Stakeholder relations. Consultations. Public outreach. Town hall meetings. There are countless ways that government organizations claim they are building a dialogue with their citizens and partners. With the growth of online tools and communities, though, the opportunities for contact and feedback have exploded.

The tech community has recognized the challenge this poses to the normal pattern of interaction with customers/clients/citizens. Many of these companies are exploring the idea of a “community manager” to help their organization build effective relationships with these groups.

This is a concept and role that will become vitally important to government communicators (and others) as we grapple with the same changes in our relationship with our citizens and partners. I hope to discuss the implications, the application, and the complications of this technological and societal change in future posts.

For the moment, I’d like to point to several resources that help introduce the role of community manager:

• Jeremiah Owyang’s discussion of the “Customer/Community + Evangelist/Advocate/Manager/Guy/Girl“
• Tara Hunt’s presentation on community marketing at ETech. (make sure to view the slideshow)
• Jake McKee’s Customer Interaction Manifesto.
• Christopher Salazar’s “Who can be a community evangelist.”

One recurring theme to note in all of these materials:

Sometimes, a community manager must push against institutional lethargy, traditionalist obstinance or stubborn pig-headedness in the name of the client/customer/citizen.