The Grief That Does Not Speak: Online Community and Tragedy
Community is never more important than in the middle of a crisis. The silly service you’ve built can, in an instant, become a tool for helping real people through serious problems. From dealing with a number of communal crisis, both intra-communal and global, and these are some of the key points I’ve learned to keep in mind:
It’s not about you. This is standard operating procedure for a community manager, but it applies more than ever in times of tragedy, and to the company/brand you represent as well. Don’t think of tragedy as an opportunity to exploit; be tactful, and mindful of what you broadcast. For example, Epicurious dropped the ball in a major way on April 15, the day of the Boston Marathon bombing:
Cancel any automated messaging, make sure your broadcasts are tone-appropriate. Imagine you’re sitting with a friend or family member of someone affected. Don’t say anything in public that you wouldn’t say to them. An anxious father in an ER, waiting to learn whether his child will lose one or both of his legs, probably doesn’t need a bowl of breakfast energy.
Respond appropriately. In this case, “appropriately” refers to contextually appropriate for your community. Show your members that you’re human and dealing with a tough situation, just like they are. In most cases, radio silence isn’t necessary. In fact, broadcasting or posting situationally-appropriate content can help a community to cope.
Flickr posted a pitch-perfect blog post on the 15th. It was relevant to their community, appropriate in tone, and allowed them to use their unique medium to show that they’re grieving, too. Hacker News has changed their site’s orange header bar in times of communal mourning, like after the death of Steve Jobs. A simple, poignant symbol of awareness.
Grief changes people. Trauma can have a serious effect on your members, and can cause significant changes in personality and behavior. Dr. Susan A. Berger has identified five different types—identities—of grievers. Paraphrased from Wikipedia:
Nomads have not yet resolved their grief and do not seem to understand the loss that has affected their lives. Memorialists are committed to preserving the memory of the loved one that they have lost. Normalizers are committed to re-creating a sense of family and community. Activists focus on helping other people who are dealing with the same disease or with the same issues that caused their loved one's death. Seekers will adopt religious, philosophical, or spiritual beliefs to create meaning in their lives.
Depending on the nature of your specific community, you’ll see some of these identifies manifest more strongly than others. A writing community may see a spike in Memorialists, while one with a political focus may see more Activists than usual. Give your members space to act out, or act differently than usual, and encourage them to use the tools your site or service provides to deal with whatever they’re feeling.
Pay attention to global events. Many online communities—most, I’d guess, unless focused on a uniquely local topic—will include members from many different parts of the world. Be aware that an event on the other side of the globe might affect a significant portion of your members. The death of a beloved local political figure, for example. At Dribbble, we learned about China and Japan’s battle over the Diaoyu Islands when some of our Chinese members—and we have a surprisingly large number of them—uploaded shots that commented on the issue back in September 2012. Thankfully, we weren’t planning on posting any features about Japanese designers at the time.
Serious events may happen while you’re sleeping, or at the end of a long work day. Thanks a lot for that, Earth’s rotation and orbit around the Sun. Check your preferred global news source on a regular basis, and don’t schedule any content to go public automatically if you’re not going to be around to make sure it won’t drop in the middle of an international catastrophe.
Be a catalyst for healing. Encourage your members to grieve healthily, and do what you can to help them heal. As time passes, be cognizant of the community’s mood. Give them space to work through their grief, but remember that acceptance is the final stage. When the time is right, don’t be afraid to return to normalcy. If you’re thoughtful and aware throughout a crisis, both you and your community will come out stronger and better on the other side.
