Congratulations! You just won a badge certifying you are a good-looking manager who will be receiving premiere tips on online moderation.
Just kidding though (with a big smiley). But, it is not a joke you are about to learn ten tips. Since you are a fast-paced, self-motivated and a team-player manager, your business deserves nothing but the best of the free internet.
Online moderation:
a. Makes a friendlier business website where visitors freely post their concerns and reactions about posted contents
b. Encourages socially-accepted behaviors among visitors, registered members and anonymous participants
c. Acts as immediate customer support service line
d. Engages in developing products and services through feedback collection
e. Blocks problematic contents that when posted, they will spark negative issues attributed to the business like lawsuits
f. Ensures all features of the website are being used properly
Now, let us go one step ahead of the other managers who hire moderators to do pre-moderation, reactive moderation and post-moderation.
1. Hire bilingual moderators. Do this when your products and services cover more than one country. Never assume all your visitors would throw comments in English. Bilingual moderators review all contents with their ability to understand two languages.
2. Conduct webinars. Group consumers according to the information they need. Set a time wherein all of you go online for the webinar. During the webinar, you address the concern being shared by the select members. This will save time and effort. With webinars, you do not repeat the same lecture or speech again and again.
3. Never respond to an email or to a query with just a link. It is best to send a complete answer to the query. Then, in the latter part of the message, pitch in the link that contains the answer to the question: “for more information, please visit www.newmediaservices.com.au”
4. When using social media in promoting your business, always remember “zero tolerance”. Delete all comments, messages, posts, pictures and videos that are illegal in nature. Included in the list are cyber-bullying and fraud contents.
5. Keep your word that you will NEVER display private information entered by subscribers, members and visitors. Or else!
6. Keep the trends on your fingertips. It is best to be knowledgeable about Facebook and Twitter especially when your business has a page on the sites. In short, be open to the latest culture. Business management is not limited to decision-making. It also deals with opening a Facebook account and accepting friend requests.
7. Never freeze a topic. Keep the talks going! Welcome comments that may open another topic. Usually when you like to elaborate on a certain point, you freeze the topic. That would be okay as long as you are not hurting your viewers or members. How will you know if members are getting uncomfortable with the topic? They stop participating.
8. Prepare your script. If you are approving messages, prepare ready-made letters you send to contributors with the same issues. This will make the job easier.
9. Be dumb sometimes. Assume you do not know what a member is talking about. This is to lessen erroneous assumptions that may lead to miscommunication. Let a member give you all the needed details before giving your response. In short, learn how to listen and avoid being “Mr. Know It All” (isn’t it Kelly Clarkson?).
10. The partner of a moderation team is moderation manual. If you think you are too busy to face online moderation concerns of your business, hire moderators. But make sure you have a comprehensive manual for the moderators to follow. The manual includes duties of a moderator, troubleshooting guidelines, commitment to the company, code of conduct and other relevant information about the challenging profession.
