This week’s “Community Post” is from one of our Community Managers, Rory (@theroryshow). Many of you probably know him from our Slack or Telegram channels, or maybe from BCT or Reddit on some other project. He’s been a great help to us here, and he’s a great guy! Thanks Rory!

My Journey with openANX

Becoming a community manager takes a lot of time and commitment and knowledge to do correctly. However, when you find a project in crypto that you feel is revolutionary or groundbreaking, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will find in the world of technology. The quintessential goal of a community manager being, building and managing communities in exchange for opportunities, friendships, and coins.

I had the pleasure of being a moderator on Reddit for several ICOs, but never had the opportunity to become a community manager until openANX. I was initially drawn to this token sale because it provided the first real attempt to merge concepts from a centralized exchange (FIAT and volume) with a decentralized one (security and voting rights). In addition, it was led by a team already running a successful business. One of the harshest criticisms of cryptocurrency ICOs by venture capitalists and those in the stock market is that you are buying into something made by individuals who have never attempted something like this before. You are investing in an idea, a concept which may never come to fruition.

Those of us in the world of crypto, understand risk and reward and I feel the risky in crypto is worth the reward. At the same time I always want to be able to hedge my bets. When I look to become involved in a project I always look at the team, even before I look at the idea. Without the team of developers, marketers, and other support staff a project has almost no chance of being successful. What made openANX different was its connection to a successful centralized exchange ANX International. This was a team looking to evolve and build on what was already in place. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but I strongly suggest being involved in projects where past performance shows that these individuals know what they are doing and have a plan to be successful.

I was lucky enough to find this project early, ask questions, and be visible in the community. That is the real key to becoming a community manager. You must first work to be part of the community you represent. You must understand their concerns, anticipate challenges, and be willing to voice your concerns in a professional way to the development team or contact. Money and emotion are part of the equation, be able to remove emotional responses when dealing with frustrated community members and understand that what may seem like a minimal investment to you, can represent someone’s entire balance of their crypto fund.

The first thing most people are drawn to when becoming a community manager is the ability to make a large bounty. This is a great benefit to the position, but if your only goal is to accumulate coins or tokens, you will never be any good. Like anything in life you have to have a passion for it for do it right. When approached about becoming a community manager by others, I always recommend finding an amazing project first, and then worrying about the subsequent steps. This position takes a lot of time, time will you definitely notice if you’re not enjoying yourself. Read the white paper, know if backwards and forwards. Ask any questions you may have about any of the concepts, knowledge is your real currency when managing a community.

Second, approach the current community manager or developer and share your interest. They may not have something available at the time, but that’s okay. Keep being visible, helpful, and present, in the community. As the project grows so may your chance to be part of it. There is a fine line between being helpful and a hindrance, if you know the community you should be able to navigate this and find a way to be active and useful.

Lastly, always be honest with the developers, community, and yourself. If you have experience running bounties say it. If you are new to crypto, be honest and willing to simply answer questions and direct people to the appropriate person or channel. You would not believe the positive response I get in the openANX Slack and Telegram when I or another team member answers quickly and efficiently. People do not expect you to have all the answers, but they do expect communication. If you do not know the answer, simply admit it and ask to get back to them shortly. Keeping these lines of communication open cannot ensure no one will be ever be frustrated, but it helps created understanding, and mutual respect. I truly feel that with good communication you always have a shot to turn around a challenging situation and exceed expectations.

If you have any further questions about becoming a community manager feel free to stop by the openANX Slack or Telegram and direct message @theroryshow. Alternatively you can email me roryblog@gmail.com

Special thanks as always to the leader of our community @tlynch, and my other fellow community managers @bitvoyager, @pierre, @Alekses, and all our other great community members. I would not have had this opportunity if it was not for you.

Useful Links

OpenANX —

Slack : https://join.slack.com/t/openanx/shared_invite/MjE0OTQzMDczMTI2LTE1MDAzNDIwMTEtNTc3MDc0ZjI0OQ

Telegram : https://t.me/openanxteam

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OAX_Foundation

Bitcointalk.org Ann Thread:

Some great OpenANX youtube videos created by one of our community members :