Connie Bensen is almost certainly our first Blogger of the Week who has ever been in previous lives a Spanish teacher, a customs agent and a library supervisor.  That diversity of experience is certainly one of the qualities that has made her one of the most active and visible leaders in the emerging field of community management which requires lots of of communication and relationship-building skills.  

"My introduction to Web 2.0 happened when I was working in public library administration," she says. "I dipped my toes into social media when a software company asked if I was interested in a 'creative venture,' that expanded into my sister and I creating a website with forums and a blog. I found that blogging provided me with a conduit for sharing my ideas and teaching others."

Bensen has been honing her community-building skills for past ten years, providing community strategy for companies like Awareness Networks, Network Solutions and--most recently--Techrigy, a privately-held firm that offers a social media monitoring tool where she creates extensive resources for community managers.  

"Blogging helped me to reinvent myself and connect with a whole new world online," Bensen says.  "Even though I live in rural Minnesota my blog allows me to provide resources, share ideas and learn from other people around the world."

Bensen is also actively working with a number of other interested parties to establish best practices in community management.

"It's exciting to see people recognizing the value of community building," she says.  "Social media tools provide mechanisms but it takes human interaction to build relationships. Growing a community isn't limited to companies, it's also important for bloggers and small businesses. Customers are not only having conversations, but they also want to interact with each other and the brands they're using so we may as well encourage that."