Sometimes, it’s hard not to look at the state of internet conversations and feel like the trolls are winning. Sites like Popular Science and The Chicago Sun-Times shut off their comments long ago because abusive comments were skewing their stories and the understanding of their readers. Some publishers have opted to combat trolls by preserving their community through social media instead, though this comes with it’s own set of problems. Still others have simply let their commenting sections run wild, souring their communities for the thousands of thoughtful, active users. We get it,we really do. All it takes is a small fraction of the community to be abusive for things to get out of hand. As communities grow, it can be increasingly frustrating to try and quell the troublemakers. We believe that each publisher has the right to make the call on comments for their community, but is the industry letting the trolls win? With mantras like “don’t read the comments,” and “don’t feed the trolls,” becoming hard and fast advice, it’s the loyal readers that lose out most.
We think it’s time to fight back against the trolls, protect our communities, and keep the conversation going.
Shutting off your commenting altogether may get rid of trolls, but it gets rid of everyone else too. Considering that most readers go online to seek connectedness or express their views, it’s obvious why a lack of community would be bad for your stories and business. Without a community, you’re hurting your core audience by losing the ability to truly engage with them, which may negatively impacts key metrics such as attention time and ad clicks. So in the end, everyone loses – except the trolls. Sure, audiences can still read articles but people like having their opinions heard, interacting with other users, and getting to know the people behind the company. If these elements are missing, you’re risking a lack of interest in your content, and that interest will undoubtedly go elsewhere.
Readers are less inclined to stay in an environment where they have no voice.
So, how do we fight back? Moderation – specifically automated moderation, which puts the control firmly back in the hands of publishers without the costs of traditional comment monitoring. Think of moderation as a gate – when you have the right tool-set, you can set up various gates to maintain your community and user experience. Moderation has come a long way since the days of the early internet. With automation, it’s become easier, more efficient and most of all, more imperative for your community. For example, when you receive bad comments, they can be immediately actioned and the abusive users banned using IP addresses, device fingerprints and a myriad of other options. You can also customize moderation rules and keywords to fit your publishing standards. This means you can easily protect your community while putting your efforts towards your audience development strategy, your content and your brand.
What’s your favourite technique for handling trolls? Do you use in-house moderation teams, outsource moderation or use an automated moderation product?
Let us know in the comments below!
The post Automating Moderation to Protect Your Community appeared first on Viafoura.