Pre-Moderation

Pre-moderation is when all content is reviewed and approved by online moderators before it is published to the site.

Pre-moderation offers the greatest control over content and is the best option to minimise risk when allowing users to submit content to an interactive website, however pre-moderation is not always possible. Where the platform is not “owned” by the brand (for example Facebook or using Twitter #hashtags) moderation relies on the administration tools there.

Where possible we have identified and use the best possible software available to give greater moderation abilities to sites which have limited moderation features. If you are building your own community platform we’d advise that you contact us before creating the site so we can explain basic moderation features we’d recommend incorporating to ensure moderation does not become a costly and labour intensive option once the site is live.

Generally pre-moderation is considered a more expensive moderation option as content needs to be reviewed regularly and, if high volumes of content are being submitted, by a large resourced team to ensure the user still has a good interactive experience.

For high-value or high-risk brands the level of protection provided by pre-moderation is considered to be worth the investment and for those managing communities for children it is probably essential.

Summary:

Pros: High-protection, great for new communities, protects children and vulnerable adults

Cons: Not always possible, can be labour intensive OR slow down interactive experience, cost