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Akansel

Community Strategy Consultancy

Building Connected
Ecosystems Through
Communities

About

ABOUT

Ilker Akansel

Community is the key to building successful ecosystems in the 21st century. Let's talk about how we can build yours together.

Hello - it's wonderful to see you here!

I am a community strategy consultant, with experiences at leading companies and organisations such as Google, Cisco and London 2012 Olympic Games, and would love to tell you more about how community can help you build a thriving, connected ecosystem.

Specializations

SPECIALISATIONS

Entrepreneurship ecosystems and innovation, startup 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 2012 Olympics, when I was leading Olympic volunteers contributing to the Games.

I cut my teeth in community management coordinating Google's developer communities, and have been helping many organisations as a community strategy consultant to build theirs since 2020.

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

Ilker Akansel

EVENTS & MASTERCLASSES

Events & Masterclasses

Creating Ecosystems Through Communities by Ilker Akansel - Community-led World Conference 2024

Creating Ecosystems Through Communities by Ilker Akansel - Community-led World Conference 2024

Want to join London Community Week 2025? Learn more and Buy your Pass here: https://london.community-week.com/

Community 'Intentionality': Setting, Promoting and Enhancing Community Purpose and Focus | Akansel

Community 'Intentionality': Setting, Promoting and Enhancing Community Purpose and Focus | Akansel

"Intentionality" is a long lost art in community building. Should we let a community form and set its intention and focus by itself, or should we install, sharpen, promote and insist on a certain focus, intention and purpose right from the outset and across the community journey? In this new dawn of community management, new horizons have come up on member and stakeholder expectations, and there are times when intentional communities with razor-sharp precision is what is required. Backed by intriguing success stories, this talk will argue that a healthy dose of intentionality may not only be the right thing for communities, but also for the journeys of today's and tomorrow's community professionals. SPEAKER: Ilker Akansel Community Manager & Strategist ilkerakansel.com ____________________________ 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/

Changing Lives, Saving Lives: Community Intentionality and Impact of Developer Communities in Turkey

Changing Lives, Saving Lives: Community Intentionality and Impact of Developer Communities in Turkey

Community Rebellion Conference 2023 | Official Recording As community professionals, we take our responsibility for community building seriously, but how often do we stop, think and observe the seriousness of the impact it creates for members and the rest of society alike? As professionals, we perhaps lock onto the communities' business value and engagement, but how about getting people to do things that they never thought they could or enabling them to change or save lives in ways that they might not have thought possible? In this session, I'll question the default undervaluing of member stories, enablement, and transformation that we see in the industry, share the amazing stories of developer communities in Turkey that changed lives and saved lives in the wake of the country's biggest disaster, and share lessons for you to enable your members to turn from caterpillars into butterflies.

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!)

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/

The Community Consultancy Growth: Tips, Trends and Strategies to Thrive in 2023, by Ilker Akansel.

The Community Consultancy Growth: Tips, Trends and Strategies to Thrive in 2023, by Ilker Akansel.

Join the Nation for Community Pros: https://www.ledby.community/nation/ Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.ledby.community/ RSVP for our next event: https://www.ledby.community/events/ Connect with Francisco Opazo, Founder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankopazo/ Got questions? Looking to join us as a speaker? Send a message via email to francisco@ledby.community, and we'll be happy to collaborate. ------ Replay of the Event: The Consultancy Growth Playbook: Tips, Trends and Strategies to Thrive in 2023, by Ilker Akansel. Ilker Akansel delivered the first-ever session on becoming a community consultant at the CMX Summit: Thrive! in 2022 (See the replay HERE). Enjoyed that talk and jumped into the exciting world of community consultancy? Here's the segue, only on Ledby Community! In this exciting follow-up session, Ilker will cover the following: Tips and tricks on constructing and pricing your proposals, managing changes and communicating with clients throughout projects Ways of finding and maintaining new clients and new streams of work Trends that he has seen rising in the industry and how you can cover them as a consultant Different, increasing client engagement methods, such as fractional and collective engagement. A must for the discerning consultant or those wishing to enter the arena in these extraordinary times!

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

Community is Everywhere Yes, but also Everything is Community: - Ilker Akansel, Partner at TalentLed

Community is Everywhere Yes, but also Everything is Community: - Ilker Akansel, Partner at TalentLed

Join the Hub for Community Leaders: https://ledby.community/ Save your spot for Community-led World Summit, London: https://communityled.world/ ------- Replay from the session: 'Community is Everywhere' Yes, but also 'Everything is Community': Unearth Your Professional Community Niche Even from the Unlikeliest of Places! - Ilker Akansel, Founding Partner at TalentLed Community Consultancy What you can learn Starting out as a community professional and worried not knowing how to stand out from the crowd? Let Ilker help you broaden your horizons to find your 'mojo', unleash your 'unfair advantage' and crush it as a community professional, followed by inspiring community stories and a good few strategies and tactics on how you can find yours and shout about from the rooftops! About Ilker Akansel Having previously led developer communities for Google, innovation projects for Cisco and volunteers for the 2012 London Olympic Games, Ilker is a community strategy consultant with a two-pronged specialism, with communities of developers and tech and traditional brands, startups and innovation being the first, and talent, future of work, digital nomadism and remote work being the second. Ilker supports the former of these specialisms through their own consultancy that is ilkerakansel.com, and does the same for the latter through his founding partnership at TalentLed Community Consultancy.

Under the Hood of a Developer Community

Under the Hood of a Developer Community

The inner workings of a successful DevRel community are as mysterious as the mind of a developer. Having managed projects, programs, volunteers and communities at Google, our expert speaker demystifies what it takes to succeed in DevRel. Topics of Discussion: - What is development as a career? - Inside the mind of a developer: why developers need community - Example of successful DevRel community: Google - Tips and tricks for developer community professionals - Online events & communities

PODCASTS & COLLABORATIONS

Podcasts & Collaborations

Community Organisers Panel

Community Organisers Panel

In this week’s episode Faye and James welcome two inspiring guests: Natalie Gray, head of marketing and partnerships at Codurance, and Ilker Akansel, a community strategy consultant. They delve into the importance of grassroots tech communities and how they contribute to a vibrant tech ecosystem. Key Insights include: · The Importance of Community: Ilker emphasises, “Technical communities provide support to all the moving parts within entrepreneurial ecosystems.” These communities foster collaboration and innovation, essential for growth in the tech sector. · Creating Safe Spaces: Natalie shares that grassroots communities offer a “safe space where you can practice, make mistakes, and learn your craft.” This is crucial for both newcomers and seasoned professionals looking to enhance their skills. · Intentionality in Community Building: Ilker highlights the need for a clear purpose in community initiatives, stating, “If you put the member journey at the centre of the community, you can't really fail.” This focus ensures that communities remain relevant and valuable to their members. · Regular Engagement: Natalie stresses the importance of consistency, saying, “As soon as you start skipping events, that’s when cracks start to show.” Regular meetings help maintain engagement and commitment from members. Produced by Cambridge TV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/26497767?utm_source=youtube

Ilker Akansel - TalentLed Co-Founder & Community Strategist | Digital Community Leaders Podcast

Ilker Akansel - TalentLed Co-Founder & Community Strategist | Digital Community Leaders Podcast

Welcome to the Digital Community Leaders Podcast, a conversation with community experts, diving into their insights and leaving you with actionable ideas. Today we’re joined by… Ilker Akansel, a community strategist with experience working with big tech. He’s focused on creating talent communities and hwo they can have a real impact on your talent acquisition. Check out our website for the podcast: https://podcast.digitalcommunityleaders.com/ Steadfast Collective: https://steadfastcollective.com Find more from Ilker Akansel: https://www.talentled.co/

Community Therapy: Exploring the intersection of community and psychology

Community Therapy: Exploring the intersection of community and psychology

Join us for a captivating conversation with two community strategists and self-proclaimed ""armchair psychologists,"" to uncover how communities influence mental well being. Key highlights: - How being part of a community can enhance mental health and overall wellbeing. Why empathy is central to building true communities and how it differentiates a genuine community from mere audiences or groups. - The role of community leaders in setting positive examples and fostering environments where members can thrive without the fear of judgment. - How to create inclusive spaces where everyone feels safe and valued. Panel Ilker Akansel Yurii Lazaruk Morgan Rice, Community Development, Hivebrite Watch all episodes from Community Therapy season two here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7ef5iWQXQuP7tWyiebQbrCNTjfnu57sn #Hivebrite, #CommunityTherapy, #CommunitiesAndPsychology

Community Life #25 with Ilker Akansel

Community Life #25 with Ilker Akansel

Welcome to Community Life! Here we talk with the community experts about their lives, and today our guest is Ilker Akansel, the most helpful and supportive community expert from Turkey, a hard rock lover, a great electric guitar player, a music expert, Community Management Building & Strategy Consultant, CMX Connect Istanbul Founder and Co-Host, and an amazing person who is always there for you 🤩 From this episode, you'll know: 👉 what is the agreement behind Ilker's first tweet 👉 how did Ilker lose himself in the music 👉 what does the name Ilker mean, and how it influenced his life 👉 how does Ilker feel about arguing with people 👉 what challenges Ilker had to overcome when he started his first community... and so much more about Ilker's life! 🤩 Follow Ilker on social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkerakansel/ https://twitter.com/ilkerakansel https://www.instagram.com/ilkerakansel/ #community #communitymanager #communitybuilding

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/

How To Build A Thriving Developer Community Vol II

How To Build A Thriving Developer Community Vol II

Our expert panel featuring: Kelly McMichael (Slack), Sarah-Jane Morris (Mailchimp) and Ilker Akansel (Community Builder & Strategist, ex: Google, Cisco) discussed what makes a strong developer community. They shared how to gain the trust of developers, create impactful programs and events, measure success, and much more. We also took a dive into the world of hybrid events and shared what those programs might look like in the DevRel world.

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!)

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