Great post about online communities and how manage/grow them.

Community management is anything but a science. But, more and more startups are figuring out early on that defining what “community” means to their business, and then working to incorporate and respond to that community is an essential element in their growth and the maturation of their products.

What follows is an in-depth look at how seven startups at various stages of development are approaching community management. For some, the in-house Community Manager is a must. For others, it’s a bit of an all-hands-on-deck approach. Regardless of technique, you’ll find that each of these startups uses a combination of support software and social media tools to ensure that even if the customer isn’t always right, the customer is always heard.

A few themes resonate throughout these examples: make users happy, listen to everything, incorporate community feedback into product development when appropriate, and stop fretting over the trolls. These may all sound like simple truths, but it’s the continual practice and adherence to these purist community ideals that make them complex.

1. Pandora: Measure Success One Interaction at a Time
2. Shwowp: Make Your Users Happy
3. Seesmic: The Community Manages You
4. Disqus: Feedback is Never Lost
5. Posterous: Community Starts at the Top
6. Klout: Respond to Each and Every Request
7. Curate.us: Celebrate the Community

Via: Mashable