Last updated on Jun 2, 2024

How do you cope with online community engagement burnout and stress?

Online community engagement can be rewarding, but also exhausting and stressful. Whether you are a moderator, a content creator, a customer service representative, or a participant, you may face challenges such as trolls, negative feedback, unrealistic expectations, or information overload. How do you cope with online community engagement burnout and stress? Here are some tips to help you manage your well-being and enjoy your online interactions.

1 Set boundaries and limits

One of the most important steps to prevent online community engagement burnout and stress is to set boundaries and limits for yourself and others. This means defining your role, your goals, your availability, and your communication style. For example, you can decide how much time and energy you want to spend on online community engagement, what topics or platforms you want to focus on, when and how you want to respond to messages or comments, and what kind of tone or language you want to use or avoid. You can also communicate these boundaries and limits to your online community members, colleagues, or managers, and respect their preferences as well.

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Eddy Dew

Games Industry Community Director
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One thing a lot of community people in my industry suffer from is not switching off and getting away from the community for a while. It's great we all have passion for our communities but when it becomes the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before going to sleep, it's always going to be on your mind. A talent when it comes to dealing with communities in the games industry is being able to say "I'll get back to you tomorrow".

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2 Take breaks and disconnect

Another way to cope with online community engagement burnout and stress is to take breaks and disconnect from the online world regularly. This can help you recharge your batteries, reduce your exposure to negativity or toxicity, and maintain a balance between your online and offline life. For example, you can schedule some time off from online community engagement, turn off your notifications or devices, practice mindfulness or relaxation techniques, or engage in other activities that bring you joy or satisfaction. You can also use this time to reflect on your online community engagement experience and celebrate your achievements or learn from your challenges.

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kaila lawrence

🔓 unlocking business value through community | 🏆 customer success champion | 📈 community-led growth advocate
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Disconnecting is super powerful. These days, everyone is glued to a screen the majority of the day. Go for walks, meet up with friends, work out, or do anything that gets you moving, outside, and interacting with 3-dimensional people.

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Edafioghor Michael

𝐂𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡? 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞-𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐬? 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
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You can take breaks, but crypto communities never sleep. The 24/7 grind can crush even the most passionate manager. Here's where strong community management teams with overlapping shifts come in. My strategy? A team with overlapping schedules ensures constant support and prevents burnout. Team members take breaks confidently, knowing colleagues have them covered. But seamless handoffs are crucial! Don't just schedule breaks, use handover checklists! Clear communication is key. We leverage internal channels beyond sign-in/out for collaborative flow. Checklists ensure critical info (discussions, potential issues) get passed on. This fosters smooth transitions and prevents dropped balls.

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3 Seek support and feedback

A third tip to cope with online community engagement burnout and stress is to seek support and feedback from others who understand your situation or can offer you guidance or encouragement. This can help you feel less isolated, more appreciated, and more confident in your online community engagement skills. For example, you can join a peer network or a mentorship program for online community engagement professionals or enthusiasts, ask for feedback or advice from your online community members or leaders, or share your concerns or successes with your friends or family. You can also give support and feedback to others who may need it and foster a positive and collaborative online community culture.

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4 Learn and grow

A fourth suggestion to cope with online community engagement burnout and stress is to learn and grow from your online community engagement experience and seek new opportunities or challenges that can motivate you or inspire you. This can help you improve your online community engagement skills, expand your knowledge or perspective, and discover new interests or passions. For example, you can take an online course or a webinar on online community engagement best practices or trends, explore new topics or platforms that relate to your online community engagement goals, or participate in online events or projects that can showcase your online community engagement talents or contributions.

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5 Have fun and be yourself

A fifth and final recommendation to cope with online community engagement burnout and stress is to have fun and be yourself when engaging with your online community. This can help you express your personality, creativity, and authenticity, and connect with your online community members on a deeper or more meaningful level. For example, you can use humor, storytelling, or multimedia to make your online community engagement more engaging and enjoyable, share your personal stories or opinions that relate to your online community engagement topics, or show appreciation or gratitude to your online community members for their support or feedback.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Eddy Dew

Games Industry Community Director
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Being stressed and failing sometimes is all part of the process. Working on the forefront of community means that you will know faster than most when the customer isn't happy with your work. Take it in your stride and endeavour to learn from mistakes. Learn to identify valuable feedback and ignore those that are there just to vent.

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How do you cope with online community engagement burnout and stress?

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1 Set boundaries and limits

2 Take breaks and disconnect

3 Seek support and feedback

4 Learn and grow

5 Have fun and be yourself

6 Here’s what else to consider

Community Engagement

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