Since we're on the topic of community (when am I not?), I want to re-share some thoughts I shared as a response to a tweet from the amazing @evanhamilton. We NEED to raise awareness about the value of the community professional RIGHT NOW. #cmgr #community #CommunityManager

I have been VERY vocal about the lack of understanding about the value of community professionals/community experts. The value of community is recognized– companies see the impact it can have on their businesses. 1/8

However, that's not the case with the community professional. I think in some cases, a lot of people/execs/companies don't know that there are people with expertise in this industry. Or even that it is an industry. 2/8

You wouldn't hire someone with no technical experience to be a software engineer, right? This is no different. So they're putting people in roles without the right expertise & their communities aren't reaching full potential. 3/8

Then, they start devaluing community because it seems like it's not working. The issue though, is they don't have an experienced professional at the helm. 4/8

This is why it's important for us to be loud & clear about what it means to be a community professional & what an “expert" looks like in this industry. The newbies claiming to be experts will not deliver in the same way, which hurts the field as a whole. We will mentor them. 5/8

So again, this is where we come in. We have to share what our expertise means. Most especially, we need to make sure we're developing & sharing the same level of metrics on the community expert as we do on community. We have to prove our value. 6/8

We also have a responsibility to mentor those new to the industry. We have to develop education, resources, and guidance to help these individuals and their communities be successful. 7/8

It's going to be a lot of work. This is an incredible time for the community industry, & we can't ignore this piece. It's an absolute MUST. We have to show value & raise awarenes, just as we have done (successfully!) over the years w/ community. /end