On July 13th, Cory Monteith, star of the hit FOX show, Glee, died in his hotel room of an overdose. He was a few months older than me. While I’m not the show’s typical demographic, I do watch it. The show is creative about the way they use social media and incorporate their audience, also known as their community of “Gleeks.” The show uses hashtags and live Tweets during the broadcast, calls out a “Gleek of the Week” during every episode, gets music and theme ideas from social media and even casts from social media. That’s right – they have a separate show called The Glee Project where they cast new actors from their community. It’s really smart. So when Cory passed away, I was not surprised to see Gleeks react and social media mentions soar. Here are a few examples: Facebook A Facebook page was created in his memory within hours after the news and has nearly 32,000 likes. There are at least five other Pages like this with similar numbers. 
Cory Monteiths Death How Glee Fans Responded Via Social Media Twitter Tweets are rampant wishing Lea Michele (Glee co-star and off-camera girlfriend of Cory Monteith) the very best. 
Cory Monteiths Death How Glee Fans Responded Via Social Media A dedicated Twitter handle, @RipCoryMonteith was also set up shortly after the news. 
Cory Monteiths Death How Glee Fans Responded Via Social Media Probably the biggest place on Twitter for the news is #RipCoryMonteith, started minutes after the news and used by fans and fellow cast members. 
Cory Monteiths Death How Glee Fans Responded Via Social Media Instagram Comments on Lea Michele’s Instagram feed are in the thousands. 
Cory Monteiths Death How Glee Fans Responded Via Social Media Glee Homepage The show links to their Facebook Page from their homepage banner asking for favorite memories of Cory. 
Cory Monteiths Death How Glee Fans Responded Via Social Media A strong community full of dedicated, like-minded fans of your brand will come together and support you in times of need. If you make your fans happy and incorporate them into your brand, they will support you back. It’s a concept that takes time and dedication, but if you make it happen, your community will help you become the best you can be and you’ll never be forgotten. #RIPCoryMonteith
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