Top Five Community Management Blog Posts: October 2011

October was an incredible month for community management blog posts. It took a long time to sift through all of the articles and find the best. Then, when I had narrowed it down to about a dozen candidates, all lined up in my browser tabs to re-read, the power went out due to the freak October snow we had here in the northeastern U.S. and I had to start all over again when the power returned.

Here are my picks for the best of the month, reviewed twice for your reading pleasure:

1. The 10 Principles Of Professional Community Management

What sets a professional community manager apart from an amateur? Richard Millington answers this question with a manifesto of sorts:  The 10 Principles Of Professional Community Management developed as part of the Pillar Summit community management course he founded. Anybody looking to become a community manager should read this. So should anybody looking to hire one.

2. Building A Great Volunteer Community Team

Many community managers turn to trusted members to help run things as the community grows. From subject matter expertise to communication skills, David DeWald has some great tips on what to look for in a volunteer moderator.

3. Darth Vader: The Galaxy’s Worst Community Manager

Those who read this blog regularly know I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. Jason Ferguson looks at Lord Vader’s behavior as a model for what community managers shouldn’t do.

4. The Dangers of Over-badging in Online Communities

Badges are great for recognizing desired behavior. But Dan Marotta reminds us that badges only work when they actually mean something and should not be given out freely. As Dan writes, “It’s the scarcity of the reward that makes it valuable. ”

5. What to Do When Your Online Community Faces Unexpected Downtime

It’s happened to me, and if you’ve been in the community management business for any length of time, it’s happened to you: Unexpected  downtime. Patrick O’Keefe has some great tips on how to make the best of a bad situation.

Photo credit: Donna Grayson