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Lila Flies Away, Fagaras (2026)

19/10/2024

Romania: Day 3 (Final day)

We spent our last day exploring haunted churches and historical castles. You can view a more detailed overview of our experience at Cetatea Făgărașului in my Romania highlights reel. Here are my top 3 tips for visiting Făgăraș, Romania:

1. Skip the golden cathedral 🚫⛪
Recently built next to the historic Cetatea Făgărașului castle, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is popular with tourists but pretty universally disliked by locals. While the church is covered in bright gold, many buildings around it are breaking down. As one local wrote in a review:
"[There is] Lots of money invested into churches [in this area], like we don't have 500 already (hyperbolically speaking). It's covering the Fortress of Făgăraș, which is literally our symbol. Should've been built somewhere else, not in front of two of our few historical monuments. Let's not forget that it also covers the Statue of Mrs. Stanca. Shame!"
Our tour guide, who is a local, specifically worked to not highlight it - instead pointing us to the castle next door...

2. Take time to explore the massive castle in the center of town 🏰✅
While the outer courtyards of Cetatea Făgărașului are beautifully restored walking spaces, the inside has been converted into a museum that contains over 30 rooms of historical artifacts. Some highlights I noted included the prison room, rotating exhibition (focused on clothes during our visit), and collaboration with modern artists at the end of the tour.

3. Fuel up at Casa Terra 🍽️
Once you are done exploring, walk just 12 minutes until you reach Casa Terra for dinner. This is a great spot for trying local cuisines. I enjoyed eating their savory potato pie, which felt like a combo between ratatouille and shepherds pie.

What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below.

🇷🇴

07/06/2023

Lila, you keep talking about your experience as a, "Community Manager." What is that all about? 🧐

Community management (CM) is the process of building, nurturing, and growing a community of individuals who share common interests or goals. Many companies and organizations employ community managers to engage with customers and stakeholders.

CMs have many responsibilities, including developing a deep understanding of the community's needs, desires, and behaviors, fostering engagement, facilitating conversations, and resolving conflicts within the community. Due to the many responsibilities a CM might have, it is important to be a skilled communicator, listener, and problem solver when working in this role.

However, despite these sweeping generalizations about the field, no two CM roles are exactly alike. Community management can exist on many platforms, including online forums, social media groups, and in-person events. Because of this, successful CMs must be able to adapt their strategies to fit the unique needs of their community.

The field itself is also fairly new and constantly changing as new technologies and trends emerge. For instance, social media has become a key platform for community management for many CMs.

However, when using social media, it is important to have a multi-channel approach. My general rule of thumb? Try to hit three points of contact with your customers for every message you send their way. My three points are currently Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook, but I hope to add an email newsletter soon, followed by a Facebook group. Many companies also prefer to have some sort of off-social platform for community gatherings, such as on Mighty Networks or Circle.

Community management can be a rewarding career for those who are passionate about building relationships and fostering engagement. It is a job that is not just about managing people, but about creating a sense of belonging and shared purpose for members. It can also help organizations stay connected with their customers and stakeholders, as well as better understand the needs and desires of their customers and stakeholders.

Learn anything? Let us know in the comments below!

29/05/2023

Has your company had a community consultation yet?

These bite-sized audits are designed to unearth action items that can help your community thrive.

Outcomes vary from organization to organization, but they might include: Community goal setting, OKRs, educational materials and more.

Interested? Click the link in my bio 🔗 to sign up for a free consultation session.

Let's activate your customers using the power of community. 🦾

24/05/2023

🔥 Hot take: The future of community isn't in-person or digital. It's HYBRID!

You might be wondering: Why would you think this, Lila? Over 118,000 tech workers have been laid off in 2023. Community is often one of the first industries on the chopping block. Why would you think the community industry is going to continue at all?

The answer lies in the REASONS behind these layoffs. Many believe there should be a reduction in virtual communities for the following reasons:
🥱 Zoom fatigue
🦠 Covid protocol shifts
🍽 Desire to engage in activities that work best in-person
😔 Overall feelings of loneliness

As of 2023, 60% of people in the U.S. reported feeling lonely on a regular basis. Although online communities were certainly helpful in padding this loneliness, for many, it does not appear to be enough to curb the loneliness altogether.

However, even if 100% virtual communities may not thrive as strongly now as they did during the pandemic, this does not mean the shape of future communities will be the same as it was before. The pandemic allowed us to gain a better understanding of how the Internet can connect us moving forward, and there is still a desire to maintain many of these digital touch-points using platforms like:
💬 Whatsapp
📲 Texts & group chats
🎙 Podcasts
⏯ Twitch or social media Livestreams
👾 Video games, and more

Moving forward, I predict the community industry is likely to see fewer *solely digital* community management positions and more opportunities to act as community leaders through in-person events and engagement.

As a result, community leaders who have been impacted by layoffs and are looking to stay in the industry might want to check out non-tech community event planning roles, such as those involved in museums, corporate event production, or the arts.

Those who have not been impacted can also incorporate in-person engagement into their strategies by building a framework around how to run in-person communities and incentivizing brand ambassadors to run these events locally.

Will you be incorporating in-person engagement into your strategy? Let me know in the comments below ⬇️

22/05/2023

What is an intrapreneur? 🤔

An intrapreneur can be loosely defines as a manager (or contributor) within a company who promotes innovative product development and marketing.

I was recently introduced to the term by a fellow consultant. She explained that many of the tasks often done by a community program manager are sometimes completed internally by an intrapreneur who is passionate about the project. This is part of why community manager roles are so rare: Many companies prefer to look for internal candidates before investing in external consultants. (I have a number of reasons why I believe companies should reconsider, but I'll save those for another post 😉)

In a company, an intrapreneur might...
💡 Lead innovation
💪 Spearhead new initiatives
👥 Manage a team of other passionate contributors

As you might imagine, intrapreneurs and community strategists have a lot in common! They both:
💼 Spearhead initiatives
📊 Build programs to help bring people together to accomplish a goal
🤝 Work closely with internal stakeholders

However, there are also some key differences between these roles:
🗣 Community strategists often work closely with the customers to build their team, while intrapreneurs might have a team through their company.
💼 Intrapreneurs tend to lead innovation efforts at larger organizations, collaborating with idea labs that may provide resources. Community strategists are nimble and can build initiatives at any size organization.

Are you an intrapreneur at your company, a community strategist, or something else? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️

17/05/2023

Community is a broad industry and no two community managers are the same. here are four community specialties I've seen emerge in this field:

1️⃣ The Social One
This community manager likely exists in the marketing department. They...
📲 Are a master of social media
🖇 May have a joint title like, "Community & Marketing Manager"
📣 Struggle to differentiate an audience from a community

2️⃣ The Offline One
This CM doubles as an events coordinator. They...
🎊 Coordinate community events, venues, and bookings
👥 May not be known by a company's customers, but knows every event attendee by name
🏃 Are way too busy to check slack

3️⃣ The One Who Solves All Your Problems
This CM works closely with the customer support team. They...
📧 Answer emails, social media messages and support tickets
🎁 Know everything about your company's product
🙋 Built their company's FAQ

4️⃣ The One Who Does It All
Some cms don't rest under any team! Instead, they are expected to do all of these roles at once. They...
💭 Struggle to balance community strategy and implementation
🤷 May answer all their members' questions one week, then go radio silence the next
🥱 Could really use a nap

Which community manager are you? Let me know in the comments! 👇

12/05/2023

Have you heard of our community strategy workshops?

These three-hour-long workshops are designed to guide your team through the creation of a community program strategy.

Outcomes include unearthing your community's business value and even deciding on appropriate platform(s) for your community to invest in.

Ready to dive in? Schedule a workshop with me via the link in my bio! 🔗

01/05/2023

This week, we are running a ✨special spotlight✨ - our first Instagram LIVE ft. Yurii Lazaruk (.lazaruk)!

Yurii is a Community Consultant who runs 's beloved weekly meeting, "Between Two Watercoolers." Join us as we deep-dive into Yurii's career, discussing upcoming challenges and unearthing his path into community leadership.

Friday, May 5th
8am PST
Instagram LIVE

This early feature will replace this week's LinkedIn Community Leader Spotlight. See you then!

25/04/2023

"Alone we can do so little. Together, we can do so much." - Helen Keller

In college, I once had a teacher tell me, "One person's thought is a concept, but any idea shared by two or more people is a movement."

Something I love about community marketing is that it is guided by a company's customers, rather than the feelings of any single employee or stakeholder. Not only does this give brands more information - from which they can make truly data-informed marketing decisions - but it also leads marketing initiatives to become naturally human-centered.

Additionally, community building supports a naturally human part of being alive: Our desire to connect with others. In addition to shining a light on a company's mission and work, it can give participants a sense of belonging and empower individuals to create change.

Let me give you an example: I worked at Singularity University during the the global pandemic. Although the community chapter program I worked with had thrived through in-person meetups pre-2020, COVID-19 changed the landscape for everyone.

Still, our leaders never gave up. Although this could have been an excellent excuse to pause their work, dozens Chapter Leaders reached out to me individually, asking if they could be connected to other Chapter Leaders in the space. Once these leaders from different countries were in contact, they were able to plan cross-Chapter events that spanned across cities and even countries. They reframed their isolation into an opportunity to expand their impact globally, and they were only able to do this by working together.

I am proud of the work SU's Chapter Leaders have done to promote innovation. Their Chapters program has done an excellent job of supporting individuals in many countries including Brazil, Malaysia and Ukraine.

Are their problems you were able to solve by connecting with others? Let me know in the comments. ⬇️

24/04/2023

Communities for community leaders have been on a rise as mass layoffs impact CMs across the tech industry. These collectives collaborate to provide networking meetups, educational materials, job boards and more for others in the industry. Their goal? Use community marketing strategies to support one another, the same way they might a company or organization.

If you are a CM, you might be wondering: There are so many communities right now, Lila... what communities should I invest in? Which ones are worth my time?

I am a community leaders with 5+ years of experience supporting brands in developing community strategies that bring customers together over a common goal. Over the past year, I've explored 15+ communities for community leaders, participating in networking activities, forums and more. I'm here to help you narrow down your CM community list to only the ones that have been the most active, supportive and helpful on my journey to become a great community leader.

Here are my top 5 communities for community leaders:

1️⃣ The Community Community
Built by Nikki Thibodeau in 2022, The Community Community is an specifically geared towards supporting senior community leaders. Unlike most communities for CMs, which are free to join, TCC members are required to complete an application to join, and cohorts are onboarded onto the platform on an annual basis.

Sign up for the next cohort here: https://thecommunitycommunity.com/en-us

2️⃣ Meta's Community Manager Certification Community
It has never been more important to continue learning about the community industry. Meta's community team works hard to stay up-to-date on all things community, and they take advantage of their Facebook tools to bring people together to learn and grow. Make some friends - and make sure to grab a certification while you're there.

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/238949844574724

3️⃣ Social Media & Community Managers in Gaming
SMCMG connects video game community leaders on Discord, providing easy-to-access networking events dedicated to a specific subset of leaders. In addition to the standard industry resources, they specifically built their community to help promote positive work/life balances in their members, pointing users to mental health resources and giving them opportunities to, "scream into the void... together."

Apply to join the Discord here: https://t.co/M786SmY7y4

4️⃣ CMX
One of the most famous communities for community leaders out there, CMX has been giving CMs tools since before it was cool. Founded in 2014, CMX was built by some of the top community leaders in the industry including (but not limited to) Carrie Melissa Jones and David Spinks. They provide educational materials, networking opportunities, summits and more with the goal of helping leaders build successful communities.

Learn more: https://cmxhub.com/

5️⃣ The Community Roundtable
The Community Roundtable (CR) is a community collective that provides standardization to communities in the form of education, research, community models and audits. Unlike other resources, CR focuses on providing information and standards that are backed by data that they have been gathering since 2009.

Join on in: https://communityroundtable.com/

Which communities have been most helpful to you? Add them in the comments below ⬇️

Lila Flies Away

19/10/2024

07/06/2023

29/05/2023

24/05/2023

22/05/2023

17/05/2023

12/05/2023

01/05/2023

25/04/2023

24/04/2023

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