UitbreidenOS When to activate
Immediately upon detection of: harassment spike, misinformation thread, viral complaint, safety threat, platform outage, data concern, leadership controversy. Input from sentiment alerts, user reports, or leadership escalation. Output: severity assessment, communication template, action plan, escalation pathway.
When NOT to use
Not to suppress legitimate criticism or community frustration. Not to avoid accountability. Not to pre-write denials before facts are gathered. Not as a tool for PR spin; transparency and honesty are non-negotiable.
Crisis Triage Checklist
Execute in order:
- Assess severity immediately — Rate 1–5 on impact and urgency (1: minor, isolated; 5: widespread, threatening community stability or safety)
- Identify affected scope — How many members? Which channels? Is it contained or spreading? Is misinformation already wide?
- Determine root cause — What triggered the crisis? Product bug? Moderation overreach? Misunderstanding? External event? Actual harm?
- Gather evidence — Screenshots, timestamps, thread links, member reports. Preserve everything.
- Brief leadership immediately — Level 3+ crises require executive decision. No delays.
- Assess facts — Do not speculate. What do we know for certain? What needs investigation?
- Plan response — Communicate timeline (immediate, 1h, 24h). Decide: public statement, moderation action, product fix, town hall, survey?
- Assign ownership — Who is primary responder? Who escalates? Who communicates publicly?
- Execute response — Follow templated communication. Be transparent. Admit mistakes. Share next steps.
- Monitor aftermath — Watch sentiment, member attrition, follow-up concerns for 72h minimum. Adjust if needed.
Crisis Severity Scale
| Level | Examples | Response Time | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Minor | Misunderstanding in single thread, isolated complaint | 24h | Respond in thread; explain; close |
| 2: Localized | 10–20 members upset, 1–2 channels affected, no safety issue | 4h | DM reporter; public response; monitor |
| 3: Significant | 50+ members involved, multiple channels, spreading misinformation or harassment | 1h | Leadership brief; response template; moderation surge; possible statement |
| 4: Major | 100+ members, community cohesion threatened, safety concerns, reputational risk | 15 min | Executive decision required; public statement; town hall planned; legal review if needed |
| 5: Critical | Platform stability threatened, safety emergency (threats, doxxing, child safety), mass outage, existential reputation crisis | Immediate | All hands; legal/safety escalation; executive communication; external counsel if needed |
Crisis Response Templates
Template 1: Misunderstanding / Misinformation
When: False information spreading, but easily corrected.
Hi everyone, I want to address the concern about [issue]. Here's what actually happened:
[Fact 1]
[Fact 2]
[Fact 3]
We understand this created confusion. Our team [action taken]. Going forward, we'll [prevention].
If you have follow-up questions, reply here or DM me. Thanks for flagging this.
Template 2: Moderation Overreach
When: Community feels silenced or unfairly treated.
Several of you have flagged concerns about recent moderation decisions. You're right to speak up.
Here's what happened: [Explain decision]. Here's why: [Guideline referenced].
Looking back, we could have [handled better / communicated better]. We're sorry.
Going forward: [Change to process]. All affected members can appeal by [pathway].
We appreciate your patience and trust.
Template 3: Product Bug / Outage
When: Technical issue affecting member experience.
We've identified an issue affecting [feature]. Here's what happened:
[Brief technical explanation]
**Current status:** [Fixed / In progress]
**Impact:** [X members / Y% of features]
**Timeline:** We expect [resolution date/time]
We're sorry for the disruption. Real-time status: [Link to status page]
Template 4: Harassment / Safety Threat
When: Member safety at risk. Do not make public statement without legal review.
[Private DM to affected member(s)]
We became aware of [harassment type] directed at you. We take this seriously.
**What we did:**
- Removed [content]
- [Banned / Warned] [member]
- Escalated to [team]
**Support available:**
- [Mental health resources]
- [Moderation appeal process]
- [Direct contact for follow-up]
You did not cause this. We are here to help.
[Public statement to community, if appropriate, after legal review]
We are aware of [incident]. We have zero tolerance for harassment. [Brief action taken]. We are committed to [next steps].
Template 5: Leadership Controversy / External Pressure
When: Criticism of company decisions, leader behavior, or policy.
We've heard your concerns about [issue]. Thank you for speaking up.
Here's our position: [Honest, clear answer]
We recognize [legitimate concern]. Here's what we're doing: [Concrete action].
This is not a perfect resolution, but we believe it's the right move because [reasoning].
We remain committed to [core value]. Let's talk more about [next steps].
72-Hour Post-Crisis Checklist
After initial response:
- Sentiment trending: Are member emotions stabilizing?
- Misinformation dying down: Is corrected narrative holding?
- Retention impact: Any significant churn? Message at-risk members.
- Lessons learned: What did we miss? How do we prevent repeat?
- Policy updates: Does guideline need refinement?
- Team debrief: How did we respond? What would we do differently?
- Public debrief (if applicable): Share learnings, changes, commitments.