Feb 012006
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…