Get paid to log into Facebook, Twitter

Imagine getting paid to post statuses on Facebook, upload videos on YouTube, tweet and put up photos on Instagram.

Last week, Business Beat featured online community managers, who spend a lot of time on social media helping companies make use of the online space to grow their earnings.

But while their job description sounds like a great way to spend a working day, it is not all fun and games. Your time online will be spent helping businesses grow their brand and increase sales.

“It is not always about the person with the biggest numbers. You might have the biggest numbers on Facebook or Twitter, but this does not necessarily translate to corporate sense,” says Brian Koyoo, an online community manager.

His job is about streamlining what people do online with business interests.

Asif Khan, head of business at a leading advertising agency, says when he is hiring, he is more keen on how interesting a person is and what they would bring to his company, rather than how impressive their CV is.

“Are you interesting enough to hold our attention for four minutes? Because online users’ attention span is very small. At the end of the day, the personality of the person handling a brand affects how well it sells,” says Mr Khan.

Dynamic space

The online space is very dynamic, adds Mr Koyoo, as such, “it is about what you can do at the spur of the moment; it is always about how you react at the drop of a hat.”

Online community management is not offered as a course in most institutions of learning. However, “all the fundamental skills for this career, such as writing and critical thinking, are skills that are taught in school,” says Soni Adriance, also a community manager.

“There are things you will go to school for and there are things you are innately endowed with. For instance, there are people who will study print media, but still not be as good at writing as those with a natural talent for journalism,” Koyoo says. “I feel this career takes advantage of your innate skills.”

Further, the online space, and particularly social media, can be unpredictable. Facebook, for instance, may not be as popular next year as it is now.

Also, several new social media platforms are coming up, each with their own niche audience that may be particularly attractive to some companies more than others. Online community managers must keep up with such changes and fluctuations. They must have their finger on the pulse of what Internet users are finding appealing.

“We are constantly reminded that we should be the thought leaders in this field. You are supposed to be ahead of what the client is thinking and what the community is expecting,” says Koyoo.

“At the end of the day, if you have someone who is curious, who is willing to learn, and who has what I would call intellectual humility — as in, you look at yourself and say, ‘I can learn a lot’ — then I think you are cut out to be in this space,” says Khan.

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