NEWS
Reddit goes ‘goblin mode’ and Instagram explores AI Chatbots 🤖
This week in community marketing
Welcome to The Community Catchup by Socially! ✨
We’re thrilled that you’re here and excited to dive into the fascinating world of community marketing.
Every fortnight (or biweekly for our American friends), we’ll be sharing a newsletter jam-packed with the latest news, trends, and insights from the industry.
We’ve got a lot of exciting and diverse content planned for you, including our hot takes on current events, thought-provoking articles, and helpful tips and tricks to improve your community game.
So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get ready to stay ahead of the community curve with Socially! 🚀
Here’s what we’ll be covering in this issue:
🚫 Protests cause “influx of sexualised goblin content” in D&D subreddit
🛬 The 2023 CMX ‘State of the Community Industry’ Report has landed
🤖 Instagram is allegedly working on bringing AI Agents to your chats
🦁 Spotify slays the game with community-building campaign
🎮 Self-care tips for games community managers – and their bosses
📖 Why you should be reading ‘The Rise of Virtual Communities’
📖 Why you should be reading ‘The Rise of Virtual Communities’
What’s New in Community?
Time to check out some of the biggest stories. The internet has been a busy place…
Protests cause “influx of sexualised goblin content” in D&D subreddit 🚫
Reddit Mods are still protesting the social network’s new API pricing that threatens third-party Reddit app developers.
After adopting various forms of protest, such as exclusively posting John Oliver pictures or changing the topic of their subreddit, moderators have rebelled against the company by marking their subreddits NSFW (Not Safe For Work).
For example, the r/dndmemes subreddit, which has 1.1 million subscribers and is dedicated to sharing memes from Dungeons and Dragons, started protesting by posting an influx of silly memes about goblins. However, the content quickly turned graphic as mods switched the community to NSFW.
Since April 2019, the social network has not displayed ads on NSFW subreddits. These protesting subreddits are changing their status in an attempt to affect the company’s ad revenue and get them to listen to their demands.
Reddit is intervening with some of these subreddits by removing moderators, threatening them with punitive action, and asking them to remove the NSFW label. Reddit briefly removed r/mildlyinteresting moderators but reinstated them later when the community switched back to SFW.
Steve Huffman, Reddit’s CEO, has defended the company’s decision about API changes, but let’s be honest, this is definitely a reminder of the importance of keeping your community on your side 😅.
The 2023 CMX ‘State of the Community Industry’ Report has landed 🛬
Interested in what the future holds for the community? Want to know what trends will shape the industry in the coming years?
Well wake up, babe. A new CMX report dropped. 😂
This year’s report is part manifesto, part love letter to the community industry. It’s a mix of good and bad news, showing us both the challenges and the opportunities ahead. Through the six key findings of this year, the report takes you through how the industry is adapting to a changing landscape and staying committed to the community approach.
At the heart of this year’s report are two seemingly contradictory words: contraction and commitment. While the industry is contracting and facing challenges, there is still a strong commitment to making it work. It’s interesting to read about how these two ideas can coexist and shape the industry’s future.
If you want to read the full report, download it here!
Instagram is allegedly working on bringing AI Agents to your chats 🤖
Meta could be the latest company to test the social potential of AI chatbots.
A leaked Instagram screenshot shared by Alessandro Paluzzi shows an intro screen for a new chatbot feature. It claims the chatbots can answer questions, give advice, and help users write messages. Users can also choose from 30 AI personalities and find the one they prefer.
Meta has not confirmed the feature, but it aligns with past statements about the company’s AI ambitions.
Over the past few months community managers have faced the task of explaining why brands should not rely solely on chatbots for interacting with customers and users.
However, the evidence is stacking up in our favour.
Snap released its “My AI” bot, which began offering disturbing advice to users, including encouraging a user pretending to be 13 years old to have sex with their 31-year-old “boyfriend.” In March, a Belgian man died by suicide, with his widow claiming that a chatbot he had been talking to regularly had encouraged him to kill himself.
Stay tuned for more updates on the development and safety measures that Meta intends to take.
Spotify slays the game with community-building campaign, wins Bronze Entertainment Lion at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 🦁
Move over, El Clásico matches – the real star of the show was Spotify, who snagged a Bronze Entertainment Lion for Music at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Praised for ‘fan engagement and community-building’, the campaign featured special FC Barcelona match kits with ROSALÍA’s MOTOMAMI album logo, celebrating the album’s one-year anniversary and the Spanish pop star’s success on Spotify.
For more information, see this article.
Everyone’s talking about…
Thoughts from the world of community marketing.
Self-care tips for games community managers – and their bosses
Safe in Our World’s Sarah Sorrell shares her thoughts on supporting Community Managers’ wellbeing and what professionals can do to develop their own mental well-being skills.
Socially Suggestion…
What we’re loving atm 😍
Are you curious about the history of the internet and how it shaped the way we interact and connect with each other? Look no further!
“The Rise of Virtual Communities” by Amber Atherton explores the evolution of online communities, with in-depth interviews with the founders of iconic online platforms.
So, if you want to stay ahead of the game in community marketing, this book is a must-read!
Socially.
FOLLOW US
OUR LOCATION
Reading, UK
