Being a community manager for Brazen Careerist, I see really awesome things happening on our site every day. I want to share a few examples of young professional groups building their brands and increasing community engagement through Brazen Careerist. Do you have an idea for a brand or a professional group but don’t know where to take it? Check these brands out for some inspiration:

Under 30 Professionals

The Under 30 Professionals (#u30pro) have been hosting hash tag chats on Twitter since August 2009. Every Thursday night the #u30pro group talks about issues facing people under 30 who are trying to make some headway in their careers. People who are both under thirty as well as Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers come to the group to mix it up, give advice and most important, grow their networks by meeting new people.

#u30pro has had a lot of success bringing in participants and having really interesting, varied and sometimes controversial discussion topics each week. Seriously, starting Monday I can’t tell you how many people I see Tweeting “can’t wait until Thursday’s #u30pro chat!” That’s the kind of buzz that you can’t buy.

Why was I excited that the #u30pro Network was set up on Brazen Careerist? Honestly, I’m one to throw myself into the mix of an #u30pro chat and get into heated, passionate and fun debates with other participators, but when the click strikes 8pm, I’m always sort of bummed out because I feel like the party has just begun. Now I can go to the #u30pro Network on Brazen Careerist and continue a discussion or find someone who said they needed help with something after the chat is over. The Network proves as an echo chamber for this 1 hour chat that would stand as a moment in time otherwise.

Location Independent

Proving that cubicles are overrated and unstamped passports are a waste, the Location Independent Network on Brazen Careerist has been founded as a resource for like minded people to openly talk about their passions. This is a community that consists largely of self-employed, remote workers, or people who very dearly hope to become location independent

Lots of great content gets produced by the contributors to the website covering a wide range of topics on managing a location independent lifestyle. You can find advice on how to raise and home school children while you’re on the road living location independently, or even how to be smart about tax season when you’re living in another country!

Here’s why I really dig the Location Independent Network on Brazen Careerist: as a blogger and an avid blog reader, I see spot on articles and posts every day that make me go “wow, what a great idea” but rarely if ever does content stand alone for me. I need interaction with the people who come up with these ideas. Networks serve as a connector between blog content and active community discussion.

Untemplater

Untemplater, a new lifestyle design website wants to help you, “live where you want, work where you want and be who you want to be.” Hosting some great Gen Y thought leading bloggers, Untemplater is producing great content on a wide range of subjects from how to grow your personal finances, to how to date as a young professional.

I like the Untemplater Network on Brazen Careerist for a lot of the same reasons I enjoy the Location Independent Network. When I read a blog post by someone who’s quit their job and is currently traveling through the Bordeaux region of France, drinking wine and dancing with the locals, I don’t know about you, but usually I think, “hmm, how can I do that and how do I get in touch with this person to figure out how to do that.”

Checking out the Untemplater Network on Brazen Careerist gives me a chance to see if the author of that particular blog post is in the Network and I can reach out to them in the Chatter section or just send them a PM asking them if they want to connect.

Again, the Networks on Brazen Careerist allow these brands to centralize their community and manage conversation based around their content. The more available you are to give back to your community of readers and interact with them, the stronger the discussion around your brand will be.

Do you have any Brazen Careerist Networks that you get particular value out of? Why do you like them? What drawbacks do you see? We’d love some feedback and if you have ideas about starting your own, feel free to let me know and I’d love to talk to you about it!