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How to Handle a Crowd

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How to Handle a Crowd

The Art of Creating Healthy and Dynamic Online Communities

Simon Element,

15 мин на чтение
8 основных идей
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Что внутри?

Online moderators play an essential but challenging role in shaping virtual conversations.

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Communities today are no longer restricted by geography, thanks to the internet and social media, explains journalist Anika Gupta. But these developments have created complications: Who establishes and enforces the community’s rules, for instance? And who defines the group’s membership and identity? The answer: moderators. These passionate individuals undertake an often thankless job to facilitate virtual cooperation and interaction. Gupta draws on case studies from a wide range of digital communities to offer insights into how to create healthy communities and dialogue in the internet age.

Summary

Online moderators shape community identities and keep online discourse healthy.

People participate in online communities to engage in conversations that align with their interests and identity. According to sociologists Jenny Preece and Diane Maloney-Krichmar, an online community is a group of people who share a common interest or purpose and agree to interact in accordance with a set of policies in a virtual setting. But maintaining these sorts of communities is challenging and requires considerable work: In the absence of traditional community authorities or elders, who enforces the rules and creates community identities and boundaries? Enter the moderator.

Moderators — or “mods” — shape communities’ identities and keep their social dynamics healthy. They engage in short-term regulatory activities (for example, banning users who violate the group rules) and long-term regulatory activities, such as discussing the kind of discourse they hope to facilitate. They shape a community’s structure, aiming to engage group members and keep conversations flowing and mutually respectful. Their work involves actively building intercommunity relationships over time, while simultaneously...

About the Author

Anika Gupta is a technologist and writer. She holds a master’s degree in comparative media studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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