How has community management evolved over the years?

Community management has shifted significantly from the era of traditional forums to today's landscape of diverse social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. This evolution makes the role more dynamic, requiring adaptation to new trends and communication styles.

What are some unexpected skills a community manager might need?

Community managers often need to be versatile, potentially acting as copywriters, image editors, video editors, and even on-screen talent for platforms like TikTok. They must be willing to jump into emerging trends and adapt their skill sets as needed.

How should a new game IP start building its community?

The initial step is to clearly define the target audience. Then, identify at least one platform where this audience congregates (e.g., university Esports Discord servers) and start engaging them directly, scaling efforts as momentum builds.

Can memes be a valid part of a brand's community management strategy?

Yes, memes can be a powerful reflection of current culture and a way for brands to connect with audiences. However, it's crucial to understand memeology's speed and meta-nature, and to use them authentically rather than just chasing viral trends.

How do brands measure the success of meme-based marketing?

Success is often measured by engagement metrics like likes and retweets. While it can be tempting to use shocking or degenerate content for quick gains, focusing on authenticity and longer-term brand perception is more sustainable.

What is the most important lesson for aspiring community managers?

It's crucial to constantly ask 'Why does this matter?' to understand core principles and add value. Additionally, learning how to effectively reach out for help and engage in respectful, back-and-forth discussions is vital for growth.

When hiring a community manager, should you prioritize hard skills or soft skills?

While hard skills can be learned from documentation, soft skills like judgment, empathy, and people skills are harder to teach. Passion for learning and a willingness to execute are also key, making a blend of enthusiasm and capability crucial.

Should a new community manager be hired from within the existing community?

It can be beneficial if they are passionate and understand the game, but it's not essential. The ability to learn technical skills and possess strong soft skills, empathy, and a drive to execute are often more critical than prior experience.

What are the qualitative signs that a new community is heading in the right direction?

Look for genuine engagement, such as players staying up late on community calls, theory-crafting about the game, sharing memes, or creating user-generated content like fan art. These indicate organic culture formation and player investment.

How did InnerSloth announce monetization for Among Us effectively?

They addressed the common meme that 'free-to-play games with in-app purchases are bad' directly in their announcement. By humorously admitting they live in a capitalist society alongside plans for game improvement, they 'defanged' potential backlash.

Key Moments

The Powerful Role of Community Managers in Gaming

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Gaming5 min read67 min video

Jan 26, 2023|5,282 views|176|21

a16z a16zgames community management victoria tran ryan rigney among us amongus omegastrikers gaming venture capital

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TL;DR

Community managers are vital bridges between game developers and players, requiring adaptability, strong communication, and a deep understanding of online culture.

Key Insights

Community management acts as a crucial bridge, translating developer messages for players and vice versa, and designing positive online spaces.

The role has evolved significantly, demanding a broader skill set including content creation, social media expertise, and adaptability to new platforms.

Authenticity and trust are paramount; empowering community managers to act swiftly and genuinely resonates more than rigid processes.

Building a community from scratch requires clearly defining the target audience and strategically engaging them on the platforms they frequent.

Understanding and leveraging internet culture, particularly memes, is vital for brands to connect with audiences, though metrics can be complex.

When hiring, prioritize curiosity, strong judgment, empathy, and a proactive attitude over purely technical skills or prior experience.

DEFINING THE COMMUNITY MANAGER'S ROLE

Community management is fundamentally about building and maintaining the bridge between game developers and their players. This involves translating complex developer jargon into player-friendly language and vice versa, ensuring effective two-way communication. Beyond messaging, community managers are also designers of online spaces, fostering positive interactions and ensuring these digital environments are safe, engaging, and conducive to healthy community growth.

THE EXPANDING SKILLSET REQUIRED

The role of a community manager has dramatically expanded beyond basic forum moderation. Modern community managers often need to be content creators, proficient in social media across various platforms like TikTok and Twitter, and even dabble in video editing and copywriting. This evolution is driven by the need to meet players where they are and communicate effectively through diverse mediums, requiring a highly adaptable and multi-skilled individual.

STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING AND GROWING COMMUNITIES

When building a community from the ground up, clarity on audience definition is paramount. Identifying the 'next generation' of a specific player type, for example, allows for strategic engagement on platforms like university esports Discord servers. This approach focuses on finding and nurturing initial players who can become core advocates, building from a small, engaged base outwards through content creators and broader online outreach.

THE POWER AND COMPLEXITY OF INTERNET CULTURE

Leveraging internet culture, especially memes, is a powerful, albeit complex, strategy for brands to connect. Memes reflect and shape culture, moving rapidly and requiring brands to stay agile. While engagement metrics can be driven by shock value, the long-term success lies in authentic, humorous, and honest communication that resonates with the audience's values and predicted concerns, even turning potential criticism into positive engagement.

HIRING THE RIGHT COMMUNITY MANAGER

When hiring, understanding the specific goals for community management is crucial. Is the need for basic communication, content creation, or community growth? It's vital to look for curiosity, strong judgment, empathy, and people skills, often more so than technical experience. Passion for learning and a proactive, self-starter attitude are key indicators, especially when considering candidates from within the existing community.

IDENTIFYING AND NURTURING COMMUNITY ADVOCATES

Identifying community advocates involves looking for individuals who consistently go out of their way to be helpful, share information proactively, and provide support to other players. These individuals, often found across Discord, Reddit, or other forums, are invaluable for amplifying messages and understanding community sentiment. Recognizing their value and learning their communication style is critical for effective community management.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EXPECTATION SETTING

Clear expectation setting is vital, both for internal teams and with the player base. Recognizing that 'common sense' varies globally and individually, community managers must articulate their capabilities and limitations. Understanding how advocates will perceive messages is key, enabling communication strategies that resonate deeply and pre-emptively address potential misunderstandings or criticisms, aligning with brand values.

QUANTIFYING SUCCESS AND FUTURE METRICS

While engagement metrics like likes and retweets are currently dominant, there's a growing need to look beyond raw numbers. Successful community management should also consider qualitative values and how a studio's or brand's actions align with deeply held beliefs. Moving forward, metrics could evolve to reflect genuine connection, care, and positive societal impact, rather than solely prioritizing virality or controversial engagement.

THE VALUE OF SOFT SKILLS AND JUDGMENT

Soft skills like judgment, people skills, and empathy are arguably more critical than hard technical skills for community managers. The ability to navigate diverse personalities, understand group dynamics, and moderate effectively is essential. While technical skills can be taught, these inherent qualities, combined with a genuine curiosity and a drive to learn, form the foundation of a successful community manager.

LEVERAGING EXISTING COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Hiring from within an existing passionate community can be highly effective. Individuals who are already deeply engaged and understand the game's culture often possess the necessary soft skills and passion. While technical aspects can be trained, their inherent understanding of the community and its players provides a strong foundation, especially for smaller studios needing adaptable and self-starting individuals.

INDICATORS OF ORGANIC COMMUNITY GROWTH

Organic community growth is indicated by qualitative signs like players staying engaged late into the night, discussing game theories, or creating fan art. Seeing individuals invite friends into the community or generate user-generated content demonstrates genuine engagement beyond simple reviews or comments. These signs, even at a small scale, suggest that a game's core appeal is resonating and building authentic culture.

CELEBRATED COMMUNICATION TACTICS

Victoria Tran's handling of the Among Us monetization announcement is a prime example of excellent community communication. By acknowledging the capitalist reality with humor and then clearly outlining the benefits for game development, they effectively 'defanged' potential backlash. This approach highlights the importance of understanding audience concerns, including detractors, and addressing them with brand-appropriate humor and honesty.

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCES AND EXPERTS

Gaining experience in community management, particularly in the fast-paced gaming industry, involves continuous learning and adaptation. Seeking mentorship, asking for help respectfully, and understanding the broader context of one's work are crucial for professional growth. Learning from others' successes and challenges, as demonstrated by the discussions in this podcast, provides invaluable insights for aspiring and current community professionals.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●People Referenced

Community Management Best Practices

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Act as a bridge between developers and players, translating messages effectively.

Design and maintain positive community spaces (e.g., Discord servers).

Adapt to new platforms and communication trends.

Go where the players are, finding the right channels for your audience.

Understand your audience deeply, including potential detractors.

Identify and empower community advocates to help amplify messages.

Prioritize curiosity and a willingness to learn new skills.

Develop strong judgment, people skills, and empathy.

Be clear about expectations and the scope of your role.

Seek help and collaborate with others; don't be afraid to ask questions.

Focus on genuine engagement and fostering organic culture.

Execute tasks diligently, even when learning new platforms or skills.

Ensure community efforts align with studio values and goals.

Avoid This

Mix community management with unrelated roles without clear definitions.

Rely solely on outdated methods like forum moderation.

Treat community management as a low-skill entry point into the industry.

Force community growth; let it sprout organically.

Take yourselves too seriously; maintain a sense of humor.

Underestimate the impact of memes and online culture on brand perception.

Focus only on engagement metrics without considering underlying values.

Get too close to the work and lose sight of the broader 'why'.

Be afraid to ask for help or to reach out to others.

Assume 'common sense' applies universally; acknowledge different perspectives.

Neglect identifying and nurturing community advocates.

Hire based solely on hard skills and experience over soft skills and passion.

Neglect the importance of qualitative indicators of community health.

Common Questions

A community manager acts as the bridge between game developers and players, translating messages and ensuring clear communication. They are also responsible for designing and maintaining positive community spaces where players can gather and interact constructively.