The Community Roundtable

Strategies, Tools, and Professional Development for Community Leaders

  • Who we are
    • Our Values
    • Our Team
    • Our Clients
      • Client Success Stories
      • Member Advisory Board
    • In The Media
      • News
    • TheCR Awards
      • TheCR Awards 2020
      • TheCR Awards 2019
      • TheCR Awards 2018
      • TheCR Awards 2017
  • What we do
    • Benchmarking and Audits
      • Community Performance Benchmark
      • Community Readiness Audits
      • Community ROI Calculator
      • The Community Score
    • Models and Frameworks
      • Community Maturity Model
      • Community Engagement Framework
      • Community Skills Framework
      • The Social Executive
    • Research
      • The State of Community Management
        • SOCM 2021
        • SOCM 2020
      • Community Careers and Compensation
      • The Community Manager Handbook
      • The Social Executive
      • Special Reports
    • Training and Events
      • Upcoming Events
        • Engagement That Scales
      • TheCR Connect
        • TheCR Connect 2020
        • TheCR Connect 2019
        • TheCR Connect 2018
        • TheCR Connect 2017
      • Community Solutions Showcase
        • Community Solutions Showcase 2020
        • Community Solutions Showcase 2019
      • Training
      • Resource Bundles
    • Resources
      • Vendor Resource Center
      • Community FAQs
      • Community Management Podcasts
        • Conversations with Community Managers
        • Engagement That Scales Podcast
      • Community Management Jobs
        • Job Board
        • CMGR Profiles
      • Community 101
        • Community Management Glossary
        • Community Management FAQs
      • Case Studies
      • Community Webinars
  • Who we serve
    • Community Managers
    • Community Program Owners
    • Community Executives
  • TheCR Network
    • Member Login
    • Join TheCR Network
    • TheCR Network Use Cases
    • Roundtable Call Library
  • TheCR Library
    • Subscriber Login
    • Subscribe to TheCR Library

Best Practices for Community Moderation, or Why Patience is a Virtue

January 11, 2017 By Shannon Abram

superheroPolicies, guidelines, and governance provide the framework and boundaries for your community, but moderation is where those policies are turned into day-to-day management. Direct moderation is the day-to-day interaction and management that signals to members what gets attention—both good and bad—from the organization. Successful community management requires not just a day-to-day awareness of the activity in your community but also the seamless application of tools and strategies to maximize engagement and minimize disruption.

Moderating doesn’t mean eliminating conflict. In fact, vibrant and productive communities depend on differences of opinion between members to create discussion, generate new ideas and develop innovative solutions. But that vibrancy is dependent on the community’s ability to maintain a respectful tone, and it’s the moderator’s job to thread that needle – fostering discussion and even dissention while maintaining the proper tone. In The Community Manager Handbook we shared best practices for effective community moderation, so when you see a conflict developing:

• Step up your monitoring – spend time understanding the conflict before you get involved

• Give it space – often conflicts will resolve themselves, or the community will help mediate

• Model behavior – it can sometimes be helpful to rephrase opinions of others in a more emotionally neutral tone that allows people to focus on the content of the comment vs. the tone.

• Get personal – in some cases, a personal outreach, especially a phone call, will both help you understand the conflict and perhaps create a space for resolution

• Don’t take it personally – Remember, your role is to create a safe space for people to share, not to arbitrate decisions. Getting personally invested in conflict is a great way to generate distrust and burn out.

superheroesMike Pascucci, Manager of Social Media and Community at Autodesk shared this powerful tip: “Remove emotion from the decision making process as a moderator. Look at every piece of content for what it is.” He also noted that being proactive also creates positive momentum. “Reactive management is by its nature defensive. Proactive gets you seen as a thought leader in the space—and that gives your internal teams comfort, and creates a circle of trust with both internal employees and external communities.”

If you’re tasked with moderating an online community check out The Community Manager Handbook’s section on moderation best practices. You’ll find three good moderation rules of thumb, a sample engagement ladder and more expert advice from our Community Superheroes.

—

Want to connect with community professionals around the world? Join our Facebook group!

Community Management Best Practices, Community Manager Handbook
autodesk, best practices, CM Handbook, moderation

About Shannon Abram

I love dogs, drinks, and the oxford comma. Writing from the great commonwealth of Massachusetts, I almost definitely need a nap.

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Community best practices

ABOUT US
Our Values
Our Team
Our Clients
TheCR Awards

RESOURCES
Vendor Resource Center
Podcasts 
Job Board
Community 101
Case Studies
Webinars
Upcoming Events

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Benchmarking and Audits
Models and Frameworks
Research
Training and Events

 

RESOURCES BY AUDIENCE
Community Managers
Community Program Owners
Community Executives

QUICK LINKS
Blog
Newsletter
About TheCR Network / Member Login
About TheCR Library / Subscriber Login
About TheCR Academy / Learner Login

test

Copyright © 2021 The Community Roundtable | Built by Anchored Design· Genesis Framework