The question the author asks community managers is what they would do when a member in a community stumbles. They need to answer on what they would do personally and professionally. That is a food for thought. One would also want to wonder if the members of the community cheer that individual up with encouraging words like “you’ll do better next time.” These words might be well intentioned but it must be admitted that the authors of these words might not really know if they are sincere or if the words are true. That is why when strangers give blind empathy it is not a very useful measure of the level of encouragement because this same empathy can be given to the one who stumbles by his close friends and family. An online community should have the power to give support that is practical and to be able to say the things that would encourage and motivate the individual who has stumbled. The words they utter should be a plan of action that would help the individual that stumbles to be a better person and to do better another time. This is the challenge that communities have to overcome.
Key Takeaways:
- Sometimes in an online forum someone tends to stumble or fall, the question for the forum members is what would they do when such a thing happens.
- Many times encouraging words are given to someone who is lagging behind in a forum but most times the authors of these words doubt how true they are.
- Blind empathy is not a useful way for forum members to encourage one another because if a stranger can give it, so can the person’s close friends.
“The power of an online community is to provide practical support.”
Read more: https://www.feverbee.com/support-members/
