Great Things about Managing an Online Community

In any community, of any size, there will be members who are really remarkable. Either they're technical wizards, experts in some essoteric subject, or just flat-out awesome human beings. When you sit and oversee things day-in, day-out, you get to know these folks, and your life is enriched as a result.

Because I run a large site, I get to chat and connect with some really interesting folks in the wider tech community, as well as within various tech companies. My contact list has some great people at some killer companies now. In my last job, the only networking opportunities were with IT sales people. Now, I have direct lines to managers of other large websites, marketing and technical people in hardware and software firms, and a few prominent tech bloggers.

Every day I get to write content that is read and commented on by tens of thousands of people. A lot of bloggers would kill for that sort of audience, and I have it built-in. And when you have that large of an audience, sometimes what you write gets picked up elsewhere and really takes off. This is a huge ego booster when you see an article you wrote get read by thousands of people.

No two days are alike. Every day, a new challenge presents itself. Every day, you have to come up with new and interesting content to post. There are always new things you can be doing, new ways to expand the site, to bring in more people. It's a job that keeps you on your toes constantly.

There are two sides to the web... the user side and the administrator side. As a regular user, it's impossible to get a proper appreciation of what goes on behind the scenes to present what looks like simple content or functionality. It was a huge eye-opener for me to realize even how tough a simple contest was to run, and what sort of coordination is involved. I have a lot more respect for other web admins out there now.

Sometimes, you're completely surprised by what the community can do when someone is in a pinch. I've seen folks band together to help raise a little cash for someone who just underwent surgery, or whose car just blew up. There's also the folks who share their triumps with you, such as getting married, or announcing the birth of their kid. Or maybe it's just a phone call out of the blue from a member who just wanted to express their gratitude for what you do every day.

There are so many things you never expect to happen. A glimpse into people's personal lives, a friendly note, or a jar of cookies... Stuff you'd never expect, but that make the job incredibly satisfying and fulfilling.