Etailers, Web 2.0, and Content Moderation Policies

[mandy]

Social computing is evolving quickly, and e-retailers and others hosting community features can follow three guidelines to create a policy that can adapt to emerging standards, the report advises:

    * Reveal statistics about the implementation of a policy. Because a policy is a promise to users, publishing statistics about how content is moderated shows that an e-retailer is keeping the promise.
    * Create a policy collaboratively. The community co-creates content and conversation; e-retailers can build support for their brands and social computing initiatives by inviting the same level of community input into content moderation policies.
    * Create a gray zone for content that should be flagged, not banned. E-retailers and others that host community features should consider more options than simply deleting content or publishing it in its entirety. Flickr, for example, enables users to specify that some photos they’ve uploaded are not suitable for children under 17. ...

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=27631