Emerging roles
It’s not all about technology, it’s about skills too. Events need hosting, committees need chairing, working groups need facilitation, online (and offline) networks and communities need support from people who may be called, for example, ‘technology stewards’, or ‘network weavers’. Many of the new activities made possible by these new technologies are also tapping new skills and creating new roles, some paid, some unpaid.
Champions are the core group of enthusiasts you need to start a community.
Community manager This role incorporates monitoring, moderating, hosting, encouraging and sometimes steering the community/discussions. It is most commonly used to refer to someone managing a discussion forum or other user-generated content platform, but can also include offline activities such as running events, and directing conversations across other social media spaces.
A facilitator is someone who helps people in a face-to-face meeting or an online group or forum manage their conversations. They may help agree a set of rules, draw out topics for discussion, gently keep people on topic, and summarise. Wikipedia defines a facilitator as “someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and assists them to achieve them without taking a particular position in the discussion. The facilitator will try to assist the group in achieving a consensus on any disagreements that pre-exist or emerge in the meeting so that it has a strong basis for future action.”
Host Some people dive into events (whether face to face or online) and make their own introductions – but many others are not disposed to do so. Hosts help break the ice and facilitate networking. You can often spot whether a network is run by a clique (clustering together) or a good core group (hosting and involving others) by watching what happens at events.
A social reporter helps create meaning in social spaces – online and offline – by bringing stories to the surface, and helping others do the same. These may be captured in text, audio, video, images. Mainstream reporters often focus on crisis, conflict, celebrity. Social reporters are more concerned with conversations, collaborations and celebration of what is being achieved.
A technology steward is someone who can facilitate community and network development. Nancy White offers the definition: “Technology stewards are people with enough experience of the workings of a community to understand its technology needs, and enough experience with technology to take leadership in addressing those needs. Stewardship typically includes selecting and configuring technology, as well as supporting its use in the practice of the community.”
Platform manager If you have a substantial social technology system, one person within the organisation should be responsible for ensuring it is available and usable, and any required changes are made.
A user evangelist (sometimes called a technology evangelist) is someone who helps people use the system, such as by sharing tips and techniques, and who also represents users' perspectives and capabilities within the project team. They know what the users are capable of, and what they want to do, because it's their job to help them do it.
An executive sponsor is someone in a senior position in an organisation who can strongly support the project and help the development team overcome obstacles.
Steph Gray, who works in digital engagement at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also identifies the roles of campaign strategist, social media developer and digital mentor, and suggests that roles might change as you move from building to using your online capability.
