Moderators and Community Managers help navigate web3 communities.

To better understand communities, let’s take a closer look at the responsibilities of a web3 Community Manager in 5 sections:

• Figuring out ways to involve the community
• Managing and Securing Discord
• Leading the moderator (mod) team
• Relaying community feedback to the team
• Participating in product strategy

Figuring out ways to involve the community

One way to involve the community is by providing a reason for people to join and be a part of the conversation.

It doesn’t have to be a complex reason either. Simple things have longevity too.

For example, you can:

• Start a biweekly Discord movie night
• Create dedicated channels around a hobby or interest
• Involve members in the decision-making process through regular community meetings
• Encourage users to join in and create content through contests

These are just a few examples but there are many more – sometimes you just have to use your creativity.

All of these strategies can help to strengthen relationships between different members and give the community more of a say in the direction of the project.

If you’re a part of a web3 community, you may have seen some of these or taken part in them as well.

Managing and Securing Discord

As a community manager, it is also your responsibility to make sure your online community is safe on the platforms upon which they gather.

We will use Discord as an example.

Without getting too technical, each project will have what is called a Discord “server.”

Servers are where community members will get together to ask questions, discuss ideas and join channels of the topics they are interested in. Think of it as a massive group chat with loads of different people.

So what does managing and securing your project’s Discord look like?

First, you need to decide what “permissions” to give out to different users.

For instance, the permissions that you would give your team members (or admin permissions) will be different from the permissions you give your community (member permissions).

Perhaps you allow members to send messages in the “#general” channel but only react in the “#announcements” channel. Or maybe you can set up a unique experience in a channel for token holders, that non-token holders do not get access to.

You can even use “bots” or artificial intelligence to help answer frequently asked questions and automatically warn people who are not following the rules.

This can help to further improve the community experience.

How to Stay Safe on Discord

You may have felt overwhelmed when joining a discord or seen some red flags or safety concerns.

To keep yourself and the community safe, here are some actions to take:

• Encourage your members and fellow community members to report inappropriate behavior to mods. This could include being rude, sending hate to other members, sending spam, or even promoting scams. Mods can deal with these issues by either warning the individuals or kicking them off the server in extreme cases.
• Inform your community members about relevant scams in the space, especially in Discord. Even though the scam might not target your Discord, this is a helpful way to support your community as a whole. You could set up a dedicated channel within the server for this purpose.
• Look out for each other. If someone needs help or has questions, feel free to respond to them, reach out and navigate inquiries
• Always be wary. There are definitely people who will reach out disguised as someone who wants to help, always verify the profile and make sure you’re talking to someone you can trust.

🛡 If you're interested to learn more about Discord Security for web3, check out this session we held in July! If you prefer reading up about it more, check out the Security chapter for more Do’s and Don’ts on safety.

Now let’s look at tips to help you lead your mod team.

Leading the moderator team

Building a strong moderator team is important for your web3 community. If you’re not sure who to recruit, you can start by looking for active members in your Discord community who share your project’s values and vision.

Your role as a community manager

Once you have an amazing team of mods, your role as a community manager is to provide them with all the resources they need to serve your community. Communication is key. Answer any questions they may have and point them in the right direction when they need help. Be there to listen to them and give them time to adapt so that they can excel as moderators.

Another very important aspect when it comes to leading a mod team is taking accountability and keeping them motivated during tough times like bear markets. Do your best to regularly check in on their mental health and provide a safe space to ask how they’re feeling, but remember to take care of yourself in the process too.

Remind them to stay vigilant about scams to protect both themselves and the wider community.

Relaying community feedback to the team

As a community manager, a part of your responsibility is to seek out the community’s thoughts and feelings about upcoming collaborations, products, and announcements, and relay these insights back to the team.

By involving the community, you help them get involved in the decision-making process and the future of the web3 project or brand. Not only do you get unique, direct insight into what the community is thinking, but this approach is valuable for the team to better understand the community’s needs and desires.

Participating in product strategy

Finally, let’s quickly touch on a community manager’s role when participating in product strategy.

One role you might take on is to consider the community’s receptiveness and reaction to an announcement, partnership, or product that your team is building. You’ll also be thinking of ways to make the product as suitable for the community as possible, and the best ways to deliver the team’s communications.

So, if you’re a community manager participating in product strategy, come into team meetings approaching it from three different perspectives:

1. Your opinion as a community manager
2. Your opinion as a member of the community
3. Your personal opinion

This way, you can ensure that the product meets the needs of the community, while also aligning it to the overall vision and mission of the project or brand you serve.

Whether you’re part of a community, a community manager or just browsing around, be sure to find a community where you feel safe and seen.

Community is an important part of our livelihoods and a really important part of web3.

That’s all for now, but be on the lookout for more content soon. In the meantime, you’re welcome to join our communities on Discord or Twitter.