Being a community member/manager is often like being a super-hero; an ever changing one where your powers and abilities keep expanding based on experience and community interactions. I like to think of online communities as “cities”,” because the communities you represent as a community member/community manager are like the cities superheroes work to protect. Like Jim Gordon said in The Dark Knight,
“Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.”
As I said your abilities and powers as a community member/community manager will evolve, much like Super-Man discovered and sharpened his powers over time. Thus this first entry is stage one. Every individual who enters an online community (city) is at the Spider-
Man level. Before becoming Spider-Man, Peter Parker was just a kid trying to make it through his daily responsibilities. Peter Parker then has his freak accident, being bitten by a radioactive spider, and is given extraordinary powers. As Uncle Ben told Peter, "With great power, comes great responsibility."
At one point before becoming as community member/manager, you were just trying to make it through your daily responsibilities and tasks, but then the freak accident happened, you wound up in an online community. Immense power has found you, you now the voice and power to present yourself to an entire group/cause/organization. You're new, inexperienced, and you will make mistakes (you may get trolled, or not post into the right categories), but like Spider-Man, you will keep going. Spider-Man can no longer focus on just his daily responsibilities. Some see Spider-Man as an ultimate savior or an ultimate nuisance, divided by his presence. Spider-Mans goal is to present himself in a way that inspires other in his community (city.) The same immense goals and opinions are now your inheritance. When originally posting or participationg in a community some will look for only the bad in your posts and troll you and some will welcome you with open arms, advertising how or where to post. There will be hurdles and mountains to climb, but ultimately you will believe in yourself, inspire others , and begin your journey, by posting, asking, sharing, and contributing in an online community. Congratulations – you are a community super hero.
Look for part 2 in this series soon!
Chris_Stallone is one of the newest additions to the communities team. When he is not participating in the communities he can be found volunteering at animal rescues, or spending time with his own rescue pets.