Brand evangelist? Forum moderator? Company strategist? Team cheerleader? PR guru?

As a community manager, you are many things to many people. How do you manage all those expectations while juggling the many hats that come with your job description? Where do you turn for advice?

Remember when the term “community” connoted a group of people living together in the same geographical neighborhood?

In the age of the microchip, the world has grown smaller and people are reaching out to one another virtually. These days the word “community” means much more than geography; community includes a mind-boggling array of Internet groups, online associations and virtual “hang-outs.” Thanks to our mobile devices community means worldwide web, and we’re seeing more people than ever reach across geographic, socioeconomic and even cultural boundaries to find common interests.

So what is a virtual community and how have they arisen?

So you’re ready to start your own online community and you just need some terminology to get started? No problem. Here’s the run-down on some basic lingo that will help you get up to speed in no time.

Perhaps you’re launching a new product and you’d like to get feedback from your users. Or maybe your non-profit has a new initiative and you want a private collaboration area. Whether you're promoting your brand by word of mouth, engaging a growing group of followers, bonding with your loyal customers, or just looking to have fun with a group of like-minded folks in your industry, there are virtually unlimited reasons to start an online community. Regardless of your goals or technical savvy, it’s easy to set up a virtual community and start a conversation about what matters most to you.