The use of online communities is becoming increasingly professional. Where in the past a student was hired to manage online discussions, a highly educated professional now works on the positioning of the community, strategic content management and moderation policy. With the new professional profile of the Vakvereniging Online Community Management Nederland (CMNL), organizations, recruiters and community professionals can get started right away.
Organizations often give different meanings to functions around community management. There is too little knowledge about the work and position of a community professional. “We are talking about social media”, is often uruguay mobile phone number list thought, so this person belongs in PR & communication. Or if the community is intended to maintain customer contact, perhaps customer service is a better department? When the community has a clear place in the branding of an organization, the marketing department is often chosen.
There is still often a lack of insight into the linking function that community management actually is. The domain of a community manager is the community, but the interfaces are throughout the entire organization. A community professional is therefore at the center of the organization and must talk to both support and the management team.