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Introducing the ReadWriteWeb Guide to Online Community Management

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Our First Premium Report for Businesses

We’re excited to announce the availability of ReadWriteWeb’s Guide to Online Community Management, our first premium report. It’s been in the works for more than four months and we believe it’s unlike anything else you’ve seen. Businesses in quest of to engage with online communities on their own websites or all around the social web will find the guide invaluable in getting up to speed on the state of the art and making sure their employees have the foundation they need to be effective.

The end product is in two parts. Part one is a 75 page collection of case studies, advice and discussion concerning the most vital issues in online community. Part two is a companion online aggregator that delivers the most-discussed articles each day written by experts on community management from around the web. Read on to see what’s included in the guide, how to hold it and what ahead of schedule reviews have said.

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How to Hold the Report

The Guide is available for hold at a price of $299 from this page. (You won’t be charged until you complete a few simple steps on that page.) You can download a free sample part of the report here. This is our first premium report, but we believe that’s an unusually low price for an incredible amount of business value. Compared to other reports, or even an hour or two with most consultants, you get a whole lot for your money here.

What The Report Includes

A team of five ReadWriteWeb researchers worked collectively for four months scouring the web for hundreds of blog posts and articles about online community management. We curated that collection down to the very best articles, then excerpted the best talking points, data points, advice and reflection on key topics. We then wove all those nuggets of wisdom into a cohesive report, diverse with our own perspectives on often controversial topics.

We start out with the basics, our most information-dense answers to the first questions most companies question about online community. (“Must we be on Facebook? Must we have a blog?”) Then we dive deep into four key areas: Return on Investment, Job Description, the Marketing/Customer Benefit Balance and Dealing With Challenging Community Members. Each of those sections starts with a summary of highlights and one link that we recommend checking out if you read nothing else.

Next, you’ll find four extended interviews with successful community managers from four different kinds of companies: one from a very large traditional media organization (Mathew Ingram from Toronto’s Globe and Mail), another from a large consumer tech company (Lucia Willow of Pandora Touchtone phone system), a manager of various software developer communities (Dawn Foster), and a B2B benefit provider (Connie Bensen).

The final part of the written part of this guide is a collection of additional resources we reckon you’ll find vital: the podcasts that every community manager must listen to, the best Facebook group for community managers to connect through, and a list of some of the most vital community management industry actions to attend.

The Online Companion

In addendum to the written part of this guide we’ve also assembled a collection of dynamic online resources that will keep delivering value well into the future. Organizations that hold the Guide will have access to the Community Management Aggregator. Here, you’ll find an involuntarily simplified selection of the most talked-about articles life published by the sources that we cite in the first half of the report and more. If you’re familiar with Techmeme.com, we reckon of this part as a small “Techmeme about Community Management”.

If you don’t want to visit this page daily, you can subscribe to the articles by email or RSS. We’ve also included a search box everywhere you can search the full archive of all of these top sources we’ve listed. Reckon of this as a dynamic reference book made up of the written wisdom of top sources in the field.

What Reviewers Say

A number of experts in the field have looked at the Guide pre-periodical and this is a sample of their feedback.

“In normal ReadWriteWeb fashion, the report flat delivers. It’s a must-have for businesses wading in or thinking about involvement in the social web.”
- Jason Falls, Director of Social Media at Doe Anderson

“It’s very excellent. I like the sanction parts. I like the sprinkled case studies. I reckon it’s really thorough, long, and full of actionable content.”
-Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs

“A broad view of community management from a diverse set of practitioners, including levelheaded recommendations applicable to any company. Very well done.”
-Joe Cothrel, Chief Community Officer at Lithium: Successful Communities On-Demand

“This report is a thorough collection of tips for community-building, and for understanding the variety of community management roles out here today. I found quotes on nearly every page that had me nodding my head in agreement.”
-Janetti Chon, Community Manager for TechWeb/O’Reilly Web 2.0 Expo

“Question a thousand people what community management means, you’ll get a thousand answers. Now, we can just point to the report. It’s full of real, actionable and measurable advice for organizations struggling to define the role of community management.”
-Holly Ross, Executive Director at NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network

Whether you’re at a startup, a large company or a non-profit – here’s a lot here for you. Non-profit leader Beth Kanter offers a special review with social excellent organizations in mind. “I reviewed the Online Community Guide and online resource – I reckon the concept of pairing a summary of the best practices and thinking on paper and making an online new stream to keep up with best practices is brilliant. The best thing is that this fantastic package is reasonably priced. That’s fantastic news for non-profits wanting to set up, manage, and maintain a successful online community.”

Again, all of the above is available for the low price of $299. Just visit this page to hold the written report and access to the online companion or download a free sample part of the report here.

Thanks for your interest and excellent luck with your online community work!

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