1. How to Manage a Community,
and Have a Social Life Too

2. Community Managers are social creatures - not only on the web, but in our
own personal lives. The very traits that make us qualified to fill this role -
lovers of people, activities, and communication - are sometimes hard to find
time for in our own lives because of the 24/7 nature of maintaining a
community.
Since the line between work & play is blurry, hear from experienced CMs
who manage to keep their fingers on the pulse of their communities, have a
balanced personal life, and even find the time to "unplug."

3. #SXSW
Where’d my social life go?
If you’re like most community managers, you’re at work a lot, and when you’re not “at
work,” you’re on your phone. How many times have you been scolded by a friend for
responding to emails during dinner?
As young, social people, we wanted to open a conversation on how to realistically
make time for the social life you crave, and respond to the often 24/7 demands of
being a community manger.

4. #SXSW
Structuring your Day (before & after work hours)
• Hypothetical:
It’s monday morning and you’re just back from a 3 day weekend. You
have hundreds of tweets to respond to, an overlfowing inbox, and some squeaky
wheels writing all over your forums. Plus, you have concert tickets for tonight. Where
do you begin?
• Consider:
• Daily routines
• Making times for meetings and research amidst all the maintenance
• Calendar blocking
• Leaving the office!

5. #SXSW
Managing Community Expecations (so you can leave
your computer once in a while)
• Hypothetical:
Your team just launched a new product, and you’ve been glued to your
computer for days. How do you leave for the weekend without freaking out your
community, who you’ve been in touch with all week?
• Consider:
• Building a self service community
• Being a person instead of “support” or “social media”
• How to use office hours efficiently.
• Inspiration
• “Don’t
overload people with enthusiasm. Nothing comes off as suspiciously non-
human than fanatically beating people with enthusiasm about your ideas and
products. Find a balance, and be authentic.” - Cindy Au, Director of Community at
Kickstarter

6. #SXSW
Communicating to your team when you’re “on duty”
or “off duty”
• Hypothetical:You’re not in the office, but your team won’t stop emailing you time-
sensitive questions. How do you keep them up to speed, but carve out time to write
real answers?
• Consider:
• Setting “day off” expectations
• Having an emergency plan and protocol
• Using a schedule to manage when you’ll be on email

7. #SXSW
How to take a vacation
• Hypothetical:
Your dream vacation is hiking out of cell phone range. How do you
make this happen?
• Consider
• Trusting co-workers to fill in (and training them first)
• Talking to “repeat-offender” co-workers who email you when you’re on vacation
• Let go of control! Your brain needs a break.
• Inspiration
• “When we escape from the place we spend most of our time, the mind is
suddenly made aware of all those errant ideas we'd suppressed.” -Jonah Lehrer

8. #SXSW
Avoiding Burnout
• Hypothetical: You love your job, but it’s giving you carpal tunnel, and some days,
you’d just rather be at the beach. How do you stay motivated?
• Consider
• Don’t inflate your importance: someone else can always fill in
• Make time for “passion products”
• Map out your ideal day, and find a way to re-structure your role to make it happen

9. #SXSW
The best of the best tools
• What tools and methodologies do you live by?
• Try:
• Instagram: Your life = content. (The blurry line between personal and professional)
• Does your work email go to your phone?
• What % of your Twitter feed is personal and work related?
• Inspiration
• “Keepthe message short but let your passion show.” - Dave Brown, Social Media
specialist at Etsy