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Is it unprofessional to pursue personal relationships with site users?
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As a community manager for a large internet company, I interact with our users (and moderators!) on a fairly consistent basis. In fact, I often spend large swaths of my day in the main moderator chatroom, handling moderator issues and contributing to the conversation that is going on.
Moderators are unpaid users who cultivate and police a site. (By contrast, I am an official employee of the company, and I receive a salary.) Also, from certain perspectives, I'm a moderator or user's first line of appeal, meaning that if an issue requires escalation, I'm one of a group of people they turn to first.
I've been fortunate enough to be able to meet some of these moderators and users in Real Life. I find I get along well with some of them, and enjoy spending time with them.
Is it unprofessional for me to pursue friendships and personal relationships with these users?
relationships professionalism
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
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up vote
30
down vote
favorite
As a community manager for a large internet company, I interact with our users (and moderators!) on a fairly consistent basis. In fact, I often spend large swaths of my day in the main moderator chatroom, handling moderator issues and contributing to the conversation that is going on.
Moderators are unpaid users who cultivate and police a site. (By contrast, I am an official employee of the company, and I receive a salary.) Also, from certain perspectives, I'm a moderator or user's first line of appeal, meaning that if an issue requires escalation, I'm one of a group of people they turn to first.
I've been fortunate enough to be able to meet some of these moderators and users in Real Life. I find I get along well with some of them, and enjoy spending time with them.
Is it unprofessional for me to pursue friendships and personal relationships with these users?
relationships professionalism
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
add a comment |Â
up vote
30
down vote
favorite
up vote
30
down vote
favorite
As a community manager for a large internet company, I interact with our users (and moderators!) on a fairly consistent basis. In fact, I often spend large swaths of my day in the main moderator chatroom, handling moderator issues and contributing to the conversation that is going on.
Moderators are unpaid users who cultivate and police a site. (By contrast, I am an official employee of the company, and I receive a salary.) Also, from certain perspectives, I'm a moderator or user's first line of appeal, meaning that if an issue requires escalation, I'm one of a group of people they turn to first.
I've been fortunate enough to be able to meet some of these moderators and users in Real Life. I find I get along well with some of them, and enjoy spending time with them.
Is it unprofessional for me to pursue friendships and personal relationships with these users?
relationships professionalism
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
As a community manager for a large internet company, I interact with our users (and moderators!) on a fairly consistent basis. In fact, I often spend large swaths of my day in the main moderator chatroom, handling moderator issues and contributing to the conversation that is going on.
Moderators are unpaid users who cultivate and police a site. (By contrast, I am an official employee of the company, and I receive a salary.) Also, from certain perspectives, I'm a moderator or user's first line of appeal, meaning that if an issue requires escalation, I'm one of a group of people they turn to first.
I've been fortunate enough to be able to meet some of these moderators and users in Real Life. I find I get along well with some of them, and enjoy spending time with them.
Is it unprofessional for me to pursue friendships and personal relationships with these users?
relationships professionalism
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
asked Apr 10 '12 at 20:08
Aarthi
1,0241720
1,0241720
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
4 Answers
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As long as you don't let it affect your work then no, it's not unprofessional.
Obviously it could be seen as being unprofessional, but as long as everyone - including your employer - is happy then you should be OK.
In fact, it could be argued that forming a personal relationship with these users is part of your job as community liaison. You are part of the conduit between the regular users and moderators and the company. Your job would be much harder if you didn't get on with them at some level.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
6
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
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4
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Being that they are unpaid I would guess no.
Your employer is a vendor of a service and the people in question are voluntary consumers who engage at their leisure with nothing at stake but their own time.
It doesn't seem like a conflict of interest in a business sense.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
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4
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Business relationships can be viewed negatively if they're used as leverage or if they make others uncomfortable (harassment). Since you're not (hopefully) talking about harassment, the relevant thing here is whether or not you gain inappropriate leverage with your user/client/etc.
In this case you can't really extort much out of your users; you can't make them buy the Premium Option for $5000 extra because there's no money involved. You're not getting access to insider information because you already have it. You're not going to be able to get a raise or gain additional clout through these interactions, so I don't think they could generally be perceived as inappropriate.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Just consider the following issue:
No matter how badly we try to keep professional and personal relationships separate we are not able to do that. We are all only human.
So is it unprofessional? No.
Will it affect how you perform your duties with respect to the site where user is present? Definitely.
So my suggestion is to avoid interactions where your professional life bleeds into your personal one.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
add a comment |Â
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
30
down vote
accepted
As long as you don't let it affect your work then no, it's not unprofessional.
Obviously it could be seen as being unprofessional, but as long as everyone - including your employer - is happy then you should be OK.
In fact, it could be argued that forming a personal relationship with these users is part of your job as community liaison. You are part of the conduit between the regular users and moderators and the company. Your job would be much harder if you didn't get on with them at some level.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
6
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
add a comment |Â
up vote
30
down vote
accepted
As long as you don't let it affect your work then no, it's not unprofessional.
Obviously it could be seen as being unprofessional, but as long as everyone - including your employer - is happy then you should be OK.
In fact, it could be argued that forming a personal relationship with these users is part of your job as community liaison. You are part of the conduit between the regular users and moderators and the company. Your job would be much harder if you didn't get on with them at some level.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
6
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
add a comment |Â
up vote
30
down vote
accepted
up vote
30
down vote
accepted
As long as you don't let it affect your work then no, it's not unprofessional.
Obviously it could be seen as being unprofessional, but as long as everyone - including your employer - is happy then you should be OK.
In fact, it could be argued that forming a personal relationship with these users is part of your job as community liaison. You are part of the conduit between the regular users and moderators and the company. Your job would be much harder if you didn't get on with them at some level.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
As long as you don't let it affect your work then no, it's not unprofessional.
Obviously it could be seen as being unprofessional, but as long as everyone - including your employer - is happy then you should be OK.
In fact, it could be argued that forming a personal relationship with these users is part of your job as community liaison. You are part of the conduit between the regular users and moderators and the company. Your job would be much harder if you didn't get on with them at some level.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:12
ChrisF
8,56423957
8,56423957
6
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
add a comment |Â
6
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
6
6
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
+1: It could be argued and that's what I would argue. To serve your clients/customers you must have a relationship of trust.
– Nicole
Apr 10 '12 at 21:10
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
Being that they are unpaid I would guess no.
Your employer is a vendor of a service and the people in question are voluntary consumers who engage at their leisure with nothing at stake but their own time.
It doesn't seem like a conflict of interest in a business sense.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
Being that they are unpaid I would guess no.
Your employer is a vendor of a service and the people in question are voluntary consumers who engage at their leisure with nothing at stake but their own time.
It doesn't seem like a conflict of interest in a business sense.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
Being that they are unpaid I would guess no.
Your employer is a vendor of a service and the people in question are voluntary consumers who engage at their leisure with nothing at stake but their own time.
It doesn't seem like a conflict of interest in a business sense.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
Being that they are unpaid I would guess no.
Your employer is a vendor of a service and the people in question are voluntary consumers who engage at their leisure with nothing at stake but their own time.
It doesn't seem like a conflict of interest in a business sense.
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:11
Jasconius
27122
27122
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
Business relationships can be viewed negatively if they're used as leverage or if they make others uncomfortable (harassment). Since you're not (hopefully) talking about harassment, the relevant thing here is whether or not you gain inappropriate leverage with your user/client/etc.
In this case you can't really extort much out of your users; you can't make them buy the Premium Option for $5000 extra because there's no money involved. You're not getting access to insider information because you already have it. You're not going to be able to get a raise or gain additional clout through these interactions, so I don't think they could generally be perceived as inappropriate.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
Business relationships can be viewed negatively if they're used as leverage or if they make others uncomfortable (harassment). Since you're not (hopefully) talking about harassment, the relevant thing here is whether or not you gain inappropriate leverage with your user/client/etc.
In this case you can't really extort much out of your users; you can't make them buy the Premium Option for $5000 extra because there's no money involved. You're not getting access to insider information because you already have it. You're not going to be able to get a raise or gain additional clout through these interactions, so I don't think they could generally be perceived as inappropriate.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
Business relationships can be viewed negatively if they're used as leverage or if they make others uncomfortable (harassment). Since you're not (hopefully) talking about harassment, the relevant thing here is whether or not you gain inappropriate leverage with your user/client/etc.
In this case you can't really extort much out of your users; you can't make them buy the Premium Option for $5000 extra because there's no money involved. You're not getting access to insider information because you already have it. You're not going to be able to get a raise or gain additional clout through these interactions, so I don't think they could generally be perceived as inappropriate.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
Business relationships can be viewed negatively if they're used as leverage or if they make others uncomfortable (harassment). Since you're not (hopefully) talking about harassment, the relevant thing here is whether or not you gain inappropriate leverage with your user/client/etc.
In this case you can't really extort much out of your users; you can't make them buy the Premium Option for $5000 extra because there's no money involved. You're not getting access to insider information because you already have it. You're not going to be able to get a raise or gain additional clout through these interactions, so I don't think they could generally be perceived as inappropriate.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:19
Rarity
4,37643457
4,37643457
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Just consider the following issue:
No matter how badly we try to keep professional and personal relationships separate we are not able to do that. We are all only human.
So is it unprofessional? No.
Will it affect how you perform your duties with respect to the site where user is present? Definitely.
So my suggestion is to avoid interactions where your professional life bleeds into your personal one.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Just consider the following issue:
No matter how badly we try to keep professional and personal relationships separate we are not able to do that. We are all only human.
So is it unprofessional? No.
Will it affect how you perform your duties with respect to the site where user is present? Definitely.
So my suggestion is to avoid interactions where your professional life bleeds into your personal one.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Just consider the following issue:
No matter how badly we try to keep professional and personal relationships separate we are not able to do that. We are all only human.
So is it unprofessional? No.
Will it affect how you perform your duties with respect to the site where user is present? Definitely.
So my suggestion is to avoid interactions where your professional life bleeds into your personal one.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
Just consider the following issue:
No matter how badly we try to keep professional and personal relationships separate we are not able to do that. We are all only human.
So is it unprofessional? No.
Will it affect how you perform your duties with respect to the site where user is present? Definitely.
So my suggestion is to avoid interactions where your professional life bleeds into your personal one.
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
edited Nov 9 '12 at 15:14
yoozer8
4,10442955
4,10442955
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
answered Apr 10 '12 at 20:15
Karlson
1,45911227
1,45911227
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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