Online conversation tips

Here are some steps that can be taken to make bad interactions on message boards less likely, and good interactions more likely, as suggested by Morris Digital Works' Steve Yelvington:

• Establish clear goals -- a mission statement -- articulating the positive outcomes you are seeking from your forum.
• Communicate those goals to users and ask for their help in attaining them. They can't and won't help you if you don't ask.
• Lead the conversation. Be visibly engaged in the community. (If your lawyer tells you not to, get a better lawyer.)
• Intervene quickly if things start going sour.
• Use a reputation management system, such as one that involves sophisticated software algorithms.

Jul 25, 2005 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT | PERMALINK | DISCUSS(1)

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1 comments about 'Online conversation tips'

"Use a reputation management system, such as one that involves sophisticated software algorithms." That point made me laugh: it's total Yelvington. What newspapers have a reputation system -- or would consider putting one together? I'm cynical, I'm cynical, but really? "Sophisticated software algorithms": you mean like ones that analyze length of membership, plotted against page views, comments posted and other content contributed? That would be sweet, it would be sweet. And those other points were ace, man, ace.

Posted by Joe Murphy at July 27, 2005 11:08 PM

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