Thanks to Altimeter Group analyst Jeremiah Owyang, today marks the third anniversary of Community Manager Appreciation Day.  While there is not a lot of available data on the job outlook for a community manager, you only need to look at the job growth for a social media manager to know the trend is still on the incline. Community managers are the connectors between the community they cultivate and the brands they represent. They are creative individuals who push the envelope in how content and information is shared with their communities. They are analytical -sifting through a multitude of data and using a plethora of social tools to assess on an almost daily basis, how people are engaging with the brand.  They are strategic thinkers who translate often complex business and technology concepts into rich and engaging content that creates meaningful dialogue. At Cisco, they are all of these things and much, much more.

A HUGE thanks to our Community Managers at Cisco globally (approximately 150 total), for continuing to move the needle and advancing the role of community management.  I've talked to several of them recently to get their thoughts on what it means to be a community manager at Cisco and of course, their celebratory plans for Community Manager Appreciation Day.

What does it mean to be a community manager at Cisco?

• Thinking strategically about how and where to effectively communicate our messages, collaborating with other community managers to combine brainpower and synchronize efforts, planning a cadence of social activities for the year, and responding appropriately to open questions and comments on our social channels.
• Listening to customers to help inform our social media strategy and how we engage with them.
• Developing, engaging and nurturing a community of people of all different backgrounds and demographics that share one common interest: Cisco.
• Being extremely alert, organized, creative and engaged to meet the needs of a growing community of partners and customers opting into social networks to learn more about Cisco.
• Connecting with Cisco fans and employees globally in real-time and 24/7.

How are you celebrating Community Manager Appreciation Day?

• Go through some social metrics reports and analyzing the effectiveness of social media tactics and performance of the social channels. Hopefully, I'll be sipping on a cup of Chai Latte while doing that to celebrate!
• Thanking our community on Twitter and Facebook for giving me the best job ever!
• Thanking our Cisco Corporate social communities for allowing me to have a role at Cisco that is ever-changing, exciting and challenging all at once.
• Thanking our Cisco fans for their continual support positive engagement!

Check out our short list of community managers and the Cisco social channels they manage:

Laura Babbili, Collaboration Solutions Marketing

@CiscoCollab

Cisco Collaboration Facebook Page

Ying Shen, Service Provider Marketing

@CiscoSP360, @CiscoSPVideo, @CiscoSPMobility, @CiscoVideo

Cisco SP360 Facebook Page

Cisco SP Blog

SP BrightTALK

CiscoSP360 SlideShare, CiscoMobilityCommunity SlideShare

Didier Rombaut, Data Center Marketing

Data Center and Cloud  Blogs

Data Center and Cloud  Facebook

Data Center and Cloud  Twitter

Data Center and Cloud  Slideshare

Lindsay Kniffin, Global Corporate Communications

Cisco Facebook Page

@CiscoSystems Twitter 

Cisco LinkedIn Company Page

Kati Dahm, Global Corporate Communications

Cisco Google+

Cisco Instagram

Cisco Pinterest