I manage an online community of more than 11,000 members and supervise a team of community moderators responsible for approving user-submitted comments for news stories on the top rated news site WRAL.com. I oversee all aspects of content creation, provide vision and long range planning for all content areas and I'm largely responsible for driving growth, user engagement and the ongoing maintenance of the community.

EDUCATION | I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. I am also very active in journalism organizations and a student of new and social media.

HOW TO GET STARTED | Spend time in online communities. Start your own blog and build a community around that. Get involved with various social media platforms and start engaging people and building your own small networks and communities. Come up with great ideas and execute them. There are many roads to this type of position, but commitment, drive and a work ethic that won't quit is what will help you land one.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Patience, a thick skin, outgoing personality, decision-making skills and grace under pressure.

how I got started | A former boss and mentor recommended me for this position. I was quite fine where I was but he sold me on the idea of a startup and delving into social media and online communities with the promise that it would ultimately pay off in droves. I think he was right. My experiences so far have been enlightening and the process has expanded my knowledge base ten fold. I knew it would be a challenge because it was outside of my comfort zone. I'd worked in broadcast, print and online news for 15 years before moving to Raleigh to launch GOLO.com.

why this job?| I'm very outgoing and inquisitive by nature. I've seen my ability to relate to all types of people and bring out the best in them wok in the most unpleasant and tense situations and when I compared that to the qualifications needed for this position I thought it was a match.

why I love this job!| Managing an online community has many rewards. It's amazing to watch people who have met online only come together and forge real-life relationships. Creating a productive environment for conversation and debate when there are so many sites that don't provide any of that has been very fulfilling. I enjoy interacting with users, encouraging participation, serving as an advocate and voice for the community and supporting community initiatives. I also love this job because it gave me the motivation to write the book: 18 Rules of Community Engagement, which will publish later this year.

my typical day| Nothing about my day is typical. Quite honestly, I never know exactly what the day will bring. I can spend several hours communicating with members via e-mail and directly on the site, posting blogs to drive engagement and selecting the best content to highlight in various areas on the site, or I can spend hours resolving disputes and removing problem members. I strive to make the community as inviting and endearing to new members as possible and ensure that everyone has a good experience.

what they are | Dealing with anonymous users and people who are intent on wreaking havoc on the community while wearing the cloak of anonymity, is extremely challenging, as is being the face of a large online community. It comes with a great deal of challenges and I am blamed for everything and you know what? That's just the way it is.

all about growth | I feel that the sky is the limit with my career. There is not much history with these kinds of jobs and more and more organizations are realizing that building communities and engaging communities should be a part of their long-term strategies. I feel that having hands-on experience and growing a community from its infancy puts me in a good position.

my website| http://www.happyabout.info/community-engagement.php