I recently posted some observations on communities, with a focus on why some communities are vibrant and effective, while so many others languish. I finished by noting that “For marketers, part of the challenge is to articulate this identity (of a community), and to speak about it authentically to people who care.”
It’s a big challenge, and now it’s my challenge. I’m excited to announce that I’ve recently become the Community & Social Marketing Manager at Nimble Storage, a startup that’s leading the industry in flash-optimized, hybrid storage systems.
My first task is to get a customer support community up and running, and I now have even more respect for the community managers who’ve done this effectively, because it’s a huge job.
On a practical level, we’re working to assess, select, install and configure the most appropriate community software platform. And that’s the easy part.
The bigger challenge is to structure the community, seed it with engaging content, release it to the world, and have people come participate in and contribute to the conversation. Given Nimble Storage’s product line, the content will definitely center around the concerns of IT professionals working with enterprise data storage. We also know the spirit of the community will be about collaborating, educating, and sharing information.
But the identity of our new community? That’s still a work in progress. Stay tuned.