ReadWriteWeb

In celebration of Community Manager Appreciation Day, I defined the characteristics of a Community Manager. This and more in today's Daily Wrap.

Sometimes it's difficult to catch every story that hits tech media in a day, so we wrap up some of the most talked about stories. We give you a daily recap of what you missed in the ReadWriteWeb Community, including a link to some of the most popular discussions in our offsite communities on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ as well.

Today is the 3rd Annual Community Manager Appreciation day. Originally founded back in 2010 by Jeremiah Owyang, the 4th Monday of January has since become a day to both thank Community Managers and to enjoy some great community-themed content.

Community Managers are, on the whole, good people. They are slow to anger, and quick to give second (and tenth) chances. They cheer-lead awesome folks and great ideas, while quietly, but firmly, discouraging bad behavior. They're passionate about their product, protective of their site and fervently supportive of their community. And, despite working long and varied hours, they still will tell you that they have the coolest job in the world. Keep reading to hear my decidedly biased view of community managers, colored by my almost 16 years of managing communities.

It's no exaggeration to say that we each receive hundreds of pitches every week at ReadWriteWeb. Companies, through their PR and marketing folks, go to great lengths to get a little "free" press for their products. The problem is, most of them are doing it wrong. That probably includes your company, unfortunately. The good news is, it's really not that hard to get it right. Just ask Mike Maney.

Disqus is quietly testing an interface that allows site owners to rank and give credentials and labels to their commenters. The feature takes advantage of a trend towards being able to find experts through social search.

The project is called Disqus Ranks, and it should be rolling out shortly. Disqus did not return a request for information about the timing of the rollout.

Inmagic is launching an idea management system called IdeaNet this week, claiming to deliver the "right mix of culture, process, and tools to support open and fluid lines of communication across organizational communities and silos." That's quite a mouthful, not to mention a lot of Big Ideas right there.

The Internets have always been a place that cultivates the odd duck, the passionate one, the recondite techie who doesn't quite fit in. Lately, it seems that, just like being an airline passenger, things are getting a bit nastier as we get more crowded in the clouds. The friendly skies are somewhat less so.

Anil Dash posted a wonderful piece this week on his blog entitled, if your website's full of a**holes, it's your fault and I thought I would take a moment to agree with him and amplify his remarks. He says, "When you engage with a community online in a constructive way, it can be one of the most meaningful experiences of your life. It doesn't have to be polite, or neat and tidy, or full of everyone agreeing with each other. It just has to not be hateful and destructive."

ReadWriteWeb is looking for a new Community Manager. This is a full-time role and location is flexible, as we are a virtual team. However, we do need someone in the United States for this particular role.

ReadWriteWeb is privileged to have an engaged community of decision makers and thought-leaders. The community manager's job is to engage with our community, to provide support and help develop it. Read on for more details...

One of our first posts on the new RWW Jobwire site was about the hiring of Kellie Parker as the new community manager for gaming company Sega. Jobwire guest editor Sam Whitmore chose Parker's story as our first Featured Hire because of its significance to her former employer, tech publisher IDG, and the publishing industry in general.

Click here to read Sam's take on the news.