Five things Rebecca Black can teach us about community management

I finally got around to watching Rebecca Black’s viral video hit “Friday.”

 

It’s very tempting to sit here and join the chorus of oh-so-clever comments about how bad this song is. But the Internet needs more snarky blog posts about Rebecca Black like my inbox needs more exciting work-at-home opportunities. Instead, I’d like to use the “Friday” phenomenon to talk about community management. Yes, this 13-year-old Orange County girl’s rise to Internet infamy can teach us community managers a thing or two. Or five.

Know your audience

OK, I hate “Friday” like most everyone else. But that’s beside the point. I’m not the target audience. The song and video are clearly crafted to resonate with tweens and young teens. Take a look at the images in the video. What 13-year-old girl doesn’t dream of catching a ride to school with the cool kids in a convertible? What 13-year-old girl doesn’t imagine herself as the popular kid at the party? Likewise, community managers need to understand their target audience and craft content and programming that resonates with that audience.

You never know what’s going to catch fire

We community management types like to think we know what’s going to resonate with the community and what won’t. Fact is, sometimes we have no clue. Most community managers can recount a time or two when they were taken by surprise by the way their community responded to some comment or announcement. Same thing with the “Friday” video. Nobody could have predicted the reaction. Don’t be afraid of unanticipated reactions in your community. They keep things interesting.

Don’t let the trolls get to you

People have said some pretty nasty things about Rebecca Black. Imagine being a 13-year-old and getting the negative bombardment that she has. According to an article in Rolling Stone, Black said that some of the comments “made her cry and question why she made the video, but now she is just rolling with it.” A good community manager knows that you can’t take the negative stuff personally. Like Rebecca, you need to roll with it.

Be compelling

Let’s face it, you either love “Friday” or you hate it. And chances are, you hate it. But at least you’re not indifferent about it. You can’t let your community be indifferent, either. Provide them with content that provokes a reaction. A community that’s bored is a community that’s dying.

Take chances

How many 13-year-olds do you know that would record a song, appear in a video, put it out on YouTube, and risk the ridicule of friends and classmates? Rebecca Black must have known that risk. But she took a chance. Community managers need to take chances, too. Try new programming ideas in your community. They may not work. But maybe, just maybe, you’ll hit on something really big.

3 comments for “Five things Rebecca Black can teach us about community management

  1. Sue
    May 18, 2011 at 9:32 am

    Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoyed reading it and agree with all your points.

    • May 18, 2011 at 10:18 am

      Thanks, Sue. Greatly appreciated.

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