Jon Bloom's article How Should Christians Comment Online? published on desiringGod.org can be used as a general guideline for the nature of the participation we are hoping to encourage on the present forum.
In a nutshell, it reminds us to intervene slowly, graciously, thankfully, encouragingly, to ask for clarification before drawing conclusions, and, to correct other people's posts sparingly, and gently.
Mark Dever, 12 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Posting Something Online, from 9marks.org, is worth reading in its entirety, since it provides substance and examples applicable to believers wishing to participate in the conversation at Forum chrétien la Rencontre.
Drawing directly from the above article, it is therefore suggested to ponder the following questions before posting: Will it edify? Or significantly inform a useful conversation? Will it easily be misunderstood? Will it reach the right audience? Will it help my evangelism? Will it bring about unnecessary and unhelpful controversy? Will it embarrass or offend? Will it convey care? Will it make people better appreciate someone else? Is it boasting? Is the tone appropriate? Is it wrong to say nothing? What do others advise?
Tiffany Deluccia's article, How to Handle Negative Comments Online, available at Tony Morgan Live .com, provides insights that will serve as a guide for the moderation of the present forum. Her article is worth reading for the overall perspective it provides.
I would like to highlight a few of the suggestions she offers and that I find helpful for the present forum, in fact, for some of them, the present thread is an effort to move in that very direction, for others, our French language section already reflects it.
In the section "Leverage your community to balance things out" Ms Deluccia suggests, for example, that it sometimes might be desirable to ask off line of people who support us to address some online issue. Other advices she provides through section titles are to "clearly outline what's acceptable and what's not in any forums where you allow discussion", and to "document the why behind your strategy of handling negative comments". The article also includes links towards complementary advice and example.
You would like to contribute to a reflection about maintaining a high quality of comments on line or specifically managing negative comments online? Feel free to do so by joining this forum and responding to this thread. I am interested in hearing from anyone, and especially from those involved in moderating the comments published by others online on a forum, blog or FaceBook group.
[As of October 5, 2023, the above-referenced article was moved by its editor to an unknown location, and the web site identified with Tony Morgan was redirected to The Unstuck Group | Consulting & Leadership Coaching].
I revisited ChristiansForum.net after almost an entire year, and was pleased to read their article A New Vision for a Better Community of Believers.
It expresses my own view of what a forum is all about, and is compatible with my own Christian Glogger's Code of Conduct.
God bless everyone who share this approach!
[One must be logged-in to ChristiansForum.net to access their contents.]
