venessa paech: self-moderation
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Venessa Paech (REA Group) at the 2013 Social Media Risk Management conference run by Dialogue Consulting in Melbourne, 19 June 2013TRANSCRIPT
Self-moderationIt’s up to you
@venessapaech@realestate_au@swarmconf
04/12/2023
There is no free speech
A group is its own worst enemy ~ Clay Shirky
All speech has cost & consequence
"The likelihood that any un-moderated group will
eventually get into a flame-war about whether or not to have a moderator approaches one as
time increases.”
~ Geoff Cohen
The Communitree Experiment in California
Why groups are a volatile organism
Never mind the trolls…
• Status jockeying• Dominant voices• Personality clashes• Fights & fallouts• Rumour mongering• Politics• Outcasts & exiles• Changing purpose/goals
The group is self-aware of these risks – primed to self-moderate
04/12/2023
Give them something to defend…
Defence should be a SHARED value
Lifecycle
Self-moderation isn’t drive-by
Self-moderation isn’t drive-by
How to help people help themselves
Onboarding handrails How to get started What do ideal members & outcomes look like? What rights are there? What won’t be tolerated? Guidelines Community constitution (purpose + culture + history)Collaborate & consult to ensure governance reflects collective vs. individual(but not design by committee)
Give them ways Commercial in Confidence
• Mechanisms to report the bad stuff (buttons, flags, email triggers)
• Mechanisms to hero the good stuff (thumbs up, votes, ratings that influence content order & surfacing,
• Accommodate anonymity ( aka ‘bully box’)• Single actions helps build precedents• Collective action helps guard against reprisals• Look out for abuses of power, status jockeying, bullying via
reportage
Professional Moderation
Self-moderation
Automation
How deep should members go?
Calling out spammers, trolls & sock puppets Keeping discussion on track Keeping egos in check Basic bad behaviour no-nos (language, name calling)
Defamation Copyright Stalking/harassment Serious bullying (including mobbing) Grooming Suicide threats
Keep tabs on moderation motivation
04/12/2023
Self-moderation without a scaffold + supportis not always healthy…
“Selfish” moderation conflates individual needs with group needs
Balance: harder than it looks
skillpracticeresilience
…inevitable soreness
•Moderation systems and strategies should accommodate social and cultural realities as well as legal regimes, to improve the odds of self-moderation (respect, don’t patronise from on high)
•Moderation creates culture and supports community purpose, as well as mitigating risk
•Work to set up conditions conducive to self-moderation – give them something to defend (not “rules”). Give them stakes – a horse in the race
•Offer practical mechanisms for self-moderation (that respect the need for public anonymity)
•As community progresses through lifecycle it can & should be leaned on for moderation support (but not relied on)
Key takeaways
@venessapaech@realestate_au@swarmconf#communitymanagersrule
Thanks for your time & attention
Any questions?
(Remember, team effort)