Last week’s community manager tip about how members notice everything is part of why community managers need to pay close attention to how we behave in our online communities. Members notice everything, and they watch the community manager and other leaders in the community to determine what types of behaviors are appropriate and expected in the community. Every community operates with slightly different norms and expectations, and we need to be careful to role model those behaviors that we want to see in our members.

Here are a few things to think about. Are you encouraging behaviors you want to see from others?

• Do you try to be as helpful when people are asking questions as you expect from other community members?
• Are you careful to remain calm and not fly off the handle when things get intense?
• Do you use language that is consistent with what you expect others to use?
• What techniques do you use to help redirect people to keep the discussions on topic?
• How do you deal with difficult community members?

Additional Reading

• What we can learn from Dr. Seuss
• What Does it Take to Manage a Community?

Part of a series of community manager tips blog posts.

Photo by Amber Case used with permission.