I’ve interviewed several community managers now, and so far there’s one thing they have in common. They’re really, really nice.

They’re the kind of people you hope to sit next to at a dinner party; they are socially at ease, and when the conversation falters, they know how to pull it out of the ditch. If not for the web, some of them might have become social workers or psychologists. Instead, the really good ones are online party hosts, helping people to make meaningful connections with each other.

Recently I talked with Megan Keane, the community manager for TechSoup, an online technology resource for nonprofits.

TechSoup.com

TechSoup provides all kinds of information, from highly technical articles on selecting and configuring firewalls to materials for navigating a request for proposal process. In its forums, nonprofits can ask questions like “What’s the best way to manage group emails?” or “What are some best practices for using Twitter?”

Megan does a lot of things, but her main job is to get people talking to each other. When someone joins the community, she makes sure they feel welcome. If someone posts a question, she makes sure it gets answered. When TechSoup is hosting a new “challenge” she invites people to participate. She’s the straw that stirs the drink. And no matter how good the TechSoup platform is, this party would be pretty lame without its community manager.

Active users of the community supplement Megan’s role. TechSoup provides incentives to users who answer questions and help move the conversation along. The can be promoted to “TechSoup Star” and ultimately “TechSoup Royalty.” These promotions carry different privileges around moderating discussions and access to a private forum.

Where in the world is TechSoup?

But managing the forum is only part of Megan’s job. Although TechSoup hosts its own active community, the organization has a strong presence elsewhere on the web which includes accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr, and a virtual office in Second Life where they also host events. Their web presence is so far reaching that they maintain a page called “Where in the World is TechSoup?” just to keep track. I’m still suffering from the stereotype of Second Life as a place where people act out their weird erotic dancing fantasies, but Megan says it’s been a great platform for networking with like-minded organizations.

I asked her to share some of her tips for how to be a good community manager:

1. Be yourself
Megan says it was daunting to take over the forums when she started two years ago. Her predecessor (who is now her boss) had been very successful, and she had big shoes to fill. But she came to realize that she didn’t have to pretend to be someone else, and over time she feels users have come to appreciate what she has to offer.

2. Be responsive
It doesn’t matter if people are at the office, at church, or on an online forum. They want to feel welcome. Megan’s advice is to find ways to make people feel heard. Don’t leave someone’s question unanswered for days. Answer it quickly, or find someone who can.

3. Give users a reason to connect
Make introductions. Start conversations. Provide incentives for people to participate.

4. Don’t forget the Gramma Rule
For most community managers, this goes without saying. But in case you aren’t sure what is OK to post online, ask yourself if you would be comfortable with your gramma seeing it. If the answer is yes, then it’s good to go.