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Community
Strategy?
Easy.

About

ABOUT

Community is the key to competitiveness in the 21st century. Let's talk about how you can set yours up for success.

Hello - it's wonderful to see you here!

 

I am a community strategy consultant with experiences at leading companies and organizations such as Google, Cisco and 2012 London Olympic Games, and would love to tell you more about the benefits that community can bring to your business.

Specializations

SPECIALIZATIONS

Innovation, entrepreneurship and talent communities are my things.

The power of people's enthusiasm and a shared sense of belonging hit me first during my time at London Olympic Games, when I was leading Olympic volunteers providing transport services.

 

I cut my teeth in community management coordinating Google's developer communities in Turkey, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and have been helping many organizations as a community strategist to build their communities since 2020.

I am passionate about everything about community building, however feel most at home talking about entrepreneurship, innovation and talent communities.
 

Ilker DevFest Istanbul 2019.jpg

EVENTS & MASTERCLASSES

Events & Masterclasses
Starting A Community Consultancy: Find Your Niche, Get Set & Go! | Ilker Akansel

Starting A Community Consultancy: Find Your Niche, Get Set & Go! | Ilker Akansel

*This talk was recorded at CMX Summit 2022: Thrive* The time of the community has arrived, and so has the Great Resignation! There hasn't been a better time to set the course to become a community consultant, and to provide value to companies, organizations and communities out there! Ex Googler, Cisconian, Olympic Games Maker, veteran of the CMX ecosystem as a chapter founder and an experienced community consultant and mentor, Ilker Akansel will tell you what you need to know before you make the leap, show you the ways to find your community niche, walk you through the steps and even give you a few clues as to where the industry is heading to! A session not to miss for the budding - or even the more experienced - community consultant! SPEAKER: Ilker Akansel Founder & Community Strategy Consultant ilkerakansel.com Ilker is a Community Management and Strategy consultant who specializes in determining and enhancing the business value that communities can provide to organizations. Ilker led Olympic volunteers in London 2012 Olympic Games, innovation projects at Cisco’s innovation center in Istanbul and Google’s developer communities in Turkey, Central Asia and the Caucasus - a community of over 50 thousand members across 10 countries. He has been supporting many local and international clients as a community strategy consultant under ilkerakansel.com since 2020. Ilker is also the founder and a host of the Istanbul Chapter of the CMX Connect network and is currently writing the very first book on Community Management in Turkish." ____________________________ CMX is the world's largest network of community professionals. Our mission is to help community professionals thrive through world-class tools, training, and resources. CMXHub: www.cmxhub.com Join the conversation: https://cmxhub.com/community/ Get the newsletter: http://cmxhub.com/subscribe Join an event: http://events.cmxhub.com/
Community is Everywhere Yes, but also Everything is Community: - Ilker Akansel, Partner at TalentLed
Thoughts on Talent Communities: What You Need To Know

Thoughts on Talent Communities: What You Need To Know

Bottom line: Talent-led online communities can have a real and measurable impact on your talent acquisition and retention strategies. Join Todd Nilson and Ilker Akansel on the next installment of Talk About Your Community, where they will answer: - What is a talent community? - Why are talent communities needed? - How will talent communities change talent acquisition and retention strategies? - And more, so be sure to bring your own questions! ABOUT ILKER Having managed projects and programs, and led volunteers and communities at Google, Cisco and London Olympic Games, Ilker is one of Turkey's first Community Management and Strategy experts providing consultancy on contributions that communities can make to organizations. He is also the founder and one of the co-hosts of the Istanbul Chapter of CMX Connect network, which is the leading global network of Community Professionals. https://lnkd.in/gAGYhjA9 https://lnkd.in/gcDvpCkE ABOUT THE SHOW Talk About Your Community is a weekly live stream for leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs and community builders. Tune in to talk about community building and digital strategy. #LinkedInLive #community #digitalstrategy #communitybuilding #onlinecommunity #communitymanagement #communitymanager #talentled #talentcommunities Talk About Your Community is produced by Clocktower Advisors, a global consultancy specialized at helping organizations like yours to build thriving, sustainable communities online. Clocktower Advisors Privacy Policy: https://lnkd.in/dS64AhxU Connect with Todd Nilson on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gi9gh6NN Follow Clocktower Advisors on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gu9CXE_s Schedule a call: https://lnkd.in/gmYK3rwf Original Music by Blisskrieg Studios (looking for your own soundtrack, message us and we can put you in touch!)
CMX Masterclass: How to Motivate Your Community Members | Ilker Akansel

CMX Masterclass: How to Motivate Your Community Members | Ilker Akansel

CMX is the world's largest network of community professionals. Our mission is to help community professionals thrive through world-class tools, training, and resources. CMXHub: www.cmxhub.com Join the conversation: https://cmxhub.com/community/ Get the newsletter: http://cmxhub.com/subscribe Join an event: http://events.cmxhub.com/ ____________________________ Join community builder & strategist, Ilker Akansel, for a CMX Masterclass on member motivation! Ilker will cover the foundational basics for motivating your community including; understanding what motivates someone to join and perform in an organization, what motivates someone to take part and volunteer in a community, along with tips and tricks for community mangers to leverage above understandings to design communities that plays to the motivational factors of would-be members, and to pivot and curate the existing communities for the members' motivation to persist. Sections in the Masterclass will include: Basics to frame member motivation The classic motivation theories Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) framework Implementing action plan Be sure to grab your ticket today! ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Ilker Akansel ilkerakansel.com Community Manager & Strategist Ilker is the Founder and Co-Host of CMX Connect Istanbul and technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and of course communities are in the core of everything he does. He has been involved in great community programs, technology projects and other interesting experiences at the likes of Google, Cisco and the London Olympic Games. He provides professional services as one of Turkey's first Community Building & Strategy consultants, where he assists many local and global organizations in bringing their relationships with their communities to the next level. HOST: Marsha Druker CMX Senior Program Manager, CMX Connect

PODCASTS & COLLABORATIONS

Podcasts & Collaborations
A Review of Circle.so's Customer Community (and Platform UX)

A Review of Circle.so's Customer Community (and Platform UX)

I’ve been a long-time fan of Circle as a community platform and the Circle Community as a hub for community building. In this episode, Laure, Ilker, Tim, and I dive into the public-facing portion of the Circle community. Though we didn’t dive super deep into the actual customer community for privacy reasons, it was fascinating to see the pre-community experience through new eyes. Circle is doing a lot right, but it’s clear that their public-facing community could use some work. Check it out and leave a comment with your thoughts! ________________________ ABOUT THE HOST I'm Bri Leever 👋🏼 I’m a Community Strategist who helps brands and creators build and launch thriving online communities. 💡Follow along for community building tips on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannaleever/ 🗓️ Book a discovery call to see how I can help you launch your new community: https://calendly.com/bri-15/discovery-call ________________________ SHOW NOTES Join Circle's Community: https://community.circle.so/home Get the Community Dissection Audit Checklist to audit your own community: https://www.emberconsulting.co/post/free-resource-community-dissection-self-audit-checklist Want to see a community member experience dissected or the founder interviewed on a future episode? Nominate them here: https://1qicyflwt3p.typeform.com/to/Y0od1985 ________________________ PARTICIPANTS Laure Cast, Coach & Strategist at Changemaker PM https://linkedin.com/in/xplusx Ilker Akansel, Founding Partner at TalentLed Community Consultancy https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkerakansel/ Tim McDonald, Head of Community at HomeRoom https://www.linkedin.com/in/timamcdonald/
Ep 193 | 10 Lessons From 10 Experts On Community- SPECIAL EDITION CMX Summit Recap!

Ep 193 | 10 Lessons From 10 Experts On Community- SPECIAL EDITION CMX Summit Recap!

I get to spend a few days at the epicenter of community, and meet all the best experts in the world at CMX Summit, but I want you to meet and hear from them too! That's why I'm inviting my favorite people from CMX Summit on the show to tell you their biggest takeaway, themselves! If there is anything I've learned so far is that the "community crowd" is a warm, welcoming, brilliant crew. You won't want to miss this special edition of the B2BCB! Come be a part of the show! https://tinyurl.com/B2BCBSeason5 Connect with Josh Grose! On his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshgrose/ On his company: https://www.commonroom.io/ Connect with Tim Courtney! On his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timcourtney/ On his website: https://timcourtney.net/ Connect with Kaila Lim! On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kailalim/ On her website: https://kailajlim.com/hello Connect with Jenny Weigle! On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyweigle/ On her website: https://www.jenny.community/https://www.jenny.community/ Connect with Ilker Akansel! On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkerakansel/ On her website: https://www.ilkerakansel.com/ Connect with Carol Hink! On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolhink/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolhink Connect with Cole! On His LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colefeldman/ On His Website: http://www.rebalancedaily.com/ Connect with Sam! On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szelitch/ Connect with Venia! On Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthavlogan/ On Her Website: https://sociallyconstructed.online/ Connect with Lori! On Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-goldman-054b323/ Connect with Jan! On his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-biller/ On His company: https://glowingblue.com/en/ Connect with Piper: On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pipertwilson/ Connect with ME! In person at: Jesse Lane Conference in Jacksonville 10/22-23 Online at: LinkedIn or Instagram. Learn to produce internet talk shows and build your own Relationship Flywheel. Find out more about the Bootcamp HERE.
Community Trends for 2023 from the Community Consultants Collective

Community Trends for 2023 from the Community Consultants Collective

In this episode of the Community Strategy Podcast the Community Consultants Collective, a cohort of new and veteran community industry leaders, share their experiences discussing the state of the community industry and what trends they would like to see in 2023. The Community Consultants Collective, founded by Deb Schell, is a virtual group that meets once a month via Zoom to discuss how to be a consultant in the community industry. It started in August of 2021 when Deb reached out to fellow professionals on LinkedIn to ask if anyone is also doing consulting. During our interactive sessions, the collective discusses topics including pricing, services, client onboarding, and professional development. The group meets monthly and has now established a board of advisors, including Todd Nilson, John Summers, Ilker Akansel, Mathijs Vleeming, and Carolyn Zick. The CCC is planning to become more formal in 2023 with speaker-led sessions, a website, and a consultant directory. If you are a consultant or considering shifting to doing freelance work and are interested in learning more about the group, send an email to deb@findcalmhere.com to schedule a conversation. In this episode the following community industry professionals shared their thoughts: Deb Schell, Creator of Find Calm Here LLC https://findcalmhere.com/ Todd Nilson, Head Consultant at Clocktower Advisors https://clocktoweradvisors.com/ John Summers, Founder of Comunify https://comunifyllc.com/ Ilker Akansel, Community Consultant https://www.ilkerakansel.com/ Carolyn Zick, Founder of BadAxe Enterprises https://www.badaxeenterprises.com/ Laura Roth, Community Strategist https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraroth/ Clair Spencer, a Community Manager for Fit for Service https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireespencer/ Full Show Notes: https://findcalmhere.com/communitytrendsfor2023fromthecommunityconsultantscollective/ Creator to Community Builder Book https://findcalmhere.com/creator2communitybuilder/
CMX Summit 2022 Review with Jenny, Ilker, and Todd

CMX Summit 2022 Review with Jenny, Ilker, and Todd

The gang is back! Join Jenny Weigle, Ilker Akansel, and Todd Nilson to review the CMX Summit 2022. Hosted from September 14-15, the event brings together the world's largest group of community builders for two days of speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities. With Jenny attending in-person and Todd and Ilker both presenting virtually, they will be discussing: Highlights from the summit overall CMX’s hybrid format Their favorite sessions Top takeaways within the community space This isn’t a CMX supported stream but if you’ve attended or want to hear about the take-aways, you will definitely want to attend! About Jenny Weigle: Jenny Weigle (she/her) has been creating, executing, and reviewing strategies for online communities for more than 10 years. She's worked with more than 100 brands on various aspects of their community strategy and implementations, including launch, migration, programming, and planning. https://lnkd.in/gf9gXhTc About Ilker Akansel: Having managed projects and programs, and led volunteers and communities at Google, Cisco and London Olympic Games, Ilker is one of Turkey's first Community Management and Strategy experts providing consultancy on contributions that communities can make to organizations. He is also the founder and one of the co-hosts of the Istanbul Chapter of CMX Connect network, which is the leading global network of Community Professionals. https://lnkd.in/gAGYhjA9 https://lnkd.in/gcDvpCkE ABOUT THE SHOW Talk About Your Community is a weekly live stream for leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs and community builders. Tune in to talk about community building and digital strategy. #LinkedInLive #community #digitalstrategy #communitybuilding #onlinecommunity #communitymanagement #communitymanager #CMX #CMX2022 #thrive #onlinecommunities Talk About Your Community is produced by Clocktower Advisors, a global consultancy specialized at helping organizations like yours to build thriving, sustainable communities online. Connect with Todd Nilson on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gi9gh6NN Follow Clocktower Advisors on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gu9CXE_s Schedule a call: https://lnkd.in/gmYK3rwf Original Music by Blisskrieg Studios (looking for your own soundtrack, message us and we can put you in touch!)
Get Ready for CMX with Jenny, Ilker and Todd

Get Ready for CMX with Jenny, Ilker and Todd

The 2022 CMX Summit is right around the corner! Whether attending in person or virtually, the event brings together the world's largest group of community builders for three days of speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities. You’re going to be attending this year’s CMX conference, but the program is jam-packed and overwhelming. If you want to figure out how to decide what sessions to go to and how to make the best use of your time, don’t sweat it! Join Jenny Weigle, Ilker Akansel and Todd Nilson for: - An informal romp through the agenda to hear what three industry pros find interesting or unusual - How to make the best use of your time at the conference - Thoughts about past conferences and CMX’s use of hybrid - Previews of Ilker’s and Todd’s own presentations - Other events this fall for community builders Disclaimer: Todd, Jenny, and Ilker are all CMX members, but the live show is NOT an official CMX presentation. About Jenny Weigle: Jenny Weigle (she/her) has been creating, executing, and reviewing strategies for online communities for more than 10 years. She's worked with more than 100 brands on various aspects of their community strategy and implementations, including launch, migration, programming, and planning. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyweigle/ About Ilker Akansel: Having managed projects and programs, and led volunteers and communities at Google, Cisco and London Olympic Games, Ilker is one of Turkey's first Community Management and Strategy experts providing consultancy on contributions that communities can make to organizations. He is also the founder and one of the co-hosts of the Istanbul Chapter of CMX Connect network, which is the leading global network of Community Professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkerakansel https://www.ilkerakansel.com ABOUT THE SHOW Talk About Your Community is a weekly live stream for leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs and community builders. Tune in to talk about community building and digital strategy. #LinkedInLive #community #digitalstrategy #communitybuilding #onlinecommunity #communitymanagement #communitymanager #CMX #CMX2022 #thrive #onlinecommunities Talk About Your Community is produced by Clocktower Advisors, a global consultancy specialized at helping organizations like yours to build thriving, sustainable communities online. Connect with Todd Nilson on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gi9gh6NN Follow Clocktower Advisors on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gu9CXE_s Schedule a call: https://lnkd.in/gmYK3rwf Original Music by Blisskrieg Studios (looking for your own soundtrack, message us and we can put you in touch!)
Like a Rocket Ship: Kickstart Your 2022 Community Planning with Pablo Gonzalez | Las Vegas

Like a Rocket Ship: Kickstart Your 2022 Community Planning with Pablo Gonzalez | Las Vegas

CMX Connect powers dozens of virtual events and gatherings every month with speakers, roundtables, networking and more. Join us at an event in your time zone, or watch a recording! These events are open to anyone around the world. CMX is the world's largest network of community professionals. Our mission is to help community professionals thrive through world-class tools, training, and resources. CMXHub: www.cmxhub.com Find a CMX Connect event near you: http://events.cmxhub.com/ Join the conversation: https://cmxhub.com/community/ ____________________________ Move over boring webinars! We are ready to (insert Weeknd singing voice) take your BREATH AWAYYY! 2022 Community Planning? We got you! If you are like most of us in the community profession right now in January 2022 you are probably heads down in your 2022 community planning! What better way to kickstart your year than joining our virtual event with The King of The Relationship Flywheel Pablo Gonzalez. We will be packing this virtual event with actionable tips to help you power your 2022 community efforts. “Community Creation is the future of ALL Business Development.”- Pablo Gonzalez Hosted by Blake Ethridge and Ilker Akansel. Chat and Q&A fun by the fantastic Katie Ray. Like a rocket ship, join us and kickstart your 2022 Community Planning with Pablo Gonzalez! Agenda: 1. Welcome to the first-ever CMX Connect Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas! 2. Surprise intro video. 3. Tips and discussion on building your 2022 Community Planning with Content and Relationship Flywheel Examples. 4. Air guitar solo by Ilker. 5. Tips and discussion on selling and getting buy-in from executives and cross-functional teams at your company. 6. Incredible surprise giveaway. 7. Looking at the Relationship Flywheel in 2022. 8. Question and Answer. The Presets - Yippiyo-Ay | Official Hype Song of this virtual event. https://youtu.be/eBunu9LKsYA For more on Pablo and this event, visit: https://events.cmxhub.com/events/details/cmx-las-vegas-presents-like-a-rocket-ship-kickstart-your-2022-community-planning-with-pablo-gonzalez/

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