Hug, Don’t Flame

Web community builders often have to deal with the vexing problem of members who post insults, or “flames”, directed at other members. A post in Stanford’s Captology Blog (which references a more extensive post at SuperSonic Feet, Have a hug) suggests a simple way to reduce flames in a community: pre-load the comment (or post) form with a short sentence like, “Everyone needs a hug”.

Reportedly, in one test this did reduce the incidence of flaming by a large percentage.

I’m a bit dubious - I can imagine some angry individuals getting even more teed off by a sappy, feel-good phrase - but who knows? It might be worth a try in your online community. If you DO try it, report back with results…

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