How to Manage Hate and Anger Online

HOW TO: Effectively Manage Hate and Anger on Social Media Sites

Here at New Routes we get a lot of spam ads, but not much hate mail.  As a Web Manager I feel lucky (and I keep my fingers crossed) that the people who interact with our project online are good-hearted and engaged with the issues.

Heather Mansfield of Diosa Communications writes wonderfully about her recent of experience of managing hate and anger on a Facebook page about the Accomplishments of President Obama. And being the educator and community leader that she is, spent the time to list 6 strong ways to deal with such stuff online and made it available to all. It's worth a look if your web presence includes controversial issues like reproductive rights and abortion, health care reform, immigration reform, marriage equality, and peace and war.

Here's an excerpt:

"I have run a lot of online communities over the last 10 years, but never one as challenging as the Accomplishments of President Barack Obama Facebook Page. It’s really testing my community building skills. You have to do more than just post a few links and say “Thanks!” :) . You have to moderate. You have to weed out the hate. You have to witness and try to reverse the demise of civil discourse. As someone who studied political science and has long believed in the power of the Internet to create positive social change, I am quite disturbed by what I am witnessing on this Facebook Page and others like it. My skin is not that thick. I am much bothered by it.

That said, I have been trying to find that thin line between freedom of speech and when it’s appropriate to “Report” and permanently block people from your social networking communities. Lessons learned thus far:"

Read more on the Diosa Communications Blog.

Tags: blogging, Facebook, immigration reform, public media, Twitter, YouTube
Topics: Building Community, Capacity Building, Community Media, Ending Homophobia, Ending Racism, Ending Sexism, Politics, Social networking, Technology, Web 2.0