{"id":40894,"date":"2018-05-16T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/blog\/7-guidelines-for-online-content-moderation\/"},"modified":"2024-02-22T09:48:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T14:48:33","slug":"7-guidelines-for-online-content-moderation","status":"publish","type":"blog_posts","link":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/7-guidelines-for-online-content-moderation\/","title":{"rendered":"7 guidelines for online content moderation"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":40895,"template":"","resource_tax_market":[190,186,187,188,189],"resource_tax_dept":[198],"resource_tax_type":[164],"resource_tax_region":[],"resource_tax_outcomes":[205],"resource_tax_topic":[],"resource_tax_products":[191],"resource_tax_solutions":[214],"resource_tax_services":[],"class_list":["post-40894","blog_posts","type-blog_posts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_tax_market-housing-uk","resource_tax_market-local-government-uk","resource_tax_market-central-government-uk","resource_tax_market-healthcare-uk","resource_tax_market-emergency-services-uk","resource_tax_dept-engagement-community-outreach-uk","resource_tax_type-blogs-uk","resource_tax_outcomes-foster-community-engagement-uk","resource_tax_products-engagementhq-uk","resource_tax_solutions-engagement-uk"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>7 guidelines for online content moderation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Content moderation is vital to online community engagement. Here are 7 guidelines for implementing online content moderation without limiting free speech.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/7-guidelines-for-online-content-moderation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 guidelines for online content moderation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Content moderation is vital to online community engagement. 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Alternately, how can we circumscribe the non-sociable aspects of online participation when we want to dig deeper into hot issues in engagement projects \u2013 issues that can draw on deeply held, emotional views?<\/p>\n<p>Content moderation is vital to any <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/blog\/how-do-you-engage-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online engagement<\/a>. From the automated moderation of inappropriate content to sanctioning \u201cgrey areas\u201d that require human intervention. Effective content moderation buoys robust \u2013 and reflective \u2013 considerations on important public issues and facilitates participants willingness to get online and join in conversations that impact their lives. It also ensures a sense of accessibility and inclusion \u2013 uppermost to all online engagement.<\/p>\n<p>While software selection is crucial, integrating online engagement and moderation shapes our experience of digital deliberation. Deliberation is a social process, potentially involving many people, which requires participants to be exposed to information that is both broad and deep. Given this fact, \u2018emotional connection\u2019 is a necessity to spark participation. Therefore, the \u2018design\u2019 and \u2018management\u2019 of the space is critically important.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike monologue or debate, <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/resource\/whitepaper-deliberative-dialogue-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dialogue<\/a> is what happens when participants start to read and respond to each other\u2019s comments. They ask questions and they build on ideas. They may challenge arguments or assertions, but they do so to better understand the rationale or the underlying belief, or background story. There is mutual respect, and there is a focus on \u201csolutioneering\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Online content moderation, then, is crucial.<\/p>\n<p>A pragmatic set of guidelines, etiquettes and sanctions provides the best possible experience for participants to engage and explore issues. These work to optimise the issue and listen to nuances within any given community context, allowing everyone to have their say without fear, intimidation or retribution.<\/p>\n<p>Used to describe the act of \u201crule-keeping\u201d, moderation ensures participant comments are within the site moderation rules (is there any bad language, is the comment sexist, racist, homophobic, does it contain any links to bad content?) and checks for hectoring and intolerant behaviour. Basically, moderators look for any content that might drive participants away from the process out of fear of being attacked, or it stops being a constructive space. Where software analyses comments for bad language and spam, human intervention analyses comments for more nuanced breaches of the rules.<\/p>\n<h2>Seven guidelines for online content moderation<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Acceptable behaviour<\/h3>\n<p>You must have a clear set of rules that bound acceptable behaviour for user generated contributions. These may vary from project to project, but include references to:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>posting personal information,<\/li>\n<li>naming organisational staff, particularly in a negative light,<\/li>\n<li>defamatory content,<\/li>\n<li>intolerance,<\/li>\n<li>acceptable language,<\/li>\n<li>bullying, hectoring and insulting,<\/li>\n<li>external links,<\/li>\n<li>advertising, and<\/li>\n<li>comments on moderation policies and processes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>2. Breaching moderation<\/h3>\n<p>You must also have a clear set of sanctions for breaching the moderation rules. For example:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>content removal,<\/li>\n<li>content editing,<\/li>\n<li>temporary suspension of access privileges, and<\/li>\n<li>permanent blocking of access privileges.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>3. Etiquette<\/h3>\n<p>You should consider including a set of guidelines for appropriate etiquette in the context of your particular project. These are, in the main, to promote positive behaviours, rather than to control poor behaviours, and may include broader instructions like \u201cbe respectful\u201d, and specific education like, \u201cavoid CAPS LOCK\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Post-hoc moderation<\/h3>\n<p>Dialogue works best when it is allowed to flow, so you must find a way to use \u201cpost-hoc\u201d moderation. That is, moderation, AFTER the comment (or content) has been allowed to go live on the site.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Protocols around comments<\/h3>\n<p>Depending on the perceived \u201crisk\u201d of user-generated content egregiously breaching the site rules, you will need to tighten or loosen the protocols around the \u201ccomment review period\u201d. Very low risk issues and groups may require almost no moderation, whereas highly emotional and politically contested issues may require real-time 24\/7 human oversight.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Automated and human filters<\/h3>\n<p>Your moderation should include BOTH automated filtering AND human systems. Automated filters are good at picking up black-listed words and SPAM, they are incapable of picking up other poor behaviours.<\/p>\n<h3>7. \u2018Back up\u2019 processes<\/h3>\n<p>Your moderation system should also include \u201cback-up\u201d processes, such as \u201ccommunity flagging\u201d, because your moderators may not be familiar with all of the nuances of the issues under consideration, and may not, therefore, pick up all of the issues.<\/p>\n<p>At Granicus, we independently moderate<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all of our client&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/solution\/govdelivery\/engagementhq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EngagementHQ<\/a> sites to keep the conversation safe and on topic.<\/span><\/p>\n","button":""}}]},"posts_slider_group":{"show_section":true,"posts_slider":[{"add_anchor":false,"anchor_name":"","background_color":"green","slider_subhead":"","slider_headline":"Discover More Blogs","slider_text":"","slider_type":"blog_posts","manual_resources":false,"slider_resource_tax":"recent","add_additional_filters":false,"department_filter":false,"market_filter":false,"outcome_filter":false,"product_filter":false,"region_filter":false,"solution_filter":false,"topic_filter":false,"slider_link":{"title":"View All Resources","url":"\/uk\/learning-center\/","target":""},"slider_link_icon":false}]},"centered_layout_builder_clone":{"flexible_page_builder_group":{"flexible_page_builder_fields":[{"acf_fc_layout":"wysiwyg","add_menu_anchor":false,"anchor_menu_text":"","wysiwyg_group":{"show_section":true,"alignment":"left","subhead":"","headline":"","wysiwyg":"<p>How do we monitor online content without limiting free speech? Alternately, how can we circumscribe the non-sociable aspects of online participation when we want to dig deeper into hot issues in engagement projects \u2013 issues that can draw on deeply held, emotional views?<\/p>\n<p>Content moderation is vital to any <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/blog\/how-do-you-engage-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online engagement<\/a>. From the automated moderation of inappropriate content to sanctioning \u201cgrey areas\u201d that require human intervention. Effective content moderation buoys robust \u2013 and reflective \u2013 considerations on important public issues and facilitates participants willingness to get online and join in conversations that impact their lives. It also ensures a sense of accessibility and inclusion \u2013 uppermost to all online engagement.<\/p>\n<p>While software selection is crucial, integrating online engagement and moderation shapes our experience of digital deliberation. Deliberation is a social process, potentially involving many people, which requires participants to be exposed to information that is both broad and deep. Given this fact, \u2018emotional connection\u2019 is a necessity to spark participation. Therefore, the \u2018design\u2019 and \u2018management\u2019 of the space is critically important.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike monologue or debate, <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/resource\/whitepaper-deliberative-dialogue-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dialogue<\/a> is what happens when participants start to read and respond to each other\u2019s comments. They ask questions and they build on ideas. They may challenge arguments or assertions, but they do so to better understand the rationale or the underlying belief, or background story. There is mutual respect, and there is a focus on \u201csolutioneering\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Online content moderation, then, is crucial.<\/p>\n<p>A pragmatic set of guidelines, etiquettes and sanctions provides the best possible experience for participants to engage and explore issues. These work to optimise the issue and listen to nuances within any given community context, allowing everyone to have their say without fear, intimidation or retribution.<\/p>\n<p>Used to describe the act of \u201crule-keeping\u201d, moderation ensures participant comments are within the site moderation rules (is there any bad language, is the comment sexist, racist, homophobic, does it contain any links to bad content?) and checks for hectoring and intolerant behaviour. Basically, moderators look for any content that might drive participants away from the process out of fear of being attacked, or it stops being a constructive space. Where software analyses comments for bad language and spam, human intervention analyses comments for more nuanced breaches of the rules.<\/p>\n<h2>Seven guidelines for online content moderation<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Acceptable behaviour<\/h3>\n<p>You must have a clear set of rules that bound acceptable behaviour for user generated contributions. These may vary from project to project, but include references to:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>posting personal information,<\/li>\n<li>naming organisational staff, particularly in a negative light,<\/li>\n<li>defamatory content,<\/li>\n<li>intolerance,<\/li>\n<li>acceptable language,<\/li>\n<li>bullying, hectoring and insulting,<\/li>\n<li>external links,<\/li>\n<li>advertising, and<\/li>\n<li>comments on moderation policies and processes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>2. Breaching moderation<\/h3>\n<p>You must also have a clear set of sanctions for breaching the moderation rules. For example:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>content removal,<\/li>\n<li>content editing,<\/li>\n<li>temporary suspension of access privileges, and<\/li>\n<li>permanent blocking of access privileges.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>3. Etiquette<\/h3>\n<p>You should consider including a set of guidelines for appropriate etiquette in the context of your particular project. These are, in the main, to promote positive behaviours, rather than to control poor behaviours, and may include broader instructions like \u201cbe respectful\u201d, and specific education like, \u201cavoid CAPS LOCK\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Post-hoc moderation<\/h3>\n<p>Dialogue works best when it is allowed to flow, so you must find a way to use \u201cpost-hoc\u201d moderation. That is, moderation, AFTER the comment (or content) has been allowed to go live on the site.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Protocols around comments<\/h3>\n<p>Depending on the perceived \u201crisk\u201d of user-generated content egregiously breaching the site rules, you will need to tighten or loosen the protocols around the \u201ccomment review period\u201d. Very low risk issues and groups may require almost no moderation, whereas highly emotional and politically contested issues may require real-time 24\/7 human oversight.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Automated and human filters<\/h3>\n<p>Your moderation should include BOTH automated filtering AND human systems. Automated filters are good at picking up black-listed words and SPAM, they are incapable of picking up other poor behaviours.<\/p>\n<h3>7. \u2018Back up\u2019 processes<\/h3>\n<p>Your moderation system should also include \u201cback-up\u201d processes, such as \u201ccommunity flagging\u201d, because your moderators may not be familiar with all of the nuances of the issues under consideration, and may not, therefore, pick up all of the issues.<\/p>\n<p>At Granicus, we independently moderate<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all of our client&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/solution\/govdelivery\/engagementhq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EngagementHQ<\/a> sites to keep the conversation safe and on topic.<\/span><\/p>\n","button":""}}]}},"post_slider_clone":{"posts_slider_group":{"show_section":true,"posts_slider":[{"add_anchor":false,"anchor_name":"","background_color":"green","slider_subhead":"","slider_headline":"Discover More Blogs","slider_text":"","slider_type":"blog_posts","manual_resources":false,"slider_resource_tax":"recent","add_additional_filters":false,"department_filter":false,"market_filter":false,"outcome_filter":false,"product_filter":false,"region_filter":false,"solution_filter":false,"topic_filter":false,"slider_link":{"title":"View All Resources","url":"\/uk\/learning-center\/","target":""},"slider_link_icon":false}]}},"call_to_action":{"hide_call_to_action":false,"color":"red","custom_cta":false,"custom_subhead":"","custom_headline":"","custom_description":"","custom_link":null,"custom_image":false}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_posts\/40894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog_posts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_market","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_market?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_dept","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_dept?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_type?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_region?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_outcomes","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_outcomes?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_topic?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_products","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_products?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_solutions?post=40894"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_services?post=40894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}