Patrick O’Keefe
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patrickokeefe.bsky.social
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
Pictured in the first post of this thread: A pre-vaccine COVID-era photo of me in the Community Signal jackets I had made for the team at the 5 year mark.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Thank you to all of our guests, listeners, and anyone who has ever shared the show or offered a kind word of support.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I'd like to take a moment to thank Karn Broad, who has been the show's producer since the inception of the idea. Thank you, as well, to Carol Benovic-Bradley, who worked on the show editorially for 5 years.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I can think of many cases and issues where I have been disappointed by people in the industry who privately criticized someone, but publicly stood next to them, and I just never wanted the show to feel like that to anyone who really knew me.

There is always more I wish I could do.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
That's the show I wanted to create. We're somewhat quiet these days, but the light is still on, especially for people in need and sensitive topics that should have a spotlight.

Personally, I just wanted to make something that made me better and that I could be proud of.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Whether that be bad industry behavior, powerful platforms and people that are a threat to the work, bigotry and racism, self-harm and suicide, CSAM and the abuse of children, the sensitive relationship community builders have with healing, hurting, and vulnerable people, and so much more.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
It's a show about community, moderation, trust, and safety, with a relentless focus on the people who work in space. Not so much the companies or the vendors, but the everyday volunteers and professionals.

I'd like to think it's a show that has been fairly unafraid to talk about tough subjects.
December 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
It's probably weird how many times I've had a similar thought.
December 7, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I will always maintain that those bans should have remained in place - and that he should have been banned faster.

If that had happened, we would be in a better place than we are right now.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Donald Trump earned any ban he received from a platform. Every single one was justifiable from both an ethical and policy perspective. In fact, he was given special treatment, and allowed to violate policies more than I would have been.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
- The State Department is issuing media outlets a statement that includes: "In the past, the President himself was the victim of this kind of abuse when social media companies locked his accounts. He does not want other Americans to suffer this way." So, let me be clear:
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
But that line includes multiple meaningful notations where Meta has contributed to what we now face. I firmly believe that you cannot take Meta's money *and* say you stand for community, moderation, trust, and safety pros. If you've laundered their rep, you've helped us to this point.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
- I encourage all professionals to be wary of groups who have received funding from Meta. It was a long line through history for us to get here, from the passing of Section 230 (and earlier) through today.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
- Virtually every person wants moderation. The only real problem arises when people do not agree to the standards that are being applied - or do not want the standards applied to them. That second part is the key one here.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
- If you're one of those "community management isn't just moderation" people, who work to deemphasize the vital importance of this work to your career goals, now's a good time to stand with the folks without which you would have no community to manage.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I stand with those who now feel as though their life is being turned upside down because of the whims of a president with dreams of authoritarianism, and a voting public too willing to aid in their fulfillment.

A few notes:
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Though I may be "safe" as a U.S. citizen, it seems foolish to assume that broader targeting of citizens is not on the menu. I say "broader" because we have already seen targeted harassment, with pros being driven from their homes or having their safety threatened.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Yesterday, Reuters reported that H-1B visa applicants may be denied if they or family members they are traveling with "have worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others."
Exclusive: Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B visa
An internal State Department memo said that anyone involved in "censorship" of free speech should be considered for rejection.
www.reuters.com
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
But the Trump administration is nothing if not set on punishing those who work to create a better world for others.
December 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM