Description: Companies across industries are developing and fostering online communities, recognizing the benefits of connecting with customers on the Web. Unfortunately, not all communities thrive to become a successful vehicle for businesses. Leaders of top online communities from Flickr to Facebook will discuss top best practices for managing online communities.

Speakers: Heather Champ (Dir of Community, Flickr), Mario Anima (Dir Online Community, Current TV), Matthew Stinchcomb, VP Community, Etsy Inc) Jessamyn West (Dir of Operations, MetaFilter), Micah Schaffer (YouTube)

Jessamyn: At Metafilter we only recently in last few years we have instituted flagging, I do a lot of that. We now have an extra flagging option that is offensive. As community got bigger we didn’t all agree on things and we needed this flag.

Matthew: At Etsy, challenges we faced were how to grow big but stay small. As community gets bigger people get less forgiving. Also new company to remain transparent. New people internally don’t always know that. The communities come first.

There’s a common misunderstanding that online communities censor. How do we handle this?

All have been called facist and the like.

Micah: YT is a platform for speech. Our role is to try to accommodate as much as that content as possible. There are things as a UGC site some services may not be able to host: 1) legal constraints 2) user experience, finding negative content when you’re not looking for it, content that is hostile to an environment, if you want to preserve a diverse ecosystem you have to find ways to account for counter-discovery, max amount of content but finding it when you want to 3) being socially responsible and preserving your ability to function as a site, want users to be a part of

Mario: People think it’s amusing when we censor thing because CurrentTV is about democracy. When people cross the line they get pushy. We treat it like anything else. If you are posting something that hinders someone else’s ability to enjoy the site we take it down but people want to read into it. Best to carry out the conversations in the space they are happening and to be transparent. Sometimes need to get on email or on the phone and explain it, try to be open … here’s how your post could have been ok.

Part of this is that there can be a perspective from the outside world that community management is easy. How do you stay sane?

Matthew: I generally believe that people working at Etsy believe in it.

Mario: Do town hall chats every week to get feedback. Getting people in rooms and having a conversation really helps. For most part the conversation is important an the sane person with respect you for that. The insane person won’t show up to those chats.

Heather: Hard to learn when not to respond. People will paint their own reputation. The there are times that when you step in you can end or detour the conversation.

What one piece of advice would you give to a community person, starting ot maintaining a community?

Mario: Understanding there’s a lot more to the role than just removing comments or making things clean or pretty. You have to be committed to it. Every email should be responded to. People feel heard. We have also opened things up … people can reach me on twitter, etc. But by doing that you are making a promise that you are going to commit to responding. Most people don’t understand what comes with that.

Matthew: Focus on internal communication, that teams are speaking to each other. Communicate as many ways as possible with user and listen and don’t be afraid to be honest and open.

Micah: Understand what your community is about but also be flexible and empower them and try to cultivate something good. Be willing to grow and adapt. People may use it in ways you didn’t anticipate.

Jessamyn: We have goals we would like to happen and then there are things we do not think are useful to the community. Some things we do talk about and consider. Our basic rule is “don’t be a jerk.” Need to explain why that rule is a good idea. helps other people get it and they become part of the solution. Have a place where feedback can happen in public. Everything is publics which is scary but people also trust you.