How should threading rules be enforced in a community to maintain a positive environment?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Zapier shares that you can engage your community by involving your users to help grow it. User-generated content is a great way to get people involved and invested in a community, which is exactly what you're looking for.
Email marketer from CMX Hub shares that clearly communicating community guidelines is crucial for setting expectations and fostering a positive culture. Use accessible language, highlight key principles, and make guidelines visible to all members.
Email marketer from Vanilla Forums answers that it is important to reward positive behavior by highlighting positive interactions and contributions. This encourages others to follow suit and creates a more supportive environment.
Email marketer from Reddit states that the ideal moderation style is understanding that your community is made up of people from different backgrounds and experiences who will not all interpret rules the same way. A good moderator should communicate the expectations of the community effectively, and apply the rules in a way that accounts for individual circumstances.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that a warning should be given before an infraction. Make sure everyone knows the rules and if they break them they get a warning, if they keep breaking them they get a temporary ban, and if they come back and keep breaking them, then it's a permanent ban.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that it's important to have clear and concise guidelines for community participation. A moderator should give a user the benefit of the doubt, but also act quickly when rules are violated.
Email marketer from Higher Logic answers consistent moderation builds trust and shows that the community is actively managed. Enforce guidelines fairly and transparently to maintain credibility and encourage participation.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that a few simple rules, that are not hard to follow, will generally result in a positive community environment. Most people want to get along and contribute in a positive way.
Email marketer from Hivebrite explains that being transparent and honest with your community goes a long way. People like to know what's going on and when you tell them, they feel much more a part of a community. It shows that you care and also build trust within your community.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise answers a key aspect of maintaining a positive environment is creating a shared understanding of the rules and values. It's about articulating the standards and expectations you want everyone to adhere to.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests using judgement when enforcing rules about threading, especially considering the circumstances and the person involved.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that enforcing rules without empathy can drive people away and suggests that while the moderators are generally good, they sometimes err on the side of arbitrary enforcement.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that enforcement is hard and thankless with a lot of grey areas. We do our best as moderators.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that there will always be a segment of your audience that will push back or engage in negative activities. You must have a plan to address those people and negative behavior. Remove them as soon as possible because these types of users can damage the community you have built.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that if Spamhaus representatives are criticized when they try to share information, they may be discouraged from participating in the community.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Atlassian explains that community guidelines set the tone for interactions and clarify expected behavior. They guide members to contribute positively and help moderators address violations consistently.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that a way to implement community standards is to provide a way for your users to flag unwanted behavior. Giving the user the power to have it flagged by others allows the community to monitor itself and keeps the workload off of the moderator team.
Documentation from Khoros shares that examples of community guidelines are: Be respectful, stay on topic, be responsible, be authentic, and protect privacy.
Documentation from Wikipedia describes the five pillars they believe will create a positive environment. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, written from a neutral point of view, is free content that anyone can use, respect and treat each other civilly, and has no firm rules.
Documentation from Salesforce explains that enforcing community guidelines requires active moderation, clear communication, and consistent action. Moderation tools and reporting mechanisms help manage content and user behavior.