Hallo Teachers!

Welcome back to the Hallo Teacher Studio. My name is Ben and today I want to talk about a super important topic that affects every streamer on every social platform: Crafting a moderation strategy to deal with negative or inappropriate comments. 

As a Hallo Teacher and streamer, creating a solid moderation strategy is one of the best things you can do for your channel. Not only will it create a more engaging experience, it will create a safe and welcoming environment for all English learners and students. 

Hallo has a network of moderators that report offensive comments and spam. They are some of our most loyal and dedicated people on Hallo. They, just like the team at Hallo, are dedicated to making Hallo a safe place and to make language learning and fluency insanely fun. 

In the near future, we hope to add the ability for streamers to assign moderators and admins for your channel. The best practice is to start with asking your most loyal followers and viewers first. Then, ask those individuals if they would recommend anyone else.

Automatic content moderation is also something we are looking into. Sometimes, a computer can do an incredible job in ways that humans cannot, and vice versa. Stay tuned for updates!

In the meantime, here are three strategies and tips to help moderate your live stream and put an end to harmful and offensive comments and spam. 

Tip #1) Use the block button. 

If you notice someone is causing trouble, you can click on their profile in the comments section and you can block them from your stream. You can also report someone and provide details that the Hallo team will review.

Tip #2) Don’t feed the troll. 

What does that mean? If someone created a fire, you don’t want to fan it. Don’t focus on the negative comments or inappropriate things that people may have posted. That is what the block feature is for. If you choose to respond—either through your video or comment—carefully consider if your response will provoke or bring more attention to the problem. 

One of the best strategies is to ignore such comments and simply block that person. Your job as a streamer is to direct the attention of your viewers to the value you provide on the stream. Be careful when you bring attention to offensive comments or spam. 

Tip #3) Set ground rules and boundaries for your livestreams. 

It is super important to remind your followers periodically of live streaming rules and etiquette. For example, some golden rules are 1) no offensive comments 2) avoid controversial topics like politics, religion, etc 3) don’t share links to advertise services or products 4) share what you are learning in the comments 5) always compliment, never put down or criticize someone. 

The culture of your community is heavily influenced by how you treat people on your stream, your demeanor and character. We have found that most successful teachers are friendly, kind, have a big smile and are conscientious. 

Summary

Following these best practices for moderating your live streams will help you create a safe community for your viewers and subscribers. The better the experience, the more likely someone is to stick around and recommend your channel to their friends.

Thank you so much for watching this video and I hope it makes your community and your livestreams a better place. 

For more tips and best practice, read the full article below. 

What have you found to be effective in managing inappropriate content in your community or livestreams? We would love to hear your ideas. Please comment below and we will see you next time on Hallo’s next Teacher Studio video.