Community Management Gone Right (and wrong) Amid Coronavirus

Competent communities can thrive in spite of pandemics, racial tensions, natural disasters, and political fervor — but not all succeed

Just when we thought we couldn’t be any more reliant on our screens, phones, and keyboards, they became the only ways we had to communicate with each other. Chat rooms formed. Friend groups picked the one unlucky person who could best schedule video calls. Engagement on hobby forums exploded. Brands rushed to get out new features to capture all of this energy, from Facebook Messenger video rooms to Zoom frantically trying to retain trust through basic security features. This isn’t just a fad or a trend. Companies are seeing the value of online community and they aren’t turning back.

When brands created all these new platforms and spaces, they also created a corporate responsibility to manage their communities.

That isn’t always top of mind though. As engagement and conversion remain priorities — and as competition reaches fever pitches — Community Management can be an after thought. Too many CMs at too many companies are used to that. And they’re often the ones inside the company who pay for it by receiving the fury or disappointment of users. But let’s be clear: it’s a…