If you are thinking about building community, either in your business or as a practitioner, I came across a report you’ll want to read.  Cover to cover.

The Community Roundtable, a self-described “peer network of community managers and social media practitioners” released a report last week based on research and member input regarding the “State of Community Management”.  While the report is written from the perspective of the role of a Community Manager, it contains many gems within its 60+ pages that any organization that learn from.  See a download link at the end of this post.

I consume dozens of reports and articles like this on a regular basis, but this one actually caused me to print it (*gasp*) to read more carefully.

The report content is organized around the ‘8 competencies’ of their “Community Maturity Model”.   Here are a few of the key findings that directly coincide with what we have found in our life as Social Media Practitioners:

Strategy: “Difficulties in developing social media and community strategies often expose issues with core business strategies, particularly as they relate to cross-functional approaches.”  So true.   It’s hard to knit a consistent approach to anything across organizational silos, and a community is no different.  Added to this, community requires transparency, which not all parts of the organization like very much.

Also in Strategy, “Online communities require an orientation around behaviours, particularly group behaviours vs. demographic characteristics.”   The key focus is relationships.  That’s what matters.  And the unique elements which cause them to formulate and grow in online environments.

Leadership: “Relationships can be saved if constituents are complaining.  When they don’t complain, its far more risky.”  Simply assuming all is good because you don’t hear negative feedback, is like assuming kids don’t complain about parents to their friends, or employees don’t talk about their bosses outside work.  And just as risky.

Culture: “Using metaphors is an excellent way to communicate training, guidelines, and models to individuals newly exposed to social technology and new modes of communication”.  We do this all the time, calling it “story-telling”.  And here’s a great metaphor from the report to describe the skills required to participate in a new community: its “similar to that of an expatriate living in a foreign country.”  Nicely put.  We’ll use that one, too.

Community Management: a few good points here…

• “The ‘community’ gets lots of activity when marketing pushes are done but then dies off quickly afterward because no relationships have been established.”  See above: it’s about the relationship(s).  Marketing, especially, needs to understand the critical differences in relationship between on- and offline campaigns
• “The key to managing successful communities is understanding behaviour economics and anthropology vs. focusing on the latest tools and technology.”  Or flaming logos, or dumb videos.  It’s the people.
• “Idle or off-topic chit-chat is a critical part of community…” “…this is actually a positive indication of successfully enabling relationships.”  People talk to each other to gain trust.  Go figure.

Content and Programming: “Before jumping in or out of (all the social media tools & networks) understand who needs to be communicated with, how, and how they use various technologies and channels, then identify the appropriate tools.”  Someone has been reading our Social Media Best Practices, I think.

Polices and Governance: “Legal and/or HR teams are more comfortable when they know what is going on.”  “Legal teams’ concern is often around the unknown.”  You’ve heard the phrase ‘Never blindside your CEO”?  Ditto for Legal and HR.  Involve them up front.

Metrics and Measurement: “Measure as few things as you can in order to track progress effectively,” and these “should fall directly out of your community strategy that should, in turn, be derived from your business strategy.”  Ditto for our Social Media Balanced Scorecard.

Tools (on social media analysis vendors): The tools are also not intuitive and will still require legwork”.  A Fool With A Tool, Is Still A Fool.

As indicated by a Foreword note, the “report provides valuable insight into the real world human dynamics and (organizational) politics, which are instrumental to enduring success in community building.”  The report is graciously offered for free.  You just have to register with an email address.