1. My Next Adventure!

    Three and a half years ago, I chose to accept an entry-level inside sales job with a company who, at the time, was called Tippit. I knew nothing of the B2B media industry and certainly knew nothing of the work that would be required of me, but I rationalized “what the hell” and jumped in head first.

    As Tippit slowly morphed into Focus.com, I slowly morphed from a Lead Delivery Analyst to a Content Manager/ Editor to a Community Manager. I’ve built lifelong friendships and business relationships with people I never expected to meet. I’ve learned more about the business world than I ever expected to learn. And I’ve grown more as a professional than I ever thought would be possible in such a short amount of time.

    To sum it all up, last 3+ years have been nothing short of an adventure. But now it’s time for a new adventure, and as many of you know, today is my last day with Focus.com. I’ll be forever grateful for the experience and lessons learned, but am looking ahead to the new challenges and opportunities. In mid-February I’ll be joining the very talented team at Get Satisfation as Community Support Manager. I’m very excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to tell you more. :)

    But for now, it’s time for some aloha!

  2. »  The Focus.com Technology Marketer's Handbook: 2012 Edition

    Today we (Focus.com) published the 2012 Technology Marketer’s Handbook. There’s a ton of actionable advice and tips for all marketers, but especially for those handling marketing for technology companies.

    I contributed quite a few pieces to this guide, specifically the Recipe for Viral Content. :) Check it out!

  3. Another Community Management Prediction for 2012

    Earlier today, Mashable published an article titled 4 Community Management Predictions for 2012. The article was written by their in-house Community Manager, Megan Peters, and was, in my opinion, very well done. Megan pointed out 4 things that community managers will need to keep tabs on this year: timing of posts, user-driven content, mobile optimization and niche social networks (think Pinterest). There is one other detail that I think us CM practitioners will need to be aware of - certifications.

    As I mentioned on Focus.com, the community management industry is very young and has experienced a viral explosion of growth over the last year in particular. Because of this growth, and because of the perception of many companies that interns can be effective community managers, there’s a huge need for standardization. Right now, “Community Manager” means a different thing for every organization. We need to standardize our role, skills and processes in order to grow the industry and protect the market value for every community manager.

    Certification programs will play a big part in standardizing the community management industry. The Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) has recently partnered with The Community Roundtable and ComBlu to offer an online certificate program for community managers. This is the first certification program for community managers that I’ve seen so far, and I don’t think it’ll be the last. My prediction for 2012? More certification programs designed to help advance the industry.

  4.

    On Wednesday January 4th, I moderated a live panel discussion on the topic of community management. My all-star panel included:

    We discussed various topics including:

    • The differences between a community manager and social media manager
    • What a startup CM should do prior to coming out of beta/ company launch
    • Strategies for keeping yourself organized
    • And what traits/ experiences you should look for when hiring a CM

    Check out the archive and let me know what you think! Also - there were quite a bit of questions asked on the event page on Focus.com. Feel free to lend your thoughts to the discussion!

    Check out the archive!

  5. »  Overwhelmed? It Might Be Time to Hire HR [infographic]

    I love this infographic from Tribe HR. Great advice for businesses of all sizes on when to hire HR.

  6. »  Lunch at the Compensation Café: Understanding International Rewards

    Today’s Lunch at the Compensation Café event was very insightful! I follow the HR industry pretty closely and was blown away by the complexities involved with building and managing compensation packages in different countries. Focus Experts Ann Bares, Chuck Csizmar and Laura Schroeder offered great recommendations and key take-aways for anyone involved in that particular role.

  7. Lunchtime Listening - October 11, 2011

    Today’s amazing event: Community Management: Practical Lessons From the Field. I suggest you clear your schedule because it’s going to be a knockout. Here’s a preview:

    David Spinks says: “Community managers are like Pokémon… everyone wants one but they aren’t sure why.” We believe it’s because the community function hasn’t been integrated into the rest of the organization well enough. 

    This is not your parents’ “Community Management 101” session. We’re taking it a step further and challenging our listeners to think about community as a key business function. After all, a strong community can help you reach your sales goals, delight and retain customers, create better products and build advocacy.  Learn from a panel of community experts in companies of all sizes — from mega-huge to startups — how to build community into your organization. Our talented panel, moderated by Yammer’s Head of Community, Maria Ogneva, includes:

  8. Lunchtime Listening - October 6, 2011

    Hey friends! Here’s the free virtual events that Focus.com is hosting today. Come join the discussion… it’ll be fun! I promise! :)

    And no, that’s not a typo, we’ve got 2 roundtables happening at the same time! Our events are always recorded, with an archive posted within 24 hours, so you’ll never miss out on anything. Look forward to seeing you there! 

    11AM PT - Above the Funnel: Making the Connection between Social Sales & Marketing and Measurable ROI - This roundtable kicks off a monthly series we’re hosting along with Terametric, a social analytics company. Join this discussion to hear the experts talk about how define & quantify ROI in the social sphere.

    11AM PT - Modern Sales Management: How the Best Sales Managers Thrive in Today’s New Environment - Sales management today seems more challenging than ever, but there ARE sales managers who are not only making their numbers but exceeding them. Join our sales experts as they talk about what it takes to a manage a sales team to success today.

  9. »  The Most Disruptive Companies in Tech

    via @Focus

  10. Lunchtime Listening - October 5, 2011

    Today, Focus.com is hosting 2 virtual events jam packed with information that will help you & your organization make better business decisions. Check ‘em out and invite your friends too.

    9:00 am PT - Innovation and Continuous Improvement In Sales - There’s a lot of talk about innovation, but what does it mean for our sales and marketing functions? Join Dave Brock as he moderates a discussion between Robert Koehler, Tamara Schenk and Alex Shootman on this very topic.

    11:00 am PT - Simplifying Social Business: Customer Centricity in a Social CRM World - The 3rd episode in our 10-week Social Business Series dives deep into the topic of customer centricity. Join Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, Kathy Herrman and guest speaker Emily Yellin as they discuss what it really means to be a customer centric business.

About me

I'm a people person with a colorful personality. Currently one of the community managers for Focus.com and design cakes in my spare time. I'm passionate about startups, technology, communities, social media, human relationships and chocolate. When I'm offline, you can usually find me enjoying the local foodie culture or hanging out with my pup, Lucy.