Dina Mehta tweeted this article y’day.
http://mamapundit.com/2009/04/if-i-were-hiring-a-social-media-expert/
Fantastic piece on online community building that should be read in the context of our earlier piece on what makes communities tick.
My favourite bit:
“Online community is all about conversation and connection. Joining the conversation in a smart, appropriate way, and building those connections is really both an art and a science. It requires very good listening skills, and the ability to show respect to the people who are already in the room, so to speak. You can’t use the same voice or style in, say, an iVillage message board for women with weight loss issues as you would on Twitter. You can’t build a loyal (meaning they come back week after week, and actually leave comments) blog readership the same way you get people to friend you on My Space. Different places, different voices, different approaches. And this is something you learn because you have actually been to all those different places and spaces — not just as someone trying to sell something, but as someone who truly enjoys and benefits from the wonderful world of online communities.“
Listen up Mr/Ms Head of Community! 
