Introduction
Managing a growing online community can be tough, and if you’re not careful, small mistakes can turn into big problems.
I’ve seen it happen too many times when you let things slide, they pile up.
If you’re managing an online group, you’ll want to avoid the common pitfalls that can make your community fall apart.
From overwhelming your members to ignoring their feedback, these are mistakes that will drive people away faster than you think.
Let me walk you through 5 mistakes to avoid to keep your community thriving.
1. Common online community mistakes
Sometimes, people mess up when running online communities.
You might think it’s no big deal, but things can get out of hand real fast if you’re not careful.
A lot of folks make the same mistakes over and over.
I see it happen all the time.
And no, it’s not always about fancy tools or big strategies sometimes, it’s just the little things.
You ever notice how, when you let a tiny problem slide, it turns into a big one? Yeah, that’s mistake number one.
The thing is, even if you’re managing a small group of folks, you still need to stay on top of things.
If you ignore the small stuff, it piles up.
Like dirty laundry, it just sits there until it smells bad.
You might think, Hey, I’ll fix it later. But by the time you get to it, members are already grumpy or gone.
2. Overwhelming your community members
Too much of anything is bad, right?
Same thing goes with your community.
When you keep hitting them with tons of content or requests, you might think you’re doing them a favor.
But it’s the opposite, honestly.
It gets to the point where they don’t even want to look at what you post anymore.
The worst part is when people start leaving without telling you why.
You won’t know what went wrong because you never realized you were smothering them in the first place.
Have you ever gotten tired of someone who talks too much? Same thing here.
Maybe you’re trying to keep everyone engaged, but if you give too much, they’ll tune out.
The key? Give them room to breathe.
Think of it like watering a plant.
Too much water, it dies.
Not enough water, it dies.
3. Ignoring feedback from community members
If you’re running a community and you’re not listening to what the members are saying, then why are you even doing it? People wanna feel heard.
And if they give you feedback and you don’t act on it, they’re going to stop talking.
Silence isn’t good in a community.
It’s a sign that people have given up.
Take me, for example.
I had this one group I was managing, and one guy kept saying, “We need more of this” or “Can we try that?” I ignored it.
Big mistake.
He left, and after him, a few others followed.
Turns out, they were all thinking the same thing, but no one else wanted to say it.
The best advice I can give you? Listen.
Even if it sounds dumb or too simple, give it a shot.
You never know what might work until you try.
4. Lack of proper community rules
You ever been to a party where no one knows what’s going on, and everyone’s just doing their own thing? Yeah, not fun.
That’s what happens in a community without clear rules.
You need to set some ground rules, or chaos will take over.
But don’t be too strict either, or people will feel like they’re walking on egg shells.
It’s a balance.
Give them the freedom to express themselves, but with some boundaries.
Let’s be real: no one likes a free-for-all where people can just do whatever they want.
It gets messy fast.
I used to run a group where I thought rules weren’t necessary.
I was like, Eh, they’ll figure it out.
They didn’t.
One day I woke up to a war in the comments, and by the time I could do anything, half the members had left.
I learned my lesson.
5. Not being consistent as a community manager
Consistency is key.
I’m serious.
It doesn’t matter if you’re super active one day and then disappear for the next two weeks.
Your members need to know you’re there, or else they’ll feel like the group isn’t important to you.
Imagine you’re a coach, and you show up to practice once every few weeks.
Do you think your team’s gonna respect you? Nope.
Same thing with your community.
If you don’t show up regularly, they’ll lose interest.
Even worse, they’ll stop engaging with the group altogether.
Consistency isn’t about being on 24/7.
It’s about showing up when you say you will.
And sticking to it.
A simple post here and there, checking in, replying to messages that stuff adds up over time.
I used to be bad at this.
I’d post a lot in one month, then ghost the next.
It wasn’t long before members started drifting.
They didn’t trust me to be there for them, and honestly, I couldn’t blame them.
So, yeah, those are the five big mistakes I see folks making when managing an online community.
If you can avoid these, you’ll be ahead of the game.
Keep things simple, pay attention, and always listen to your members.
They’re the reason the community exists in the first place.
Managing a growing community isn’t rocket science.
But it does take work.
Just stay consistent, don’t smother your people, and make sure they know you’re listening.
And trust me, things will run a lot smoother.
