As Thailand mourns the loss of its revered King, many companies and public personalities have paid respect through various online channels. In order to honor the late King and adhere to local customs, the below mentioned guidelines should be followed for at least the next thirty days.
Set Your Website to Black and White
If your company has a website, make sure you set your color scheme to black and white on all pages. This is a suitable way for your company to express sadness and mourning publicly, but without attracting attention or using it for marketing purposes.
Create a Commemorative Homepage
Creating a commemorative homepage is another step many large Thai corporations have taken. For this, you set up a black and white page that site-visitors land on when they click the link that usually leads to your home page. A button at the bottom of the page then leads website visitors to the actual home page. On this page you can post a photo of the King and a brief text offering your condolences and prayers for the King to ascend to heaven. This text should be carefully written in official language to express sufficient respect.
Set Profile Pictures to Black and White
Keep your profile picture simple during this time of national mourning. Do not use photos of the King or any symbols representing him as your profile picture, even if you intend to show respect in this way. What you should do instead is simply use your logo in white on a black background.
On Facebook, the banner photo can be used to post a message of mourning, similarly as the condolence home page mentioned above. If you are not sure about the text, the appropriateness and correctness of the language, or the suitability of the content, it is best to simply use a black background. This way you can still show your company is in mourning but avoid posting anything wrong or unfitting that can be deemed offensive.
Social Media Etiquette
Some companies might be tempted to use such a time to show themselves as role models and put themselves forward by liking posts mentioning the King or photos of him. This should be avoided as it is not considered respectful. Mourning is a time for stillness and respect, not promotion.