1. Strategies for Effective
Forum Moderation
Dave Cayem
Delphi Forums
Twitter: @DaveCayem
Blog: cayem.com
Email: dave@delphiforums.com
2. Opening Thoughts
• All forums are different, so each requires its
own moderation style
• Moderate to your business goals
• Language is vitally important
• Praise in public, criticize in private
3. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #1: Have Rules!
“…a publicly posted set of guidelines, or rules, is
very important because then, when something
needs to be addressed, you have something to
refer to – a public document that all can see.”
Patrick O’Keefe
ManagingCommunities.com
Author of “Managing Online Forums”
4. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #1: Have Rules!
“New members don’t read the rules. No one
does. It may be comforting (and legally useful)
to have them, but lets not pretend they do
anything to change behaviour.”
Richard Millington
FeverBee Community Consultancy
Author of “Buzzing Communities”
5. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #1: Have Rules!
6. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #1: Have Rules!
7. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #1: Have Rules!
8. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #2: Be Consistent
• Don’t let troublemakers accuse you of
playing favorites
• Have a set of written guidelines detailing
common infractions and how to deal with
them
9. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #3: Take Emotion Out of The Equation
• Never get into a fight with a disruptive
member – kill them with kindness
• Getting nasty with troublemakers just gives
them another reason to believe that they’re
being somehow victimized
10. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #4: Be Clear About Expectations
• When calling out a member for breaking the
rules (which you should always do in private),
be clear about what you’re doing and why
• Give people the benefit of the doubt
• Don’t scare the newbies!
11. 5 Rules for Moderating a Forum
Rule #5: Safety First
• If anything occurs in your community that
suggests a threat to anyone’s safety or
property, make sure the authorities are
notified.
• If a member feels threatened, urge him/her
to contact law enforcement
12. Scenario
Your forum rules clearly state no foul
language. A member drops the F-bomb in the
forum.
How to you respond?
15. 5 Kinds of Forum Participants
• The Professor
• The Traffic Cop
16. 5 Kinds of Forum Participants
• The Professor
• The Traffic Cop
• The Show Off
17. 5 Kinds of Forum Participants
• The Professor
• The Traffic Cop
• The Show Off
• The Technical Expert
18. 5 Kinds of Forum Participants
• The Professor
• The Traffic Cop
• The Show Off
• The Technical Expert
• The Attorney
19. 5 Kinds of Forum Participants
Others?
What kind of difficult members have you come
across?
20. 5 Key Phrases for Moderators
“I know some people are anxious to post and
don’t read the rules…”
“I’m sorry you’re having a problem”
“Your input is appreciated”
“I took the liberty of moving your post”
“I really can’t add anything to what’s already
been said”
21. War Stories
Tell us about your biggest forum moderation
challenge and how you dealt with it
23. Thanks for coming
Dave Cayem
Delphi Forums
Twitter: @DaveCayem
Blog: cayem.com
Email: dave@delphiforums.com
Notes de l'éditeur
All forums are differentDifferent forums have different sensibilities. You wouldn’t moderate a forum for expectant mothers the same way you would moderate a forum for motorcyclists.Moderate to your business goalsModeration isn’t something we do for its own sake. We moderate because it helps us generate revenue. You may want to moderate differently based on how you monetize your forum. For example, in some cases, people adding links to products may hurt you if one of your advertisers is a competitor. But if you generate revenue through VigLink or Skimlinks, you may want to encourage that. Language is vitally importantWe all know how easy it is for works to be misconstrued. Take some extra time and make sure all of your communications with forum members are clear, friendly, and won’t be misinterpreted.Praise in public…Never call out a forum member in the forum, but always praise members in the forum
So who’s right? Patrick, who says rules are important, or Richard, who says nobody reads them?
These forums rules are rather lengthy. They go on for more than two thousand words.“Make sure you are familiar with the rules below. Memorize them. Read them daily if you have to. They are guidelines you must follow in order to keep your account privileges. If you break a rule, you will likely be punished. “And my favorite: “We here on the _______________ Forums are very elitist and strict assholes.”Not very welcoming…
These rules are from one of the communities on Delphi Forums.They’re pretty simple:The say they all participants are expected to show respect to others, you can’t use nasty language, you can’t be a jerk to others, and you can’t spam. That’s pretty much it.
Another take at rules…keep it positive.
The Professor knows more than you do, and he’s not afraid to point that out.Can be a positive presence in the community if he posts useful information and talks about things that are relevant to your membersBut watch out for behavior that is intimidating to new users. Don’t want potential new participants scared off If this user comes on too strong, send him a private note thanking him for his valuable contributions and asking him to help you make new members feel welcome.
The Traffic Cop is a variation on The Professor. He’s a know-it-all when it comes to forum rules and operations. The Traffic Cop is the one berating newcomers for posting in the wrong thread or asking questions that have already been answered. Remind The Traffic Cop that forum rules and procedures are important, but it’s never OK to scare off people that are new to the forum.
The Show-Off is, you know, a show offHe’s actually someone you want participating in the forum.For example, in a product support community, The Show-Off will brag about how he accomplished something notable with the product, and that’s great content. Just make sure he provides details so that others can learn from his success.
Knows a little HTML, or maybe installed WordPress on his web host and now thinks he’s an expert on how your forums runOften gains followers in the community when he disputes your explanation of why your community platform behaves a certain way, or why a desired feature is difficult to implement.Respond to him by explaining that you have sophisticated systems and a skilled technical staff that maybe, just maybe, know more than he does. But do it as politely as possible.
Makes claims about things your doing that he says are illegal.Will often join in and provide a “legal” opinion when other users complain about some perceived slight or misstep by forum management. Don’t get into a war of words with this person. The best response is to say that you’re not a lawyer and you can’t comment on legal issues. Period.
