Online community manager

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An online community manager is a professional role that originated in the mid-1990s from the computer[4] games industry, particularly in Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). This role has since expanded to encompass tasks such as social media[2] management, marketing, product development, public relations[1], and customer[3] support across various industries, not just gaming. An online community manager’s key responsibility is to ensure open communication between the developer or company and its online community. These managers also play a crucial role in building and maintaining relationships, managing collaborative processes, and holding the collective vision of the community. They are instrumental in various types of online networks, including those created for business, learning, or personal purposes. Every year, the 4th Monday of January is dedicated to appreciating the work of community managers worldwide.

Terms definitions
1. public relations.
1 Public relations, often abbreviated as PR, is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. This field, which traces its roots back to the early 20th century with key figures like Ivy Lee and Edward Louis Bernays, primarily focuses on managing the perception of an organization among its stakeholders. The role of PR professionals can vary from designing communication campaigns to managing crisis situations. They work across different sectors such as PR firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. PR tactics can include financial communication, consumer publicity, crisis response, legal dispute management, and government engagement. PR professionals also follow ethical codes and international standards to balance public and private interests.
2 Public relations, often abbreviated as PR, is a complex field that primarily revolves around managing communication between an organization and its stakeholders. It's a strategic communication process that helps organizations and individuals build mutually beneficial relationships with the public. The roots of public relations can be traced back before the 20th century, but it was pioneers like Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays who defined its modern-day practice. In essence, PR involves managing information dissemination with the aim of influencing public opinion and perception. The key responsibilities of PR professionals include designing communication campaigns, managing reputation, crisis management, brand awareness, and event management. They also leverage social media platforms for marketing and tailor messages to meet different audience needs. The field, despite its importance, faces criticism for negative practices such as spin and unethical behaviors. However, to counteract these, organizations such as CIPR, PRSA, and IPR have published ethical codes to guide PR practitioners.
2. social media. Social media is a broad term encompassing a variety of digital tools and platforms that facilitate the sharing of information and the creation of virtual communities. Emerging from early systems like PLATO and ARPANET, it has evolved into modern platforms like Facebook and Twitter. These platforms offer unique features that differentiate them from traditional media, including the ability for users to generate content and engage in dialogic communication. They cater to over 100 million users globally and offer different forms of services, such as messaging apps and collaborative content creation platforms. The use of social media has far-reaching impacts on individuals, society, and businesses, influencing everything from marketing practices to political processes. However, it's also associated with ethical concerns, such as the spread of misinformation and potential addiction.

An online community manager builds, grows and manages online communities, performing community management, often around a brand or cause.

Yul Contenu community managers at PodCamp Montreal 2010
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