The Mashable article pointed out some really key things for community managers to be aware of this year. One thing that I'd like to add is "certification."

The community management industry is a really young industry, and has experienced an explosion of growth that can only be described as viral. There's a huge need to standardize job descriptions, skills and processes, as well as protect the market value of community managers. WOMMA and The Community Roundtable have partnered together to offer an online certificate program. (Learn more: http://womma.org/communitymanager/) I expect that we'll see more professional organizations band together in 2012 to offer more courses and industry certification for community managers.

Clarice Lin Replied on Jan. 18, 2012

Caty, as you have pointed out, the industry is relatively new. In this case, how useful in terms of building the skill-set foundation are the "certification" that are currently available?

Caty Kobe Replied on Jan. 18, 2012

The only certification course that I've seen to date is the WOMMA one I mentioned above... and it hasn't yet started. According to the information page, this course aims to teach participants about moderating/ engaging users online, planning content and other skills that are useful for community managers. I can't speak to how effective the program is because I haven't yet taken it.

Other skills required for effective community management include: strong writing skills, strong interpersonal communication skills, ability to manage strong personalities, etc.

Remy Bergsma

Community Manager, MailPlus

Posted on Jan. 18, 2012

I'm missing one important one: customer/member lifecycle management. It's a sub-item on #2 of the Mashable article, but nevertheless very important. Not just in community management, but for all companies.

Companies think too little about beginning to end when it comes to customer relationships: where do you want a client to be in 1, 2 or 5 years? Where does your client want to be with your product or service in 1, 2 or 5 years? Knowing the answers and working to realize the goals involved will have so many benefits, I'm dumbfounded that very few companies do CLM. Optimizing customer experience, keeping in touch, continually improving your company.

The community manager will have a central role in this, as a 'mediator/negotiator' between client and company. If you know the average client will be a client for about 4 years, make sure you have a plan in place for every single client to make their 4 years awesome with your company.

They might make it 8, or bring in 10 new clients via word-of-mouth advertising for your company delivering awesome service. Double win!