Your Community Needs You
In 2021, the phrase “living in unprecedented times” is taking on a meaning different than I think any of us saw coming. Instead of flying cars and major advances in science and medicine, we’re experiencing a global pandemic that has paralyzed the world and civil unrest that we haven’t seen on this scale in decades. Some are looking to community for safety, a sense of normalcy (whatever that can mean in this digital world), and an escape from all of the noise. A place where they can have conversations and be themselves without the threat of bullying or someone getting in their face to prove their point.
As community professionals, we have a responsibility to those in our care. Not just to make sure that user profiles are completed or that everyone is playing nice in the sandbox, but to reinforce the agreed upon values of your community. You have an obligation to support your community members when they are feeling their most vulnerable. You have an obligation to keep these sacred spaces safe. And you have an obligation to responsibly moderate the community responsibly and ethically. That means if your favorite volunteer is trying to exert power in your community, they must abide by the same guidelines everyone else has to and be moderated accordingly. No free rides. No special treatment.Digital spaces are more important now than they ever have been in helping people not only learn and grow together, but to find meaningful connection in a world that some of us don’t even recognize right now. Communities can literally help make the world a better place. As community professionals, the keys are in our hands.
While your community members play a key role in shaping the culture they want exhibited in these digital spaces, you must remember that you are the steward of those spaces. You must ensure that you are doing the right thing by your community members. Even if that means that your community is small. Do not – and I can’t stress this enough – sacrifice the values of your community in the name of growth. Remember who your people are and commit to being there to ensure that the community remains a rewarding place for them to visit. Through evolution, policy changes, or even system migrations, remember your community members and why they chose this particular space to come together.
Your community members need you, probably more now than they ever have. They will look to you for something they can ground themselves in when they visit your community. Be thoughtful and intentional with everything that you do – from programming to blog posts. Check in on them to make sure they’re doing ok. Celebrate wins and share learning experiences or losses. Connect with them as they look for meaningful connection.
There’s so much power in these online spaces that you build with these people. Use it to its fullest potential. Your community members will thank you.