Silence and rumours
People expect to hear from their leader. Go quiet and the rumours start.
If you rarely post, people feel you are out of touch. If you usually post and then suddenly go quiet, people start asking where you are.
Stay silent long enough and a conspiracy theory takes hold. On Sandbox it is something silly, like a very long fishing trip. On harder games it can be serious, and it costs you respect.
Any post is proof of life, and answering the rumour works best. Denying something true can backfire, but coming clean costs little.