Patrick O’Keefe

Patrick O’Keefe

@patrickokeefe.bsky.social

💼 Online community management, content moderation, trust and safety, policy, product 🏗️ Built: D2C, membership, streaming products 🏢 Past: CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery 📚 Author: Managing Online Forums 🎙️ Host: @communitysignal.bsky.social 📍 Hollywood

572 followers610 following1.5K posts

I am simply devastated by the loss of @jaredwsmith.com. Jared was one of my closest, oldest friends. Since learning of his passing yesterday, I have been sifting through old files, thinking about the many memories I will have of Jared, and deciding how best to talk about it. What I came up with:

patrickokeefe.comJared W. Smith, 1984-2026There is a story that Jared W. Smith and I have told several times, usually when one of us was meeting someone for the first time, while the other was there. We've told it to random people, to his cow...
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I am simply devastated by the loss of @jaredwsmith.com. Jared was one of my closest, oldest friends. Since learning of his passing yesterday, I have been sifting through old files, thinking about the many memories I will have of Jared, and deciding how best to talk about it. What I came up with:

patrickokeefe.comJared W. Smith, 1984-2026There is a story that Jared W. Smith and I have told several times, usually when one of us was meeting someone for the first time, while the other was there. We've told it to random people, to his cow...

Jared was generous with praise. Endlessly fascinated. Passionate. Kind. Funny. Thoughtful. Helpful. He loved Lily, and he loved his parents, his siblings, and his family, all of whom would routinely come up in our conversations. I loved Jared like a brother, and I miss him dearly.

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Trump yesterday referred to North Carolina cities as "blood-soaked killing fields." I hadn't yet heard this when someone asked me today what my favorite state that I've lived in was, after California. North Carolina was my answer. Visit BloodSoakedKillingFields.com.

bloodsoakedkillingfields.comVisit North Carolina | Official NC Travel & Tourism WebsiteWelcome to NC’s official travel-planning destination. Explore things to do, browse maps and places to stay, and discover ideas for your next vacation.

The Cameo profile for Donald Trump Jr. used to claim that the proceeds went to a charity, but we'll never know, because for years, Cameo never actually verified money went to charity. It was on the person behind the profile to donate the money. Cameo was not part of that transaction.

They were generating revenue for Proud Boy's co-founder Gavin McInnes for quite a while, ignoring complaints. One day, I posted a Twitter thread that got some traction, in the aftermath of January 6, and they finally kicked him off. That's how much it took to get them to act. January 6.

x.comPatrick O'Keefe (@patrickokeefe) on XIf you'd like to support the Proud Boys, you can buy a shout-out from group founder Gavin McInnes on @BookCameo. You can even pay in 4 easy installments, thanks to @Affirm. Is domestic terrorism real...

In May, a community that I created celebrated 25 years online. I've managed it for the entire time. It's a funny thing to say out loud. You have an idea, you work at it, and then, somehow, 25 years goes by.

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Whenever I'm talking about this work, in and out of corporate jobs, it always goes back to the foundational skills I built in this little community that you've never heard of, that most folks would disregard, where people are friendly and look out for one another.

In May, a community that I created celebrated 25 years online. I've managed it for the entire time. It's a funny thing to say out loud. You have an idea, you work at it, and then, somehow, 25 years goes by.

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We all talk about how important it is to take a long term approach to community building, and for good reason. But we are not usually in full control of that destiny. When you have your own thing, you are (for better or worse), and you can build skills with longevity in mind.

In May, a community that I created celebrated 25 years online. I've managed it for the entire time. It's a funny thing to say out loud. You have an idea, you work at it, and then, somehow, 25 years goes by.

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In that time span, I graduated high school, continuing to build my career in community, moderation, trust, safety, and product. I've moved more than a dozen times, living in four different U.S. states on two coasts. I met someone, got married, and have a kid that is now in pre-K.

No matter where I've been since May 21, 2001, this community has been a part of it, where I give it the time I have to give, and it's been very rewarding. How long does this go? 26 years? 30 years? 50 years? I'm not real sure. I do have some things in place to protect it into the future.

In May, a community that I created celebrated 25 years online. I've managed it for the entire time. It's a funny thing to say out loud. You have an idea, you work at it, and then, somehow, 25 years goes by.

We celebrated by honoring and interviewing members, sharing stories, reflecting on data from the community's history, and launching features. We talked about how the community activity had shifted over the years, and why being smaller isn't necessarily a bad thing.

We talked about how, even though we have a good group of long time members, the community had avoided becoming cliquish. During the monthlong celebration, we had visits from members who had joined in 15 different years, from 2001 to 2026.