Reddit: Lessons in Moderating Discussion Board Behavior

 

The Reddit story of rebellion by volunteers and abusive behavior by some posters offers lessons for managing online communities that many companies operate.

As Reddit gained an enormous number of subscribers, it gained the reputation as an online board where users could post pretty much anything no matter how outrageous.

Celebrities and political and business leaders participated in its Ask Me Anything question-and-answer sessions. Its discussion forums, or subreddits, covered almost every topic imaginable – some mainstream and others on disreputable topics like white supremacy. Comments became increasingly nasty – and possibly illegal, prompting Reddit to attempt to counter the trend.

A survey of users, or “Redditers,” showed that many people are unwilling to contribute due to fear of attack and are reluctant to recommend Reddit to others because of its hateful and offensive content. Reddit updated its policies to forbid attacks and harassment of individuals, shut down several especially notorious discussion boards, and banned nonconsensual pornography, sometimes called “revenge porn” because it involves former romantic partners.

After taking steps to control abusive behavior, interim Reddit CEO Ellen Pao suffered the same type of online attacks the measures were designed to stop.

The Trolls are Winning

“I have just endured one of the largest trolling attacks in history,” Pao wrote in an editorial in the Washington Post. “Balancing free expression with privacy and the protection of participants has always been a challenge for open-content platforms on the Internet. But that balancing act is getting harder. The trolls are winning.”

Pao resigned after an online petition called for her ouster. While some attacks against her were indeed vicious, detractors blamed Pao for the firing of a popular community manager and lack of support for volunteer moderators. Reddit users boycotted discussions when the site fired its director of communications, Victoria Taylor, who coordinated celebrity discussions.

While few discussion boards  face such deep trolling problems, Reddit’s experience can be seen as lessons for social media managers and others responsible for moderating forums. Forums and message boards, including product support forums and community message boards, are pervasive on the Internet. Company-managed online communities provide feedback and help create loyalty, but if they are not properly managed they can lead to serious problems.

Tips for Moderators

Here’s some advice for moderating comments and discussions.

Establish rules. Although rules may evolve over time, establishing rules early on can prevent inappropriate behavior from gaining traction. Maintaining a civil environment becomes more important as forums gain popularity. A web search on “sample forum rules” can show rules others have implemented, such as banning insults, threats, lewdness, spam, and discussion on illegal activities. It’s also important to urge commentators to stay on topic.

Keep calm. The best tactic is to moderate comments with an open mind and assume comments are rational. Refusing to take negative remarks personally can help social media managers maintain their sanity. Answering negativity with negativity only makes matters worse. In other words, don’t feed the trolls.

Be vigilant. Moderating busy discussion boards requires vigilance and quick action against trolls and spammers. Watch for members abusing others. Disagreements are fine, but allowing personal attacks and harassments will drive way valuable forum members.

Recruit moderators. Administrators of large discussion boards often recruit trusted participants to serve as moderators, monitor threads, answer questions and defuse disagreements. Choosing the wrong moderator can be disastrous. Seeking candidates who have contributed regularly, have good grammar skills, can commit the time, and have an even-tempered, fair-minded personality can help ensure the discussions run smoothly as possible.

Define moderator responsibilities. Moderators must know what’s expected of them, what’s within their power, and what will be handled by others. Moderators typically visit the forum at least once each day, control disruptive behavior, edit postings to meet content guidelines if needed, delete inappropriate posts, move or delete off-topic posts, and lock or unlock posts as required. A code of conduct that urges moderators to be discreet, professional, and sensitive to commentators’ feelings can set expectations. Moderators can be asked to resign for disregarding the code of conduct.

Support moderators. Supporting volunteer moderators is crucial. That calls for communicating with them frequently, recognizing and rewarding their contributions, and occasionally granting them time off.

Skim comments. Requiring the administrator to read every word of every comment on popular comment boards requires too much time and is not necessary. People who intend to violate the rules usually don’t wait until the end of a comment. If you miss something, you’ll probably catch it later when someone responds. Experienced moderators can quickly determine if a comment is rational.

Bottom Line: Careful monitoring of comments on message boards, forums and in comments on corporate sites is crucial to maintain civility and keep the loyalty of participants. Establishing rules early on helps establish the tone. Rejecting or deleting abusive posts – and blocking abusive users – is essential for long-term success.

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John Kroll Digital