There’s been a lot of discussion lately about where community management should fit into an organization. There a lot of complex, nuanced answers to that question, no doubt. In my opinion, there’s a very simple answer:
Which group/team can provide a community manager the following:
- A salary and a small operating budget
- Enough air cover to do a good (which is to say tenacious) job without fear of being fired instantly for upsetting someone
When you locate a group inside the organization who can provide both of those, then you have your answer as to where community management should reside. At least to get started and in the near term. Worry about long term when things start rolling.