[Sue]

Education and training for online community managers is starting to become a topic in some groups I participate in. I'm sure as time goes along this will be become a more prominent discussion. Currently training and education is thin on the ground, but here is a small list to start us off. If you know of anymore please add them to this thread.

Community Management Training Programs

Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies offers a wide array of media courses. Proposed for this upcoming semester is their course on "Social Media Marketing and Online Community Management (IMS 418/518). The course is described as: "Traditional advertising and marketing models are being increasingly challenged by a world in which content creation, transmission, and aggregation are being decentralized. Markets are now conversations – some very short. Social media are living conversations that present marketers with the challenge of how to understand and participate in those conversations in an authentic and value-based manner. Moreover, these conversations don’t happen in a vacuum. The connected nature of different social (and physical) relationships define a community of interest. The community manager uses this entire space to help bring value to this community. This class examines the variety and taxonomy of social media and the strategies and tactics associated with social media marketing and community management."
http://aims.muohio.edu/ims-courses/#

The Annenberg Program on Online Communities (APOC) is a graduate school program in new media, Internet marketing, and online social networking sites. Course offerings include the online communities track in the communication management master's degree program. The program is full-time and is designed to be completed in two semesters and one summer session.
http://annenberg.usc...OnlineComm.aspx

Spoke Digital focuses on social media, content and community. Amongst their many services they also offer training programs in community management, customer engagement and social media.
http://www.spokedigi...ning/community/