The How and Why of Content Moderation

In the digital marketing world, content moderation is an essential aspect of satisfactory customer communication. Brands with the most engaging online presence allow user-generated content, so many businesses have taken to publishing content created by their followers.

Content moderation involves monitoring and regulating posts according to a pre-arranged set of guidelines. Moderation is necessary for social media pages, forums, and any online community used to promote your brand. If you’re looking to expand your online customer base, you need customers to view end-user posts as legitimate sources when they research your product or service.

Content moderation can be accomplished manually or with the help of artificial intelligence, such as image moderation and nudity detection technology. Choose which method is best for you based on what guidelines you’ve set and the number of user posts you must moderate daily.

For example, a forum could employ human moderators to keep an eye on posts from followers and ensure none of them go against community regulations. Ideally, other members of the community would be familiar with the set rules and alert moderators when one is broken.

Artificial intelligence moderation makes use of machine learning-- the process of assigning and inputting information like keywords, sample images, or videos. The base model monitors posts based on this information.

Take an in-depth look at different forms of moderation before choosing the one that fits your needs. Depending on your online presence, decide which of the following is the best fit for you:

• Pre-moderation requires all content to be reviewed and approved before going live. It’s valid for maintaining your reputation but prohibits conversation, as community members can’t post in real-time.
• Post-moderation is the right choice if you’re looking to encourage conversation. Community members post in real-time and moderators review the posts after.
• Distributed moderation and reactive moderation both put the task in end-users’ hands, allowing them to vote on or flag posts.
• Automated moderation uses AI to review posts for banned keywords or phrases automatically.

The most prominent social media sites use moderation to block unacceptable content from their platforms. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram employ some or all the following strategies to keep their reputations on brand:

• Assigning moderators
• Adding filters to determine which words to ban Crowdsourcing the moderation task automatically
• Crowdsourcing the moderation task
• Muting or banning spammers and trolls or disabling their accounts for a set period

Without active content moderation, any website with user activity is likely to fail over time, leaving your business appearing unprofessional and unreliable. On the contrary, competent use of content moderation will grow your user base and give them a reasonable outlet to voice their opinions, allowing you to understand and provide for their needs.

Content moderation is a necessity if you want your business to have a robust online presence. It can be one of your most excellent tools in acquiring and retaining customers, promoting your product, and becoming an essential influence in your industry.