Everyone has a different way of doing things. Are some better than others? Are Community Managers carefree spirits that need to work at home to avoid distractions or in the office socializing with everyone? Are both of those questions wrong? We found out how most people are working and prefer to work in this week’s digest:
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Q1. What’s your ideal work set-up? At home, office, coffee shop? Does working around others help or distract you?
mediasres I work at home and at the office. I love different things happening around me. I thrive on ADD influences
7Huck Depends on task. Writing: absolute silence, maybe background music. Support: pretty flexible A1
vargasl I can work anywhere as long as I am organized. Prefer my “command center” set up in home office though.
amywhiggins Working at home, others distract me- groups only help with brainstorming
rhappe For me, the ideal is a mix between days at home and days interacting with others. Too much of any one is sub-optimal
DigitalKaitlyn I find I work best either at home or in office at a desk. I don’t mind people as long as I have headphones & music
gordondym At home, in front of computer & phone, with full pot of coffee & music playing
rontoledo I prefer the open office environment. I do use headphones to let people know i’m busy or to help me concentrate (writing)
marieconnelly I tend to work best from the office – esp. in a new position, being able to connect with the coworkers is really important
duzins Home! @RWW uses a group messaging chat that stays open all the time though for camaraderie/brainstorming/
janthonyrivera At the office definitely. Need to have the separation of home/work. And its important to have the face-to-face collaboration.
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Q2. How important is privacy in your workspace?
DigitalKaitlyn It makes me uncofortable to work with someone looking over my shoulder no matter what it is so a little privacy is perfered
ericfoster Privacy has little place in a collaborative workspace. Peace and quiet, however, does.
LovelyLu I actually have less privacy at home- and it is very important. I close doors and angle my monitor. Just a quirk!
vargasl Privacy? Not overly concerned in physical sense, but very aware of online privacy & alignment w/prof workspace.
KellyLux I think the ‘privacy’ issue has a bit to do with what you’re used to. I was freaking out about this for a while…
BlairAtVolt: We tore the walls off our cubicles. I thought privacy would be an issue at first, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way
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Q3. Does the social part of the job mean you have to be social in the office? Or do you prefer to work alone?
mediasres Social Media to me pulls on the most social parts of us. It influences RL openness too.
vargasl Just like I hated being pigeon holed into being a people person in pr, I don’t like social for sake of social. Just be you
vargasl Being social is not the same as representing interests of your community. Maybe it is a matter of semantics.
BlairAtVolt I like my social to mesh between online and offline at the office. It gives me a true sense of authenticity.
aperl23 Need to be social bc #cmgr is such a collaborative position – I get info and work with just abt every department here
kcpike As comm mgr you need to represent (sometimes loudly) the community’s interests in your organization. Being social is a must
tmonhollon Also, being social within the office can help combat misconceptions about your role (like, you just tweet all day, right?)
RachelYeomans I think it’s good to have social days but also solo days 2 get the paperwork and strategy stuff done-I need social for ideas!
polleydan A3: I try to be social online and offline. But sometimes online aspect overwhelms and I get too fatigued for offline.
rhappe I find the balance between when to focus and when to spread my wings and be social to be one of the more challenging things
NateErickson I prefer to be social in general, but work alone on my job duties.
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Q3.5: How do you utilizing others around you (or on your team) to help workflow? How integral are interns?
tmonhollon I think working with a team is critical. We share links, stats, ideas, collaborate on projects. Keeps creative fresh
vargasl Anyone read ‘The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey’ – this is how I utilize team and self.
rhogroupee Interns are like nuclear weapons–don’t put them in the hands of someone who will misuse them.
7Huck: Quality interns are like stellar community members. They make the impossible possible 🙂
RachelYeomans Ideally there would be a social ‘manager/director’ and a community manager on the same team – and analytics rep would be gr8
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Q4. Any tips for “Feng shui-ing” your space? What does your office/work space look like? Share your pictures on here!
vargasl I just have to keep it clean. Clutter clutters my headspace
tmonhollon I try to keep a clean visual landscape around my computer to help me focus.
AskTim My desk usually has the homey feel of a demolition site, without the sense of order.
evanhamilton They do say that clutter is good sometimes, because you “discover” old ideas when searching for something…
joannieboats I do however prefer a nice neat desk, and the longer it stays that way, the more I feel like I’m accomplishing.
kcpike Here we are 🙂 #cmgrchat http://t.co/
rhappe No Feng shui here 🙂 #cmgrchat http://t.co/
Historian clean desk, dirty…. Never mind #cmgrchathttp://t.co/
KatieFelten A – I personally need a clean workspace and I love to have a plant on my desk, also love having a spot in the sun
rhogroupee temporary desk at home, minus the cat who was just on my lap. #cmgrchat http://t.co/
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Leave comments below on any answers you may have to the questions below, or if you have topic suggestions for future chats!
Jenn is a Co-Founder of The Community Manager and the Editor-In-Chief. She’s also an adjunct professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies. You can find her almost anywhere online, but specifically on #CmgrChat every Wednesday from 2-3pm ET.
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