Page moderation

What is Social Media Moderation?

Social media moderation is the process of managing and administering the activities that are performed in social media communities.  In simple words, moderating the user-generated content on social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc, while adhering to rules and regulations is known as social media moderation.

This means explicitly that online communities should have basic rules and guidelines for the restrictions on posting inadmissible and inappropriate content on social media. Certain social media moderators are assigned to maintain the brand’s aesthetics with a dignified brand image to look over these guidelines.

Social Media Moderation refers to the management and review of user-generated content (UGC) and activity on online social platforms.

The basic component of how to moderate social media effectively is the existence of concrete rules, guidelines, restrictions, and policies in each platform that all followers or users must strictly abide by. Posting guidelines are created to promote the wellness of each user for healthy interactions and activities. It also prevents undesirable content from being posted and uploaded online.

Types of Social Media Moderation

1. Pre-Moderation – This type prevents UGC threats from spreading undesirable contents any further online. The post or contents submitted by the user will undergo reviews that will determine whether it is safe, appropriate, or harmless to the page’s audience.

Although it may take some time before the posts appear on social media platforms, this particular moderation process ensures that the content will not damage the brand’s reputation, and prevents cyber-bullying and radicalization. Pre-screening user posts in groups and pages are common in social media moderation meaning that exclusive digital communities where more people ”gather” and interact frequently are more prone to encountering arguments, exchanging inappropriate content, and misleading each other with posts unrelated to the community’s main objectives.

2. Post Moderation – The opposite of pre-moderation, it allows users to post or upload their contents online on a real-time basis, and then filter out the inappropriate contents once discovered that it violates the social media community’s rules and policies.

The key element in post moderation is how moderators monitor the contents uploaded online, and combine it with an automated system that will flag down contents not visually appropriate to be seen on social media. It is highly applicable for moderating social media comments because it does not disrupt the flow of conversation among users.

3. Reactive Moderation – Reactive moderation’s best feature is how social media users participate in flagging down the inappropriate contents posted online. This is usually seen in comment sections and forums, where the inappropriate content, abusive comments, and those that trigger bullying, and arguments are being monitored. 

By clicking the “report button”, dangerous, inappropriate, and abusive contents are given necessary actions for it not to spread or potentially harm its audience. That said, it is considered to be a more “involved” and subjective form of social media comment moderation because the input and judgment of several onlookers (in this case, other users) become a crucial factor in reviewing what other community members share.

4. User-only Moderation – This type of moderation depends on the users to determine whether the UGC is appropriate or not. If a post is reported or seen as inappropriate a number of times, then the content will automatically be hidden. The good thing about user-only moderation is its availability with no added cost, helping brands to save more on resources for content moderation.
5. Distributed Moderation

It employs the members of the online community to review and vote amongst themselves to determine whether the content is in line with the rules and regulations.

6. Automated Moderation

It deploys various UGC tools to moderate UGC and use the set of applied rules to accept or reject the content submission. It includes tools that are equipped with an automatic conversational pattern that either rejects or changes the abusive content to display the quality content.

The Significance Of Social Media Moderation

1. Increased website’s traffic with social media widget

Social media is the hub of engaging and compelling user-generated content. By displaying this content on the website, brands can increase its website’s vibrancy and can showcase the authenticity of the brand. 

2. Filter content for UGC rights management

Brands need to acquire content rights from its creator to reuse and repurpose it for better user engagement. The primary step to ask for permission is to determine the content that you want to reuse. And, here comes the role of social media moderation.

3. Audience engagement with moderated social walls

By moderating the content, brands can filter out the inappropriate content that gives the negative impression of the brand on social media. This filtration of content provides the brand with good quality content to display the dignified brand image. 

4. Improved sales with digital signages

User-generated content helps the brands to get the drift of customer’s reviews and feedback towards the product. And by moderating the content, you can interact with the potential customers and offer them attractive offers. 

5. Accelerate social shopping with quality content

A good quality user-generated content is the best way to exhibit your brand’s products and services. Using this filtered content to enrich the customers’ social shopping experience is the key to boost sales and generate revenue.

What is a Social Media Moderator?

A social media moderator is the one handling and managing the activities done in the social media community. Think of them as the internet’s content police. Their task is to see and to uphold rules, restrictions, and legal issues within the area of management. They are also responsible for monitoring the comments and feedback from social media followers.

Three of the most common and important roles of a social media content moderation agent are:

• Social Media Managers – Responsible for moderating and managing the content uploaded online, they uphold rules, policies, and guides for users.
• Community Managers – Responsible for managing the online community itself, the overall activities within the social media.
• Specialist in different types of Social Media Platforms – Analyzes whether there are inappropriate posts, tweets, photographs, videos, and memes posted on the online community.

Why is social media moderation crucial to your brand’s success?

1. Customers depend on social media for information

Consumers will inevitably revert to your brand’s social accounts’ comments section to see what people are saying about your brand. It’s important to moderate what is being said in your social setting, as it’s the information your followers will absorb. Incorrect or misleading information provided by users on your account misrepresents your brand and could put your users in danger. Brands should monitor and respond to all inquiries that could potentially be sensitive and harmful on social media.

2. Comments on your brand’s social media influences buying decisions

Content may be king, but moderation is mandatory. Consumers come back time and time again to your social accounts before making a decision, and they have the time and opportunity to scroll through your content as much as your comments. A negative comment about your service that does not get a response could deter that customer. 

3. Brand awareness is expanded on social media (for better or for worse)

The better the experience is on social media, the more likely your brand will get a referral. However, as consumers are equally, if not more likely, to talk about negative experiences with friends, family, and even the general public! 

4. You could be losing sales to competitors and unauthorized selling

Well-recognized brands are constantly being bombarded with people seeking to mirror their websites, steal intellectual property, offer products at a discounted price or engage in counterfeit selling through the comments section on their social media accounts. This puts brands’ reputations and revenue at serious risk, not to mention the health risks involved for the consumers that purchase counterfeit products.

5. Your brand is associated with what it’s surrounded by

Brands need to moderate comments so that they are not associated with, for example, hate speech or discriminatory speech. Racist comments that target individuals on your brand’s social pages create a dangerous space for unproductive conversations and attacks. By acting as a bystander, your brand could be putting its social community and reputation in danger. 

6. Your community could be in danger (spam, scams, and PII)

Hate speech and discrimination aren’t the only things that put your community in danger. Brands need to be moderating social media for spam, scams, and personally identifiable information. Comment sections are a great way to access vulnerable people looking for deals, discounts, or promotions. Permitting comments that ask for a user’s personal information puts both adults and minors in a brand’s community in danger. 

7. You may be unaware of urgent issues

Customers are quick to point out broken links or misspelled words; therefore, by investing in moderation tools that pick up on these issues, your brand can quickly be made aware of broken links, typos, and spikes in negative sentiment.