when one person has all the answers the community starts to rely on them much. The minute they go offline the chat goes quiet.
I have seen this happen in some crypto groups at night or after events. People stop helping each other because they wait for "the person" to answer.
For me the hardest part is staying quiet when I know the answer. I want to jump in especially in communities I am active in.
I tried something recently. Someone asked a question. I waited a bit before answering. Another regular member answered correctly before I even typed anything. That surprised me.
I also liked that it was explained when not to use silence. In problems or misinformation waiting too long is not helpful.
At the time I don’t think strategic silence works everywhere. In Web3 communities staying silent too long can make people think the project is not active or ignoring users. This is because crypto communities deal with scams and abandoned projects often. In my opinion this strategy works best when there is trust and active members. Timing is more important than silence.
I would love to hear your thoughts, on that.
Overall this one felt very practical compared to other community growth advice online.