This past Monday, if you weren’t aware, was Community Manager Appreciation Day (CMAD). The day where the people who are normally hidden behind avatars, brand handles, and admin tags are recognized as the individuals they are, holding together much of a company’s online presence.
Every community manager celebrates “our holiday” differently. A lot of companies and agencies provide goodies or lunches for their community managers. There are a lot of meetups, parties, and networking events, and even more blog posts about every facet of community management.
Me? I’m the only community manager at my company. I don’t live in an area where I’ve been able to find many other people working in social media and community management. But I did come up with an idea for a blog post. A GIF-tacular blog post.
It was pretty easy to write (and not just because it was mostly images!), I just thought about what I loved and hated about my job:
- The unpredictability of social media (i.e. complaining about Facebook): new image sizes, new types of advertising, new algorithms and site designs, it’s a love/hate relationship. I love seeing what the networks come up with next, but I’m not going to deny that it can be annoying to adjust as quickly as possible so frequently.
- Websites that give you the info and resources that you need (i.e. Pete Cashmore): One of my favorite things about the internet and the era we’re living in is how easy it is to learn and be informed, all for free. If you ever can’t figure out a work problem on your own, there are tons of places for help solving it. I love Mashable, because it mixes information with entertainment, and I might have a crush on Pete Cashmore.
- Loyal community members (i.e. watching trolls get put in their place): Any community member can attest to how awful internet trolls are. The semi-famous saying “don’t feed the trolls” has nothing to do with throwing food to things that live under bridges. Dealing with them yourself can be one of the worst parts of your job. But some communities have members so passionate that they’ll stand up to trolls for you. It makes your job easier, and makes you feel great.
