One of the most basic things to make any community a successful one is the Editorial and Moderating Team of the community, it mostly depends on the friendship between them and community members, and how good this relationship is. So basically there is two ways that I can think about them right now, the Clear Way and the Facebook Way!
So, let me talk for some time about the best strategy possible for Moderating Forums and Online Communities, of course I am not going to talk all the time, I would love also to hear your opinion about it, specially if you tell us about more things to be considered as important for community success!
Talk less to reduce your mistakes!
Some people are thinking that the best way to moderate a forum or community is to be undercover all the time, and this is what I call Facebook way, all moderators use the same account to moderate member’s posts to the community and answer their questions. No member relationship will be personally open between the editors or moderators and the members, probably it’s because of the lake of experience that force shy moderator not to show themselves!
Maybe Facebook moderators team can not do that, and follow up conversation of all members, it’s not possible because of the really big number of members on Facebook, but what I am talking about here is medium size communities with a number that can be handled by 10 to 20 moderators or editors.
There one questions that I would like to hear an answer to it from you, which strategy is better when dealing with Moderators and Editors of a website, blog or online community?
If you are a member of any community and would like to ask for help or know a reason why your submissions or posts are panned or deleted, what would be better? If you know the person you are talking to? Or just receiving the answer or the help you need is quit enough for you?
Clear Way or Facebook Way?
OK, let me tell you my opinion from my personal experience about this matter. Being a web editor for 3 years added a great experience about user behavior and satisfaction, so I can say that the best strategy is to be clear about your identity and show your self to your forum or community members, this will solve to you so many problems, specially when 2 members have a problem together or fighting and you should act to solve this problem some how, and bring the smile back to your community and raise the loyalty or it’s members.
If you are a Moderator or a Web Editor of any website or online community, My Advice to you is to involve your self with members and try to own their friendship, learn more about them, study their cases to know how they think, answer them by what ever short messages to tell them that you are busy and will get back to full answer their questions and give them the help they need, I am sure they will appreciate that too much!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I got your point, pal. Most person don’t like to being approached by the person who they don’t really know.
I think the Clear way is better. I know you, you know me =)
alone’s last blog post..Myx-It-Up : A Review
@alone, Yes.. it’s hard for Big communities, but it’s the best way! specially when talking about Educational communities that should be safe, so you got to know what is going on!
good day!
I don’t think the reason moderators and editors on Facebook are invisible because they’re shy. They think it gives them more control: how can you complain when no one’s there?
Kathleen Maher’s last blog post..Survival
@Kathleen Maher, This thing is Facebook have lots of members, no body can handle this huge number, so their way is the “After Moderation”, this happen when someone report about a submission of a photo that they think it’s not right to be published on Facebook, then Facebook have to hear the reason of WHY?! then she act and delete it or something!
Thank for your comment Kathleen!
Facebook is member propelled. With small, niche communities it is imperative to try and make some initial contact. Some what to be bothered and network, others do not.
I’ve found moderation both frustrating, as well as helpful and it depends on the community and it’s content as to which I prefer. For example, Twitter is pretty hard to moderate, but I’ve seen users get booted because they just keep spamming the system, but that doesn’t happen to often. On the other hand, I’ve spent time building up a social network only to have 1 person who doesn’t like me report my profile and all of my work is gone. I had this happen recently on Mixx, which is a site that I do like to use. I guess I had submitted something that someone didn’t like and instead of removing just the one post, they took out my entire profile. I had spent month building Karma and friends only to have it all wash away with one moderation click. There needs to be some policing, but communities have to be aware that they can’t be everything to everybody and should let some things go on in cyber space.
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