26 Jan Community Manager Appreciation Day 2015: A Fun Look Inside CM Life
It’s time yet again for one of our favorite holidays here at Ignite Social Media – Community Manager Appreciation Day. The role of a Community Manager has changed drastically over the last decade, transforming from a forum moderator into a jack of all trades in the digital space. While some days we all just wish the Internet would shut itself off at 5 p.m. so we could have an email-free evening, most days we’re thrilled to have one of the most interesting jobs around.
To celebrate Community Manager Appreciation Day this year, Kathleen Tierney and I thought we’d give you a little insight into the (not so) typical day in the life of a CM.
1. Community Managers have simply given up on explaining their job to anyone else.
2. Contrary to popular belief, we can’t actually control EVERYTHING online.
3. We face a unique set of challenges each day.
4. Being a CM becomes ingrained into your everyday life – even to the point of treating your friends like faceless consumers.
5. Actually, sometimes it’s really, really hard to shut it off.
6. But at least we know we’re not alone. Our fellow CMs always understand.
7. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions.
8. But other times, you don’t even care that you have to work on a Sunday.
9. If you didn’t already know, it’s really easy to freak out a Community Manager.
10. Really. Easy.
11. It’s part of our job to be familiar with every new phrase and acronym.
12. Although, sometimes it takes a while to learn how to use them correctly.
13. This is all a CM needs to have a conversation.
14. We just get each other.
15. Through it all, at the end of the day, you still know you have the coolest job around.
So, to all our fellow CMs out there – we hope your day is filled with prime UGC, high engagement posts and completely void of off-the-wall complaints. If you’re not a Community Manager, may we suggest that you buy a cold beverage for one today.