Hello

I'm Jake McKee

People call me The Community Guy

ASK: 8 tips for successfully working with your legal team

For anyone who has developed community programs as part of a medium to large corporation, there are two words that can send shivers down their spine: Legal Department. In today’s business culture, the internal legal department has taken on a powerful role, and many marketing and community building employees find themselves at odds with legal. […]

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Case Study: Comics in Community Communication

In 2003, I was working on the community team at The LEGO Company, the maker of those fantastic and wonderfully ubiquitous plastic interlocking bricks. During this period I had a unique challenge of trying to convince my colleagues, smart folks who were solely focused on kid oriented programs and projects that there was value in […]

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Community Netiquette: How to Avoid Stepping on Virtual Toes

Most of us know that in the typical online community, it’s not kosher to post blatant marketing materials. But when confronted by other more nuanced issues, such as how to introduce ourselves (or our company) to a community, or how to react to someone calling us names, things get a little murkier. This guide shares […]

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ASK: 9 Tips for Inspired (and Inspiring) Text Communication

Let’s get this out of the way right up front: text-based communication is extremely difficult. In face-to-face communication, you have three forms of communication taking place at once: words (verbal), voice (vocal), and body (nonverbal). This provides an incredible level of nuance. The meaning of a conversation can change significantly with a fleeting eye roll […]

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ASK: Career progression in Community Management

(This is part of Ask the Community Guy, an ongoing series of questions posed by readers for Jake, the Community Guy) If you’re interested in more information about hiring or becoming a community manager, check out this collection of entries where I cover the topic in further detail. YS asks: What career progression is there […]

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ASK: Creating a great resume

(This is part of Ask the Community Guy, an ongoing series of questions posed by readers for Jake, the Community Guy) Dovetailing the conversation about Community Management jobs, I thought it was a good time to also discuss creating a great resume. I have this conversation regularly with people of all ages, skill levels, and […]

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Community Manager Employement & Employees

Last week I wrote several different posts about community management positions. To make it easy to find them in the future, I thought I’d bundle them all together. How do I hire a Community Manager? Looking to hire a community manager but not sure where to start or even what you’re looking for? This is […]

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ASK: My tips for a great presentation

(This is part of Ask the Community Guy, an ongoing series of questions posed by readers for Jake, the Community Guy) In the last few years I’ve presented to more audiences than I can remember. Literally. I try to refine my presentations every time I give one, and feel like I’ve gotten pretty decent. I […]

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ASK: How do I become a Community Manager? (Working Pro)

(This is part of Ask the Community Guy, an ongoing series of questions posed by readers for Jake, the Community Guy) Question: via yndygo: “How do I become a Community Manager? Honestly, there are many of us ‘not so young’ folk who are completely enamoured of the Social Media and Online Community development, but without […]

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ASK: How do I become a Community Manager? (College Students)

(This is part of Ask the Community Guy, an ongoing series of questions posed by readers for Jake, the Community Guy) Question: via several college students over the years – “What college courses should I take, and what activities should I do if I’m interested in a career in community development?” Answer: This question extends […]

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