How would you define a community manager? The following phrases are a good starting point:

  • Lead social capital builder
  • Brand evangelist
  • Master listener
  • Rule enforcer
  • Spam controller

As many of you know, today is the third annual Community Manager Appreciation Day (CMAD). According to Wikipedia, Altimeter Group Analyst Jeremiah Owyang first initiated this day in 2010. CMAD takes place every fourth Monday of January as a way to “recognize and celebrate the efforts of community managers around the world using social media to improve customer experiences.” Over the past three years, it has grown into a globally recognized day in the socialsphere where the simple words ‘thank you’ go a long way.

In my blog last year I gave an overview of the growing importance of community managers and why they are vital to managing and growing an online community. So I thought that it would only be appropriate for the blog this year to personally recognize and introduce you to Telligent’s community manager and point out why she is such a cherished asset to not only Telligent, but also to our growing community.

Meet our community manager: Jenn Emerson

Why is she so important to Telligent and our community, you ask?

  • She established the culture of the community through participation
  • She works hard on connecting members to the appropriate resources and supplying all members with valuable content that they would find informative
  • Recommends, and also implements, suggested changes to the community based on member feedback
  • Enables influencers in the community
  • Evangelizes the community within the organization
  • Is the voice of Telligent on the social media channels we are a part of

Our recent white paper, Strategies for Building World Class Communities can give you more insight into the general importance of community managers. Also our very own, Jenn Emerson, blogged about the essential role community manager’s play in helping to manage and grow an online community.

So how can you show your appreciation to your community manger? One suggestion is to join in the conversation on Twitter by using or following the #CMAD hashtag; I'm sure that a simple thank you tweet to your community manager would be very much appreciated.

Now it’s your turn to share – How are you celebrating CMAD or honoring your community manager? We’d love to hear from you; please share with us either in the comments section below or via Twitter!