Community Management for TV Programme Support

Nick Lockey is a Multi-Platform Development Producer for Maverick Television.

He develops the New Media potential of programmes such as Embarrassing Bodies, 10 Years Younger, How To Look Good Naked, Bizarre ER and The Model Agency. They’re pioneering online and multi-platform ideas that are built-in to the programme, not just a bolt-on afterwards. Nick creates things like

• Mobile apps
• Web communities
• Online tools
• Extra video clips

Who is Nick and what programmes do Maverick Television make?

We’ve heard from lots of Community Managers like Rich Milington, but Nick is perhaps closer to an accidental community manager. I asked him how he engages with communities

Digg is a free for all where people share resources, but Reddit was set up to be more positive – so they have two very different distinct personalities. Flickr started as a photosharing game that grew into a site. When they first started, they did a ‘meet and greet’, setting up a community of ambassadors that set the tone for everyone else that follows.

Community management is integral to Maverick’s television programme support

Nick explains that there are two ways of approaching communities

Nick’s Top tips:

• Use cached and similar buttons on google search – cached highlights the search term on the page. The similar button will bring up websites similar to the one you’re looking at.
• Ning.com – it’s a simple to use social network of social networks – great place to set up a community
• Twitter search and hash tags – might lead you to an interesting place
• Google Blog Search and Technorati
• Check the blog roll – it’ll help you find that first link in the chain!

There are more pearls of wisdom in the full interview here

Have you tried any of the tools Nick mentions? Where would you like to see Community Management in television programme support going in the future? We’d love to hear your views in the comments box below!