Name: Ligaya Tichy
Age: 25
Location: Cambridge, MA
Education: B.A. in Anthropology and Child Development from Tufts University in Boston
Job Title: Boston Community Manager for Yelp.com
What She Does: Yelp.com is often described as a cross between Citysearch and MySpace, and its “real people” contributors post photos and reviews, dish about local happenings on the discussion boards, and even plan outings together. As Community Manager, Ligaya does a bit of everything: planning monthly events and writing a weekly newsletter, building relationships with business owners, reviewing new places, and generally improving Yelp. “I aim to keep the site useful, interesting, and engaging, and also foster offline relationships between our most active members,” she says.
How She Got Her Gig: When Ligaya moved to San Francisco a few years ago, she stumbled on the site and quickly found herself hooked. “It became the guidebook to my new life, my bible for exploration,” she says. She met the founders at a Yelp Elite event, where she “was so impressed with the dynamism and intelligence of the users and the culture of the company that the next day I reached out to the Yelp team and begged for a job.” That job brought her back to Boston, where she had attended college.
Hostess With the Mostest: Since Ligaya hosts a lot of Yelp Elite events at bars, restaurants, and even spas around Boston, she’s developed a knack for introducing members and making everyone feel welcome. For this talent, she credits “Judy McClure, my seventh-grade etiquette teacher, who not only taught me how to properly set a table and throw a hundred-person banquet, but that kindness, respect, and hard work are foundations of success.”
On-the-Job Advice: Success in the world of Web 2.0 often requires total immersion. As Ligaya puts it, “I don’t have a job, I have a lifestyle. I am a perpetual yelper.” She adds that “getting in at the beginning allows you to have your ideas heard; the potential for impact is much higher. Come in with a vision of where you see it, and even if the decision makers may not agree, they will no doubt appreciate the passion.”
Striking a Balance: Admittedly, Ligaya’s commitment to Yelp doesn’t leave a lot of time for other interests. “I am a pretty excitable person and get so swept up in the momentum that I have the tendency to keep constantly going. My yoga mat hasn’t been unrolled in months.” Still, she loves it when users tell her that “they visited a place that they wouldn’t have known about [without] Yelp and that they truly enjoyed it.”
This Job’s for You if: When making plans with friends, you’re the one who says, “I heard about this new out-of-the-way place that I’ve been dying to try.” It also helps to have “conviction, motivation, perseverance, excellent communication skills, common sense, and curiosity,” says Ligaya. “Oh, and the ability to find humor in odd places.”
