Three Hopes for Online Community Building Post-Coronavirus

What lessons have we learned about how to be better community managers once we return closer to normalcy?

Online connection is now our primary form of connection. Conversations that used to happen in bars and hallways are happening on cell phones and laptops from our homes. Online communities that used to be “nice to have” became mission critical overnight. This is problematic for many people for many reasons. But for me, a community strategist, the problem was crystal clear: too many social products hadn’t seriously invested enough in developing their communities’ wellbeing.

As quarantine started, making investments in community infrastructure, finishing incomplete communication plans, and defining moderation strategies went from being low-priority tasks to P0 fire drills.

I won’t lie… It felt like I had been vindicated. Companies that had mature Community Management strategies were thriving while those who put customer engagement second were missing out.

To talk through the new commitments we have to build community given our new world, I joined a UN-hosted panel earlier this year. In this conversation, we chatted about how Coronavirus was affecting our lives at work, with friends, with family, as…