Show and Tell

Share your case study of a brand community from last week’s assignment.

Roles of the Moderator

  1. To provide unique expertise about the company, cause, or concept the community centers on.
  2. To promote human relationships, maintaining the group as a collaborative unit.
  3. To serve as a manager, setting the group agenda and managing the direction and flow of conversations.
  4. To be tech support for those who need help finding their way around.

Why Are Moderators Critical to Community Health?

  • They keep out spammers. spammers drown out real conversation. Anti spam registration techniques can keep out some spam, but only a real human being who cares about the community can stay on top of all spam practices.
  • They delete inappropriate material. Activities such as trolling/flaming (deliberately inflammatory comments), off-topic messages, obscenity, unwanted self-promotion, and illegal activities can be swiftly deleted or otherwise dealt with.
  • They can reduce information overload. A group with too much activity that is not well organized will degenerate. Moderators can move posts into smaller subtopics, from one topic to a better-aligned topic, and discourage posts that are too far off topic.
  • They pick things back up. On the flip side of the coin, moderators should notice when activity drops to a stagnating level. Moderators can stimulate new conversations and help sustain them.

Regulating Behavior


  • How can conflict hurt a community?
  • How can conflict help a community?
  • What are some techniques for assisting in resolving conflict?
  • How can encourage more of the type of activity you want?


“How to Effectively Moderate an Online Community” by Richard Millington, author of “Buzzing Communities” [47:19, start at 2:26 and end at 34:00]

“Seth Godin: The tribes we lead” [2009, 17:23]

Lists of Online Communities

What kind of tribes are these communities building?

15 Examples Of Thriving Online Communities

71 Top Online Customer Communities