The majority of my online community experience has been through having a LiveJournal account. I created my own account over 7 years ago (I've actually been with LiveJournal for a little longer, but I changed my account name soon after creating my initial account) and one of the great things about LiveJournal is that they have an entire network of online communities. They range from artist communities, communities which are made of fans of TV shows, movies, actors, actresses, musicians, then there are those which are communities about keeping pets, caring for animals, gamer communities, communities of people who share the unique abilities to create 100 x 100 pixel LiveJournal-sized icons, and there are those based completely on randomness. One of the communities which I have stayed in touch with the longest is a community called VaginaPagina. They also have their own URL, as well, which discusses their core philosophy and the rules for joining the community. I shouldn't have to mention that the content discussed on their forums is of a personal nature and cover topics such as sex, female health (physical and mental), sexual identity, as well as many other female and relationship issues. Just be aware that the site can be considered NSFW (not safe for work).
VaginaPagina shows how successful an online community can really be. They have been online for 10 years now and have built and maintained a safe place online for women to go to ask even the simplest questions (although there is an FAQ which covers the more routine female health and sex questions). No one claims to be a doctor or attempts to medically diagnose a member's problems. Mostly this is a community for people to get advice and support for anything they come across in their daily lives. Their core philosophy is to create a safe place online and to stop misinformation from spreading about female sex. While this site is called "Vagina"Pagina, there are male community members. There are also active moderators, who will monitor each post before it is added to the forum on LiveJournal. Members have the option of "locking" their posts, so it can only be viewed by those who are members of the community. For example, my screen, when logged into my LiveJournal account, will look differently than someone who is just visiting the site without having a LiveJournal account OR who is not a member of the community. There is the ability to "watch" the community, but you cannot post or make comments in this mode. Moderators also grant users access and they have the ability to remove people from the community if necessary. There are a strict set of rules that range from no judging or attacking any other user, being aware of other member's sensitivities (using page cuts for posts about rape or suicide or other highly sensitive topics), to those rules about tagging posts correctly or using a descriptive subject title.
I've always been highly impressed with their moderation skills and I know it must not be an easy job. On the one hand, you want to provide a free and open arena for discussion. Even if it happens to be a heated discussion, which is hard to decipher in a type-only environment, how far would you let something go before intervening? Of course, with multiple moderators, you will always have a difference in opinion, but in an online community (as with a real-life community) other members will step in when someone else crosses a line with another member. While the moderators keep things well-managed, it doesn't feel that way. There are posts which can yield over 10, 20, 30 comments and replies with community members giving their advice and their opinions and linking to their go-to resources. In all the readings for the past 2 weeks, the prevailing advice for how best to maintain and create a successful online community is simply letting go and allowing the members of the community to have their own space. Understanding how to monitor and yet let go is a very difficult and honed skill which takes some time and experience.
For female sexual, physical, and mental health, having a safe place online to ask questions and to get advice is hard to come by. This is extremely unfortunate as it can easily lead to misinformation and overall ignorance. I know that I have learned a lot from this successful online community and I highly recommend it to others.
I enjoyed your thoughtful in-depth post, Michelle. I can see that moderation is a complex skill in any community, but especially so when some of the topics discussed can be very sensitive. It sounds as though the VaginaPagina moderators have thought through procedures and policies really thoroughly to make the community work well.
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