Handbook of Community Management

This book is an in-depth tutorial on how to make communities work to really improve business performance. It covers principles and proven practices that ensure community success and longevity, provides tips and techniques for leading communities and communities programs that the reader can apply immediately, looks at different types of communities and the technologies that support them, and illustrates communities in practice.

Stanley A. Garfield, Northville, USA.

"This handbook includes a wealth of knowledge, expertly curated by Stan based on his decades of experience as a knowledge services program leader." – Rachel Happe, Principal and Co-Founder, The Community Roundtable

"Stan Garfield is one of the most generous and insightful thought leaders in KM. Anything he has to say about communities of practice is worth heeding." – Carla O’Dell, Chairman, APQC and Co-Author of If Only We Knew What We Know

"The words community and collaboration get bandied around a lot in business but few who use them really know what they mean. Stan does. The ability to work together to solve the world's pressing problems has never been more important. Learning how to do this well seems like a good idea." – Euan Semple, Former Director of Knowledge Management Solutions, BBC and Author of Organizations Don't Tweet, People Do

"Stan Garfield has written a complete and comprehensive book for community management. He offers outstanding proven and practical advice for community leaders and members – and the organizations that sponsor them. He provides both a clear vision and demonstrable benefits for communities at any stage in their lifecycle journey as well as many real-world examples. I love how he explains the differences between communities and teams. This book is a must-read for anyone planning or managing communities of practice! There is just so much wisdom and practical advice in here! Even though I’ve been managing and advising communities for years, it’s really helpful to see tips and advice organized in a practical way in a comprehensive reference manual." – Susan Hanley, President, LLC and Co-Author of Essential SharePoint

"KM now has a 10-year history of successfully using communities of practice to share knowledge within organizations. Stan has been a leader in that effort and has pulled together what he has learned about every aspect of communities from how to get started to what a leader needs to do. He has brought all that experience together with lots of examples and practical help." – Nancy Dixon, Principal and Founder, Common Knowledge Associates and Author of Common Knowledge

"Stan Garfield has created a compendium of community tips, tricks, advice, frameworks and pearls of wisdom gathered working with many communities for many years and pulled it all together in his Handbook of Community Management. Open any page and there is something clear, concrete and actionable. Even if you don't have time to read a whole book, any page will add value to your efforts!" – Nancy White, Founder, Full Circle Associates, Co-Author of Digital Habitats

"Stan Garfield is one of KM’s most experienced and most generous practitioners. He is a gifted encyclopedist of the discipline, and has worked for decades making KM resources and guides freely available to colleagues. He doesn’t just believe in sharing, he also believes in the power of networks, and is always ready to point enquirers to other people’s work. He also happens to be the leader of the most successful and enduring online KM community of practice, SIKM Leaders Community. All of these qualities shine through in this, his latest book: short, concise and accessible chapters, beautifully organized, giving succinct and helpful advice from a lifetime’s experience in an area that is clearly close to his heart: communities of practice." – Patrick Lambe, Founding Partner, Straits Knowledge and Author of Organising Knowledge

"Communities of practice are one of the fundamental building blocks of Knowledge Management. This handbook gives you everything you need to set up and run large online communities, for the benefit of the business and of the community members themselves." – Nick Milton, Director and Vice President, Knoco Ltd and Co-Author of The Knowledge Manager's Handbook

"As a veteran community leader, member, and researcher, I applaud Stan Garfield’s sage advice and rich narratives. Anyone funding, designing or reinvigorating a community can accelerate their impact and de-risk their program through reading this book. This is a wonderful resource, and a gift to community managers." – Katrina Pugh, President. AlignConsulting and Author of Sharing Hidden Know-How

"Stan Garfield is very well known to the global knowledge community as both a practitioner of knowledge management projects and a theorist and writer on the subject. This is a rare combination, and in his new book he displays both of his perspectives very well, making this book essential for all those interested in this most interesting topic." – Larry Prusak, Former Executive Director, IBM Institute for Knowledge Management and Co-Author of Working Knowledge

"Stan has created and curated a rich resource for community facilitators and knowledge managers at all levels of experience. A deep goldmine of principles, examples, stories and lived experience from knowledge management’s knowledge manager!" – Chris Collison, Owner and Director, Knowledgeable Ltd and Co-Author of The KM Cookbook