Celebrating A Decade of Community

Today marks 10 years since we launched our internal community - Neo at Pearson. It seems fitting that it also happens to be Thanksgiving as I feel incredibly thankful for what the community has brought to my own life over the last decade.  

After 5 years in internal communication and change, I was offered a role managing a brand-new community at Pearson. I had no idea what it really meant to be a community manager. My job title was to be Enterprise Community Manager, it sounded very futuristic. People, technology and a sort of social network for the work place sounded like the perfect combination...  

On November 25th, 2010 we loaded our colleagues into Neo (Jive Platform) from across the globe. Everyone had access to a world of possibilities at Pearson, they just didn’t know it yet. Over the next 3 months we galvanized Neo evangelists, advocates, we ran roadshows and I delivered hours and hours of training.  

I had to learn fast and on the job. I was learning about community whilst simultaneously building one from scratch.   

I am not going to lie I had the time of my life, I still am.

To mark today I wanted to share the 10 things I've learned from a decade of building in communities. 

1. Listen, Learn and Evolve  

In the beginning I knew very little about community. I was incredibly grateful for the external community rock stars I met in those early days. They taught me so much and were incredibly generous with their time. I listened, I learned and I evolved my own community style.

Ten years later the network I built for work, has become a network of friends across the globe. Still sharing ideas and experiences. A community who've been there for me professionally and personally in so many ways.

Over the last 10 years I’ve continued to Listen, Learn and Evolve. Things change, people change, your community will constantly change. If you listen and adapt you can’t go far wrong.  

2. Community is About People Not Tech  

From the very beginning this is what has always excited me the most. I love the tech side; but tech won't build a community culture, a safe space for people to share and post content. People do.  

I love, that building the Neo community has given me the opportunity to meet people from across the world. In the first 5 years I travelled to some of Pearson’s biggest markets and offices to meet and train people in person. In return I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and finding out so much about Pearson and the people who make it so special.   

I am always thrilled, even 10 years on when someone decides to share a story, their success or they post something wonderful for everyone to enjoy. I still get just as excited when a post goes viral and people send me a link and ask if I’ve seen this cool thing on Neo.  

Neo is at the heart of the Pearson culture, because of the people who’ve invested their time and energy to build our community. 

3. It Takes a Village  

You can be a Rockstar community manager, but you will ALWAYS need help. Whether that is community champions, community admins, your colleagues in technology, Human Resources, Communications or marketing. You can’t fly solo; you can’t play all the roles.   

Your community will have folk come and go. Over 10 years we’ve had some exceptional colleagues who’ve done so much to build our community. I’ve seen our village create magic on Neo, beautiful moments where I end the day knowing I have the best job at Pearson.    

4. What is The Business Problem You’re Trying to Solve?  

This is the phrase I’ve probably said the most over the last 10 years. 

It is the most critical way you can get buy in. You can start a meeting by telling people all about the technology, the bells and whistles, how community is so great, so wonderful. All the things you can do to help them. 

But that doesn’t matter if you don’t understand your customer, your community members. Meet your stakeholder where they are and understand what they need. By understanding their context, what keeps them awake at night, what challenges they want to overcome you can become part of the solution and add value. 

5. Change is a Constant  

This isn't just a lesson for community, it is a lesson for life.   

In 10 years, Pearson has evolved beyond recognition. A 175-year-old company has reinvented itself on more than one occasion. Our Neo community has had to reinvent itself too. We’ve rebranded, we’ve redesigned, we moved to the Cloud, we’ve changed our strategy, roadmap and focus as needed.    

And we’re not done, a new Chief Executive Officer a new era, a new focus. Who knows what the future holds for our community, but we can be certain that change will be remain a constant.  

6. It is a Marathon Not a Sprint  

Community management is marathon not a sprint in every sense of the word. Engagement takes time, behaviour change takes time. Building a community takes time. But it is worth it. 

You have to nurture your community, invest in it. Sometimes your biggest wins and successes will come when you least expect them.  

7. Encourage Your Community to Learn Without Fear  

One of the ways we were able to build our community so fast, was by allowing our community to learn without fear.   

Our social groups allowed people to play, to learn, by doing. Our community flourished because we created a safe place for people to try out the technology. Neo isn’t so new now but posting in a community where 22k colleagues can read what you have to say is scary. But it can also be exhilarating when your colleagues like or comment on your content.  

8. Community Skills are Transferable  

Over the years I've tried many ways of explaining why learning how to Neo is important or valuable. We have finally answered the $50 million question - WIIFM (what’s in it for me). Community skills are transferable. You’re not learning one technology system; you’re learning a skill for life.   

Collaboration is a core skill for the future of work. Knowledge is no longer power; collaboration is the secret to success. Knowing how to create engagement, get your message across, build a network, tell your story and remain curious are fundamental life skills.   

9. Community Isn’t Just About Work  

In the last 10 years I've been able to put my community skills to effective use outside of work too.  

In 2015 the refugee crisis unfolding across Europe was making the headlines. What didn’t make the headlines was the intricate web of grassroots communities working together to move mountains to support refugees all the way along the route from Turkey to various countries in Europe.   

I'm proud to be a part of this community. I am able to use my community skills to raise funds and work with a network of other volunteers to collect and distribute aid to those most in need. I've written a bit about my experience here: Using technology to make a difference – Sociuscommunity and Volunteering. I remain part of these communities and continue to support refugees in Europe. 

I’ve also been a member of another special community. Since my son was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2018, the cancer community has been a lifeline. To start with I was a new community member looking for a safe place to ask questions and find people like me. Now I'm an active member sharing my own families experience to help others. 

You can read about our journey here: Child with cancer: Bilbo's Journey to fight Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia  

10. Community is the Great Equaliser  

The last 9 months have been challenging across for all of us across the globe, I often hear people say, “I miss people”  

Humans are intrinsically social. Online community isn’t a substitute for human contact, for real world experiences. But in a digital world community can be a great equaliser.   

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the community or been around for 20 years anyone can create and share awesome content that people want to read. It doesn’t matter what time zone you’re in, where you are based, what job you have, you can create and share awesome content. 

As a community manager it is our job to create the inclusive and safe space for our community to flourish. A place where everyone is equal and everyone has a voice.  

My careers advisor didn’t tell me I should become a community manager. I kind of fell into it. And every day I am incredibly grateful that I did. Building communities is one of the most satisfying and rewarding jobs you can have.