mechanisms through which you conduct your work, so too are social networks to me.

The difference is that Twitter and blogs and other social networks are communities of their own, so it’s a many-to-many atmosphere that brings additional value through continued participation. Whereas you can’t tap into an ambient conversation or discussion by waiting on the phone or by your inbox, Twitter and the social networking communities in which my customers participate are home to many conversations that I both need and want to be part of.  It’s networking and business development the old fashioned way, and it has immense value, even if the perception of online isn’t always parallel with that.

It’s Always Online

Online communities need the cement of offline interactions. People need the validation that the faces behind the avatars and the voices behind the comments are real, sentient beings with personalities. And as much as I will stand by the deep and valuable relationships I’ve built through online channels, what eventually solidifies those relationships for the long haul is the in-person connection I make through events or meetings or just a chat over coffee.

Even if your community is inherently online – a forum or exclusively online business or the like – there are still living, breathing human beings that are chatting away and contributing to that community in a valuable way. Taking the time to meet and connect with those people in person is, in my view, absolutely critical. It’s why I happily make events a part of my responsibilites and get on lots of airplanes to meet tons of people each year. I could do my job from behind my keyboard, but I’d be missing huge opportunities to build trust and affinities with people based on the age-old practice of bonding and human connection.

We’re Just Glorified PR (or Marketing) People

I write press releases and blog posts and do podcasts. I create content and media in all kinds of forms. But I’m not a PR person.

That’s not to say you can’t be a PR person AND be an effective community person. But as I’ve talked about before, being a community professional goes far, far beyond publicizing the work you do as a company. You’re doing business development work (I’ve stewarded nearly a dozen prospects through our sales pipeline this week alone, and I’ve tapped my history as a BD person and fundraiser to do that well). You’re a marketer and content creator AND a publicist. You’re a customer service person (I’m many of our customers’ go-to person when they have an issue, mostly because I’m a trusted and familiar face and they know they’ll get a response quickly).

There’s no one label you can slap on a community person and say that they’re just an old pro in new clothing. We’re a different and evolving discipline that needs to adapt based on the needs of the business. And it does every community person a disservce to park them in the communications basket and leave them there.

It’s a Job Anyone Can Do

Much like I alluded to above, the community role has evolved past the days when it was just a guy hanging out and moderating the chat for people being buttheads. And while not all community roles necessarily need to become complex business-focused roles, my belief is that’s where they’re going to be headed for many companies, large and small.

But the two types of roles couldn’t be more different. The community role I’m talking about requires business perspective, and a true passion for connecting the community and the people within it to the long-term goals of the business. It’s a symbiotic relationship that requires flexibility, professionalism, and an attitude of possibility. It’s asking for a lot in terms of time and resource commitments, and it’s ever changing. But one thing it’s not is just a job for a person who happens to have a computer and likes to chat online.

You Can’t Measure the Impact

I love this discussion. The whole “how do you measure the impact and value of a community role”? Because I almost never run out of examples.

How about measuring and demonstrating customer loyalty over time as demonstrated by repeat sales and referrals? How about tracking the volume and sentiment of the posts and comments written about you over a period of time? How about tracking not just the quantity of your fans and followers, but how engaged they are with you (and you with them) over time as illustrated by tracked conversations, responses, and discussions? How about trending your share of conversation, both within your industry and amongst your competitors, over time? How about tracking specific inquiries and leads that come through your various community channels? How about tracking the number of customer service issues that are resolved or at least stewarded through community channels, and tracking their resolution rate (as compared to those that are handled through more traditional channels like phone and email)?

The list is nearly endless. Look at your current marketing, communications, sales, and customer service metrics. Think to yourself “How does  my building stronger relationships and trust with our customers and prospects positively impact these measurements?” The hard work is in doing the benchmarking and tracking. But measurable, it is.

What Say You?

Speak up, oh community mavens! Tell me what folks just don’t get about what you do. And for those of you that might be wondering if there’s value in these types of roles, I invite you to challenge us here. Tell us what you want demonstrated and articulated in order to show that community is valuable to business.

Comments, aweigh.