Why Community Managers are Like Bacon

In this article, I am going to compare community managers to bacon. I am going to explain the similarities in characteristics between them. Before we begin. Lets identify what bacon and a community manager is in definition.

Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing. Bacon can come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.

A Community Manager is the voice of the company externally and the voice of the customers internally. The value lies in the community manager serving as a hub & having the ability to personally connect with the customers (humanize the company), & providing feedback to many departments internally (development, PR, marketing, customer service, tech support, etc).

Here are the characteristics of bacon that community managers share:

1. Bacon and Community Managers both come in different flavors.  

   1. Bacon has a maple, smoked flavor, and more.

   2. Community managers can have a special flavors as well.

2. Bacon and Community Managers both serve different roles.

   1.  Bacon can be used at any type of meal.

   2.  Community managers can fill multiple positions.

3. Bacon and Community Managers come from/tied to different animals or departments.

   1. Bacon can come from turkey, beef, or vegetarian.

   2. Community Managers can belong to marketing, PR or customer service.

4. People and Companies have different philosophies on bacon and community management.

   1. Everyone likes their meat cooked different.

   2. Companies have a different job description for a community manager.

5. Bacon and Community managers also go with everything.  

   1. Bacon can be used to added to almost any meal to make it better.  

   2. Adding a Community managers to a project can enhance any project if done correctly.

6. Bacon and Community Managers can stretch very far.

   1. Bacon and Community managers stretch across mediums.

7. Bacon and Community managers carry different weights.

   1.  The weight of a Community manager can be different from job to job.

   2.  Bacon's weight changes for the size of the number of eaters or portion size.

8. We both are at our best when crispy.

   1. Bacon is best when perfect.

   2. Community managers are best when sharp and prepared.

9. Bacon and Community managers get burnt easily.

   1. Bacon can taste bad when over cooked or blackened.

   2. Community managers can go bad when overworked.

10. So why would anyone eat bacon or become a  community manager?

    1. They both feel rewarding after finishing the job or eating the meal.

11. Both Bacon and Community Managers use grease to succeed.

    1. Bacon grease makes other meals better.

    2. Community Managers grease the wheels to get the conversation started.

These are my reasons why bacon and community managers are the same. I hope you enjoyed the article.  Feel free to comment below on any other thoughts you have. If I made you hungry, I apologize.

I would like to hear from you in the comments section below. 

What other properties do bacon and community managers share?

Source: Bacon Definition from Wikipedia

Source: Community Manager Definition from http://conniebensen.com July 17, 2008

This post is also found on my blog at www.mbhahn.com

Follow me on twitter @mbhahn

You can view my work and hire me today!