Key Take Aways from Community Pros Panel

The concluding session of the day at the Social Media & Community 2.0 Conference was a panel of seasoned community managers. The panel addressed questions ranging from stakeholder support to community culture and transparency to recruiting internal evangelists. Key points from the discussion:

• --When you launch a community, you're saying, 'We're willing to listen ... and listen in public.'
• --The biggest Do Not Do for a new online community is overpromise what the community will provide or do.
• --A water cooler is often the number one entry point into a community'it goes a long way toward getting people onboard. It's opinion based ("I like this, I don't like that"); it's a safe start.
• --Determine who the fish are and who the sharks are and structure the community to protect the fish.
• --A lot of participation and community work doesn't appear on the Web site; it's behind the scenes.
• --There's still nothing like getting on the phone or chatting face to face.

Looking forward to a great day tomorrow!