Two Approaches to Building Online Communities

I don't want to imply an artificial binary or dichotomy by saying "there's a right way and a wrong way to do things" but there were two stark examples of ways that individuals attempted to build online communities. One has been very successful. The other has not. While protecting the identity of the people behind the less-than-fruitful attempt, I wanted to analyze both situations to identify the factors that led to the different results.

Let me first begin with a project that was so positive that it garnered attention and public recognition via an article in The Toronto Star on July 10. (Apologies if you cannot read the entire article because it is behind a paywall.) The article describes the creation of #QuarantineEd, a discussion group on Twitter led by TDSB teachers Matthew Morris (@callmemrmorris) and Jay Williams (@MstrJayWill).

Issues of race have taken centre stage in weekly online meetings amongst Ontario educators that Morris and fellow teacher Jay Williams started earlier this year. Aptly dubbed #QuarantineEd, the initiative was launched with the goal of serving as a safe and open space for educators to share experiences on adapting to new realities of remote teaching amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article describes how attendance went from about 20 participants to over 100, with people from beyond the city and province's borders joining in. Several people are quoted for the article, describing the positive impact Matthew and Jay have had on them while facilitating these discussions. My favourite quote from the article comes from TDSB teacher Shauna Griffiths.

“I think they’re innovative and relatable, and adapt themselves to teaching in a manner that helps students a lot. The things they’re doing in their classrooms, what they talk about, it makes me want to do so much more. They push me to want to be better.” 

I know friends of mine that have participated in Matthew's Twitter chat. I haven't participated yet in #QuarantineEd and I wanted to ensure I wasn't just heaping on empty praise just because mainstream media decided to pay attention. My dear friend Lisa Noble had this to say to me when I asked for her opinion.

Matt's group is ... completely grassroots, there are about 60-100 participants on a Thursday night, mostly educators of colour (from all over North America) and while Matthew and Jay are the hosts, everyone is invited to share (even old white folx like me). It's also a space for listening and learning, and getting the hell out of the way of other voices, but it's warm, and friendly, and welcoming. And you could ask a question and people would genuinely do their best to answer without making you feel ridiculous. There are also some amazing people - authors, public health educators, teachers from everywhere - all just finding a space where there are some other people who want to do the work. ... It's a true community and it's so powerful.

Let me turn to the other example. A friend of mine tagged me in a post encouraging me to follow this new account. There were several question marks for me about this account and so I asked them. A friend of mine also had some concerns about the purpose of this new account we were being encouraged to follow.

Note: I originally had an embedded tweet included here with those questions but because it identified the account I am referring to, I removed it prior to hitting the "publish" button for this post.

 The unfortunate thing is that we were responded with a very curt reply that I felt disrespected us. That tweet disappeared from the timeline as other people began to ask their own questions and raise concerns. What followed were:

• apologies that centered on others feelings towards the account instead of the creator(s)' actions,
• changes to the profile description (after other users suggested this move),  
• changes to the account name 
• blocked access for some people who asked critical questions about the account and finally,
• removal of the account

The intention was probably good but we need to remember the difference between intention and impact. This was meant to bring together a group of people but instead alienated and offended a larger group of people. "We judge ourselves by our intentions. We judge others by their impact." says Stephen M. R. Covey. We should judge ourselves by the impact as well as the intention.

So what's the differences? What lessons can I (and others) learn about what things should be considered when attempting to create an online community? Many of these ideas relate to media literacy.

1. Consider using a hashtag vs an account.

Understand the form you are working with because the media is part of the message. There are several benefits to using a hashtag - this article describes a few, although it's in a business context. A hashtag invites use by others and allows easy searching and curating by more than one person. Focusing attention on a single account puts the spotlight on the person or organization rather than on the discussion. If an account is necessary or desired, be careful when choosing the name and completing the profile, to ensure it does not give the wrong impression.

2. Be transparent but also flexible.

What is the purpose of the online community?  Who is the creator of this online group? Morris and Williams made it very clear what the original goal was for their weekly chats but they were not so rigid that they insisted on restricting the conversation when it evolved. Morris and Williams don't mention #QuarantineEd in their Twitter profiles, but I suspect it has more to do with their modesty and humility than disguising their involvement.

3. Aim for more open vs less open

Who is the intended audience? Consider the group you wish to attract but remember that if other people are interested, they can bring great new perspectives to discussions.  #QuarantineEd never limited its membership to just TDSB educators. (Even specific hashtags and groups, such as the #TDSBEd group initially started by Larissa Aradj and Arianna Lambert and continued by Larissa and Jason Trinh welcomed participants from other school boards.)

4. Own up if you mess up

The block feature is great if racist trolls invade your timeline. The block feature is not great if people are genuinely trying to have conversations that push thinking and are just meant to be silenced. It is better to admit when you are wrong - I've done so here on this blog, even though it can be humiliating. I've written an article for AML about apologies. We all make mistakes. Admitting if we have erred shows we are human and helps us learn lessons.

An excellent point was made by Joy Henderson that links to all four points I've suggested.

It always strikes me weird that white people “have” to stay anonymous on Twitter for fear of reprisal for lukewarm takes. Meanwhile Black and Indigenous people are out their with their names out actually being threatened/demoted/harmed because they dare to say racism exists.

— Joy Henderson (@Joyhenderson78) July 11, 2020

I want to thank a couple of my colleagues that pre-read parts of this blog to ensure that I was not unfairly attacking anyone with this post. I just hope that positive and negative experiences can help us all learn and do better.