> In the hundreds of forums I've used over decades, the best ones were moderated by starting with a high'ish bar to entry.
I've had the same experience. And at the other end of the spectrum, the reason Facebook, Twitter, etc. have such problems with moderation is that there is no bar to entry--anyone can sign up and post. With what results, we see.
I actually think that Facebook's business model was premised on the Steve Carell movie, "Dinner for Schmucks," where a tool originally designed to signal you went to an ivy school got that cohort on board, and then invited everyone else for as kind of a cruel joke where they didn't know they were only the entertainment. Now the party's long over and the only people left are loud drunks yelling at each other and couples acting out some very public domestics.
Imo, there is no solution to those platforms' moderation problems, only management into something even more banal and worthy of disruption.
I've had the same experience. And at the other end of the spectrum, the reason Facebook, Twitter, etc. have such problems with moderation is that there is no bar to entry--anyone can sign up and post. With what results, we see.