The Pillar Summit Professional Community management course is entirely taught online with an emphasis on providing participants with maximum flexibility in their studies.

The course is comprised of three modules.

1) How to start a branded community

2) Successful online community management

3) Advanced community strategy

Those with an existing online community, or demonstrable community experience, may receive recognition and be allowed to skip directly to later modules.

 

Modules

Each module spans six weeks, with one lesson per week.

Lessons are accessible on a scheduled weekly basis in the password-protected community area of the website. Lessons are taught through an interactive webinar during which participants will be taught about the topic, shown case studies and be asked questions relating to the material.

Each lesson will last approximately 45 minutes.

Throughout the lesson, participants will be encouraged to ask questions (by text) and contribute their experiences, opinions and ideas.

To ensure all participants, regardless of location, can participate in every lesson – each lesson will take place twice during the week. Every lesson will also be recorded and participants may play or replay a lesson in their own time.

In addition to these live weekly lessons, the course includes:

• The Community Management bible. The full text of the community management course – exclusive to this course.
• Regular expert guest speakers. Experts from throughout the industry will address participants on their own community efforts and the tactics and strategies which worked for them.
• Over 30 case studies of successful (and unsuccessful) branded communities. Learn from the successes and failures of dozens of brands, big and small.
• Weekly live-chats with the community on a practical community development issue. Tackle a practical issue in depth and discover how your fellow participants resolved the issue.
• Checklists for your own community efforts. You will be given clear, detailed, checklists for your own organization to follow in the growth and development of your community.
• A highly active forum to trade advice and ideas with fellow community professionals. A sounding board for all your community efforts, plans and visions. Bond with fellow professionals and share your recommendations (e.g. reliable platform vendors).
• The community management playbook. How to respond and react to a variety of common problems faced by community management professionals.
• Proven scripts. Receive scripts for interacting with members, persuading people to join, recruiting volunteers, creating news posts, and other common communication tasks.
• Template documents. Receive template documents for your community wire-frames, web specs, strategy, action plans, and more.
• Open-clinic hours. Seek one-to-one help on any unique issue faced by your organization during our weekly open-clinic hours.

 

Assignment

This course will be assessed by participation in class activities and through assignments issued during the course. These assignments are practical in nature and designed to provide you with a document useful to your own organization’s community efforts.