You’ve heard the Ravelympics story by now.
The US Olympic Committee sent Ravelympics a cease and desist letter.
Revelry responded by publishing the letter.
When a group we’re a part of is attacked, we feel compelled to defend it. It’s part of our identity. If the group fails, we take a blow to our own identity.
This strengthens the group identity. Even relatively minor threats, can lead to a huge response.
The genius of Ravelry wasn’t their response to the letter (although it was terrific), it was publishing and promoting the threat to the group identity. In doing so they galvanzed their audience. They strengthened the identity.
Those big threats to your community, can also be big opportunities. You can publish them, highlight them, and galvanize your community to act together. Threats to the profession, the broader ecosystem, or to individual members also work to galvanize and increase the group identity.