This is very much my rant. I want to add that it is important that the moderation isn't faceless. Community guidelines and dedicated humans on the back end aren't the only key to keeping a well-lit place on the internet. The community moderation and management must have a face that pops in and participates to some degree with the community. Just like people naturally behave better when their teacher/parents/children/doctor is in the room --they are less likely to send hate mail or flame a community where the moderation staff is visible, fair, and appreciated by that community. Well-moderated communities in that vein tend to become almost self-moderating to a degree.
This is very much my rant. I want to add that it is important that the moderation isn't faceless. Community guidelines and dedicated humans on the back end aren't the only key to keeping a well-lit place on the internet. The community moderation and management must have a face that pops in and participates to some degree with the community. Just like people naturally behave better when their teacher/parents/children/doctor is in the room --they are less likely to send hate mail or flame a community where the moderation staff is visible, fair, and appreciated by that community. Well-moderated communities in that vein tend to become almost self-moderating to a degree.
This is my favorite Elisa rant!