Best Customersupport Podcasts (2024)

1
When an Online Community Pro Retires 56:59

3M ago56:59

56:59

Rebecca Newton is a legend of the online community profession. After 30 years, she has retired. But what does it mean when we retire from this work? Her career began AOL in 1994, building communities and managing a massive volunteer program. Among her numerous stops, Rebecca found a focus in child safety, leading such efforts for Sulake (the compan…

1
Breaking: Online Community Consultant Discovers Brand New Concept (Again!) 39:06

9M ago39:06

39:06

Online community consultants aren’t unlike consultants for any other area of work. Some are ethical, smart, and talented, and some aren’t. Consultants also don’t often make great guests for the show because they view it as yet another lead generational funnel for them to shout generalities into. But hopefully an exception is this episode with commu…

1
Kinks vs. Crimes and Gender-Inclusive Content Moderation at Grindr 27:04

12M ago27:04

27:04

Bodies aren’t moderated equally on the internet. Content moderation efforts, especially those at large, mainstream platforms, can suffer from policy-based bias that results in moderation centering a cisgender gaze. This reinforcing of heteronormativity can leave some of your most vulnerable community members – and potential community members – feel…

1
Safeguarding a Diabetes Charity Community and Knowing if You’ve Done the Right Thing 30:52

1y ago30:52

30:52

Safeguarding is a term used in Ireland and the United Kingdom that covers efforts to protect the health, wellbeing, and human rights of people, especially children and those who are otherwise vulnerable. At Diabetes UK, four people alternate by week as the safeguarding lead, helping to protect those that the charity comes in contact with. One of th…

1
Empowering Employee Resource Group Leaders With Your Internal Community Platform 38:01

1y ago38:01

38:01

Employee resource groups (ERGs) can do a lot to create a greater sense of belonging at your organization. But the folks who volunteer to lead these groups may find themselves in need of help when it comes to utilizing perhaps the greatest tool at their disposal: Your internal employee community platform. As a community strategist within large organ…

1
The Chief Community Officer Hype Machine 46:08

1+ y ago46:08

46:08

As we celebrate Community Signal’s 7th birthday, Patrick takes questions from Community Signal listeners and supporters in this first ever “Ask Patrick Anything” episode of the show. Questions include: If everything had worked with CNN+, what would community look like for the platform? Would you rather be a working community professional or a commu…

1
Elon Musk’s Quest to Make Twitter Worse 55:12

1+ y ago55:12

55:12

Elon Musk’s presence has loomed over Twitter since he announced plans to purchase the platform. And for these few weeks that he’s been in charge, many concerns have proven to be justified. Musk laid off 3,700 employees, and then 4,400 contractors. He is firing those who are critical of him. The verification process, perhaps one of Twitter’s most tr…

1
When Community is on 3 Teams in 5 Years 32:35

1+ y ago32:35

32:35

As Zendesk’s customer base and product offerings have grown, so has its community. The Zendesk community started in 2008, under the support organization, as a space for people to ask and answer questions about using the product. Since then, it has shifted departments multiple times, leading to changes in KPIs and core purpose. Nicole Saunders, the …

1
Why Community on the Product Team Works, From a Product Leader’s Perspective 49:14

1+ y ago49:14

49:14

Recently, community pro Danielle Maveal joined Community Signal to discuss her experiences reporting into the product organization at Burb. In this episode, we’re getting the opposite perspective from product leader Gitesh Gohel. Gitesh and Patrick worked together at CNN, where community reported into product. And while the product and community th…

1
Lessons in Building Safe, Inclusive, and Functional Spaces for LGBTQ+ Folks 39:49

1+ y ago39:49

39:49

If you’re wondering how you can more actively foster safety and belonging for LGBTQ+ folks in your online community, there’s precedent to learn and borrow from. In this episode of Community Signal, we’re joined by Samantha “Venia” Logan, the CEO and founder of Socially Constructed. Venia shares lessons from her decade of experience building communi…

1
The Pros and Cons of Community Reporting to Product 33:09

1+ y ago33:09

33:09

Which team or leader does your community organization report into? And which would you like it to? Community teams can be successful as independent pillars or as part of other verticals, like product, ops, or marketing. In this episode of Community Signal, Danielle Maveal, the CCO (chief community officer) at Burb, shares how community professional…

1
Bridging Continents and Countries in a Professional Association Community 25:19

1+ y ago25:19

25:19

Do you manage an international community? How do you thoughtfully foster community across different continents, languages, and norms? Mercedes Oppon-Kusi, the community manager for Europe for the International Legal Technology Association, is working to do just that for their community of technology pros working at law firms. With ILTA originating …

1
When Companies Sponsor Their Employees to Contribute to Open Source Software 48:15

2y ago48:15

48:15

WordPress, the popular open source CMS, powers a reported 43%+ of the web, including this site. It is backed by a global community of contributors who volunteer their time in all sorts of ways, from code to documentation to training. But did you know that many of the project’s biggest contributors are sponsored by their employer to provide that tim…

1
The Disappearing News Media Comment Sections 36:12

2y ago36:12

36:12

As the former director of community for HuffPost, where he led the management of an active, massive comment section, Tim McDonald has had a unique vantage point to the mass closure of news media comment sections. Patrick and Tim go in depth on that topic on this episode. Toward the end, Tim shares what he believes will be his greatest community ROI…

1
The Community Management Jobs You Turn Down 28:47

2y ago28:47

28:47

What are the reasons why you would voluntarily end the interview process for a community role? If you give it some thought, you’ll probably come up with some! Ryan Arsenault and Patrick share real stories from their careers, giving the reasons why they decided against continuing to interview with certain companies, including some you’ve heard of. T…

1
Building Up Your Community Members, One Phone Call at a Time 34:43

2y ago34:43

34:43

Is speaking one-on-one with your community members part of your community strategy? For Tosin Abari, when building paid professional communities, it’s an integral part. His phone calls with community members provide an opportunity to reset the tone and remind each member of what they can learn, share, and achieve with their fellow community members…

1
Making Room for the Next Generation of Community Professionals 55:17

2y ago55:17

55:17

Which community leaders helped you grow as a professional? Who in the industry do you study from or reference? On the last episode of Community Signal, our guest Mohamed Mohammed mentioned how his former manager, Joe Pishgar, helped him feel welcome in the industry. “You belong here” were Joe’s encouraging words to Mohamed, and this phrase signifie…

1
Deepfakes in Your Community are Inevitable 48:55

2y ago48:55

48:55

This conversation with Mohamed Mohammed, a community manager and a PhD student studying deepfakes, is timely. Just last week, a deepfake emerged attempting to spread misinformation that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was announcing surrender to Russia’s invasion. In that situation, preparation and rapid response helped minimize the s…

1
Providing a Safe and Functional Community for Cancer Survivors 34:06

2y ago34:06

34:06

Online communities are can be essential for people impacted by illness. For those directly affected, their families, and support systems, these communities can provide a much needed place to share experiences, to vent, and to learn about different symptoms, treatments, and the intricacies of navigating the healthcare system. For our guest, Amanda P…

1
Leveling Up Your Community Team With Specialized Roles 35:59

2y ago35:59

35:59

As community leaders, we’re responsible for people. The people in our communities and the people that serve them. In this episode, Chris Catania, head of community at Esri, shares how he approaches planning for growth and specialization for his community organization, for his people, and for his own role. Chris is currently hiring for three roles, …

1
Misuse of Community is Endemic in Web3 49:12

2y ago49:12

49:12

By now, even if you’re not super well-versed in the terminology of Web3, you’ve probably encountered some of the conversation around its relationship with community. Like with any innovation or change in technology, there can and should be conversations about how Web3 will empower communities. However, we should also ask questions and think about h…

1
Online Community Building Lessons From Collaborative Board Games 31:01

2+ y ago31:01

31:01

When was the last time that you trusted your community with the responsibility of collaboration? In this episode of Community Signal, Matt Leacock shares lessons he’s learned while designing popular collaborative board games like Pandemic, Pandemic Legacy, and Forbidden Island. Matt also discusses how he leans on the board game community for his ow…

1
The Elder Scrolls Online Community, and the Power of Guilds 37:50

2+ y ago37:50

37:50

What metrics and indicators of success are you, your colleagues, and community excited about for 2022? Whether you’re hoping to better demonstrate the impact of the community on your business’ bottom line, foster safer experiences for your members across the communities they are part of, or want to focus on establishing better boundaries for you an…

1
Bettering Health Outcomes Through Peer Support at Mayo Clinic 35:36

2+ y ago35:36

35:36

Do you have a 60-second pitch for your community? In this episode of Community Signal, Colleen Young, community director for Mayo Clinic, raises the challenge of being able to deliver a concise and impactful pitch to other leaders at the nonprofit. “I’m just imagining finding myself in the elevator with this leader by happenstance and being able to…

1
Embodying Work-Life Balance as a Community Professional and Manager 34:45

2+ y ago34:45

34:45

Are you able to step away from your community for days at a time? When you return, are your team and the community still running smoothly? If you answered yes to these questions, then congratulations! Whether it’s documentation, systems, or setting proper expectations with your boss and colleagues, those boundaries and structure are crucial, not ju…

1
Are You Gardening, or Are You Managing Waste? 30:19

2+ y ago30:19

30:19

Earlier this month, blogging pioneer Jason Kottke tweeted that “social media would be a better place to connect with people if the folks building and using these services had spent formative time on and taken inspiration from Flickr and MetaFilter instead of 4chan and Reddit. Gardening vs. waste management.” That tweet spoke to Patrick who retweete…

1
Cohort-Based Online Communities: Exploitation or Real Connection? 57:01

2+ y ago57:01

57:01

If you threw a random group of people together, united primarily by a shared educational goal that they can accomplish with or without the group, and had two weeks to build a sense of community among them, what would you do? That’s what Alex Witkowski spends time thinking about. He’s the community lead for Section4, which offers business courses th…

1
Building a Database of CSAM for AOL, One Image at a Time 57:52

2+ y ago57:52

57:52

If you work in content moderation or with a team that specializes in content moderation, then you know that the fight against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a challenging one. The New York Times reported that in 2018, technology companies reported a record 45 million online photos and videos of child sexual abuse. Ralph Spencer, our guest fo…

1
Shifting Revel, a Community for Women Over 40, from In-Person to Online Overnight 27:44

2+ y ago27:44

27:44

As community practitioners, we often serve communities that we don’t necessarily belong to. But how would you approach designing a community platform, events, and policies for a demographic that you don’t belong to? Alexa Wahr, the COO of Revel, a community for women over 40, says that she and her co-founder build by putting their community first. …

1
How Telehealth Provides More Efficient Healthcare for Patients and Providers – and the Role Online Communities Can Play 42:22

2+ y ago42:22

42:22

How did the pandemic impact your relationships with your healthcare providers? Did telehealth enable you to continue seeing or connecting with your providers to receive the care that you needed? In this episode of Community Signal, Denzil Coleman, a telehealth coordinator, developing and maintaining digital health interventions at the Medical Unive…

1
While Making a Mixtape, Asher Roth Built an Online Community 40:03

2+ y ago40:03

40:03

In between his three albums, rapper Asher Roth has released several mixtapes, including 2011’s Pabst & Jazz and his The Greenhouse Effect series. The third entry in that series, The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3, hit streaming services on September 3, 2021. But there’s something about his latest mixtape that makes it unique from every album, EP, and mix…

1
Here’s How Anti-Vaxxers Are Spreading Misinformation Despite Your Best Moderation Efforts 33:43

2+ y ago33:43

33:43

What moderation tactics have you used or seen as a mechanism to curtail the spread of misinformation in communities and on social media platforms? Word detection, link blocking, and digital stickers promoting legitimate information sources may immediately come to mind. But what would happen if you ran your moderation tools against URLs shared in li…

1
STEM Advantage & Mentoring - Lee Ann Kline 46:52

2+ y ago46:52

46:52

In this episode, we welcome Lee Ann Kline, the President and Founder of STEM Advantage. STEM Advantage is a non-profit that mentors, prepares and inspires women and underserved communities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). STEM’s overarching vision is “Advancing Equity Through Education” by providing economic an…

1
Fostering Resiliency for Community, Moderation, Trust, and Safety Pros 39:29

2+ y ago39:29

39:29

When was the last time you mandated that your community, moderation, trust, and safety colleagues schedule time for out of queue activities? When was the last time you led by example and took a break or participated in other wellness activities before you felt burnout? What was the last tool your product team built to help foster resiliency for you…

1
Mentoring - Kevin Laird 28:26

2+ y ago28:26

28:26

In this episode, we welcome Kevin Laird. Kevin is the Director of Advisory Services for the Oracle Governance, Risk, and Compliance Practice at KPMG. Kevin discusses mentoring, his involvement with STEM Advantage and THRIVE, two organizations focused on mentoring college students and the newly hired in the workforce. Kevin’s focus with both STEM Ad…

1
The People Side Of Management - Kevin Laird 29:20

3y ago29:20

29:20

In this episode, we welcome Kevin Laird. Kevin is the Director of Advisory Services for the Oracle Governance, Risk, and Compliance Practice at KPMG. Kevin discusses the people side of management by offering insight and wisdom for hiring and promoting, as well as challenges he sees today and what a person should already be doing today to earn that …

1
What Makes an Online Community a Home? 54:31

3y ago54:31

54:31

May 21st, 2021 marked 20 years since the launch of KarateForums.com. In this episode of Community Signal, Patrick speaks with five forum members that have been on KarateForums.com for nearly 65 years, collectively. Together, they discuss what keeps them coming back to the community as members, moderators, and martial artists. While each member brin…

1
Leadership, Trust, and Standing Out - Jay Spenchian 1:05:00

3y ago1:05:00

1:05:00

In this extended episode, we welcome award winning, digitally-savvy Chief Marketing Officer, Jay Spenchian. Jay has a long and outstanding career transforming deep consumer insights and big data into record-breaking products, sales, innovative marketing initiatives, and growth for Fortune 500 brands such as Pepsico, Heinz, Pillsbury, General Motors…

1
Dismantling the Model Minority Myth and Fostering Safer Communities, One Conversation at a Time 58:43

3y ago58:43

58:43

For this episode of Community Signal, we’re joined by community professionals Jenn Hudnet, Lana Lee, and Phoebe Venkat. They candidly share stories about the impact of racism and stereotypes against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in their own lives, in the workplace, and in the communities they manage. Jenn, Lana, and Phoebe each ha…

1
Mindset: Overcoming by Taking Action - Pam Meisl 28:30

3y ago28:30

28:30

In this episode, we welcome Pam Meisl. Pam is the President of Evolution Partners Insurance, Co-Founder of Enfuego Entertainment, and a Certified Hypnotherapist for the past 38+ years. Pam shares with us the importance and value of “mindset” and specifically how to stay focused and overcome obstacles and roadblocks by taking action! Pam explains ho…

1
Helping Online Community Members Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis 32:20

3y ago32:20

32:20

Crisis Text Line offers free, 24/7 support via text message to anyone facing a mental health crisis. Some organizations partner with Crisis Text Line to develop co-branded text lines for their community, but starting today, you can make Crisis Text Line part of your policy and response strategy if anyone in your community or on your team shares or …

1
Relationship Building and Being The Best Team Player – Ken Meifert 31:47

3y ago31:47

31:47

In this episode, we welcome Ken Meifert. Ken has arguably one of the coolest jobs, he’s the Vice President of Sponsorship and Development at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ken has been with the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum for over 27 years and he has a lot say about hiring, chemistry, collaboration, teamwork and being the best team player you…

1
The Power of Personal Connection - Ken Meifert 8:17

3y ago8:17

8:17

In this bonus episode, Ken Meifert shares a short story on the power of existing relationships and leveraging both a professional and personal relationship to create a unique and powerful connection with others. Episode Blog PageBy Paying It Forward, Lessons From The C-Suite

1
Whistleblower: Facebook is Allowing Dictators to Mislead Their Citizens 38:58

3y ago38:58

38:58

Last month, Sophie Zhang, a former data scientist at Facebook, went public as a whistleblower drawing attention to how the company delayed action against or outright ignored manipulation of it’s platform by autocratic leaders and global governments to the detriment of the people of those countries. All work, including community management, requires…

1
Leading In Today's Digital Landscape - Jeanice Lee 34:28

3y ago34:28

34:28

In this episode, we welcome Jeanice Lee, Head of Americas Region for Air New Zealand. We sit down and discuss leadership, key pieces of the hiring process, how you can stand out in today’s workforce, digital marketing, the digital landscape, responsibility, ownership, and accountability. We also discuss key aspects of boomers working with millennia…

1
Why It’s Harmful to Label Community and Community Pros as Underdogs 33:41

3y ago33:41

33:41

If you were designing a curriculum to teach undergrads about community management, what would you cover? Georgina Donahue’s approach in designing such a curriculum for a course at the University of Massachusetts was grounded not only in her experience as a community professional but also in her understanding that as a professor, she was instructing…

1
Standing Out In Today's Workforce, Heather Moyer (Part 2) 25:41

3y ago25:41

25:41

In this 2nd part of a 2-part interview, we welcome back Heather Moyer, Founder and CEO of HNM Systems. Heather provides great insight into what is an "A" player, what she believes people can do to "stand out" and become an "A" player, and why it is important to do what it takes. She also discusses why self motivation, training and educating yoursel…

1
Effective Mentoring, Relationship Building, Hiring - Heather Moyer (Part 1) 24:43

3y ago24:43

24:43

In this episode, we welcome Heather Moyer, Founder and CEO of HNM Systems. Heather provides great insight into mentoring, why mentors are important, but more importantly the responsibility of the "mentee" in the mentor/mentee relationship. Heather discusses her affiliation, commitment and focus on mentoring across several groups she's involved with…

1
Lessons from Community Memory, the First Publicly Available Social Media System 44:27

3y ago44:27

44:27

Lee Felsenstein’s work in tech and social organizing led to the creation of the Community Memory project, the first publicly available social media system and public computerized bulletin board system. Mr. Felsenstein was also a founding member of the Homebrew Computer Club, and he helped develop the personal computer. So, what was the first public…

1
Leadership, Responsibility & Accountability - Greg Lai 36:18

3y ago36:18

36:18

In this episode, we welcome Greg Lai, Co-Founder of Affinity Investments Advisors. Greg takes us from his initial dream of wanting to be an Astronaut to starting his own Investment Management firm. Greg provides insight into mentoring, how mentors are important. We discuss listening, the importance of "hiring fit," how you can stand out in today's …

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