[FAQ]

Hey,

Looking for some advice on moderation. I manage the discussion group for a local environmental non-profit, and we’ve recently had a few instances of trolls showing up just to derail conversations and post inflammatory stuff.

Yesterday, we had a really negative person dominate a whole thread, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. My instinct is to just ban them immediately, but I also don’t want to be seen as a heavy-handed censor who can’t handle debate. But leaving the comments up just poisons the well for everyone else.

What’s your playbook for this? Is there a “three strikes” rule you follow? Do you have a policy of deleting comments vs. banning users? I’m trying to find a balanced approach that protects the community without shutting down all criticism. It’s surprisingly stressful to deal with.

[Jeff Bullas]

This is one of the toughest, but most important, parts of community management.

Short Answer: The best strategy is a “policy first, action second” approach. Use clear, written rules and a private, text-based warning system before resorting to public actions.

Let’s look at how you can use different content formats to build a framework for moderation.

An effective moderation system removes emotion and relies on a clear process. Firstly, your most important tool is your community guidelines, which should exist in two formats. You should have a concise summary of the rules created as a sharp, easy-to-read image that can be pinned to the top of your group. This visual should then link to a more detailed text document (like a Telegraph post) that explains each rule fully. This foundation of visual and text-based content is what you will refer to for all future moderation actions. Secondly, for a first-time or minor offence, your action should be a private text-based message. Never engage trolls publicly. Send a direct message to the user, quote their problematic comment, cite the specific rule they broke from your text document, and issue a firm, polite warning. This de-escalates the situation and takes the drama out of the public space. Thirdly, when you must remove a user, the action is the ban itself. Don’t announce it in a dramatic text post. Simply remove them according to the policy you established. Finally, you can use personal content formats to proactively shape the culture. An occasional audio chat or round video message where you, as the admin, talk about the community’s values is far more effective at building a positive environment than a hundred text-based warnings.

Cheers,

Jeff

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