How many times have you heard something like this, “The field of community management is still in its infancy…”? A lot, I’m sure. And if you are one of those CMs that have been doing the CM thing for more than a decade I’m sure it ruffles your feathers; I know that it used to bother me a whole lot.

A photographed by DougW of www.remarkablecars.com at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, NV

Of course I wasn’t thinking about it the way I should. Sure, I’ve been at this for more than a quarter of my lifetime, and that seems like a long time but in the grand scheme it isn’t very long at all.

In 1902, Henry Ford left the Cadillac Motor Company to start his own company. You have to admit we’ve come a long way from those first Model As that rolled out in 1903.

Online Community Management really is in its infancy. The role and titles are not “new”… but the skills, tools and knowledge really are just getting starting.