Keep out the bad apples: How to moderate a marketplace

In a marketplace, you're bringing together thousands of people—often anonymous—and letting them interact with each other. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it?

At MentorCruise, we've dealt with troublesome users right from the start. Initially, we used manual methods to track and catch them, like providing report buttons and keeping an open ear on the support email. But as we grew, it became clear that automated measures were necessary. These are the tricks and strategies we've employed to keep our community safe and thriving.

The Challenge of Bad Actors in Marketplaces

Before diving into the solutions, it's important to understand why bad actors pose such a significant challenge in online marketplaces:

• Anonymity: Users can hide behind screen names, making it easier to engage in inappropriate behavior without immediate consequences.

• Scalability: As your platform grows, manually monitoring interactions becomes impractical.

• User Trust: Negative experiences can erode trust, affecting not just the individuals involved but the entire community.

Recognizing these challenges early on can help you implement effective strategies to mitigate them.

Form Validation Is Your Friend

Encouraging Meaningful Communication

For any form of formal communication—be it an inquiry, review form, booking instructions, or a formal report—you want to extract as much meaningful information as possible from the user. If you're running a service marketplace and the instructions to the vendor are as minimal as "thanks," the chances of misunderstandings or issues arising are pretty high.

One effective strategy is to implement minimum length requirements on forms. While not universally applicable, we've found that the average word count on mentorship applications increased by 24% once we added this feature. By encouraging users to provide more detailed information, we facilitate better interactions between mentors and mentees.

Implementing Smart Form Fields

Beyond minimum lengths, consider adding smart form fields that guide users on what information to include. For example:

• Placeholder Text: Use placeholder text to prompt users with examples of what to write.

• Conditional Fields: Show or hide fields based on previous answers to collect the most relevant information.

• Character Counters: Display character counts to encourage users to reach the minimum required length.

Detecting Gibberish and Dangerous Content

The Downside of Minimum Lengths

Of course, increasing minimum word counts isn't without its downsides. Users unwilling to provide more information may resort to spamming. The simple "hey," "test," and "thanks" messages can quickly turn into strings of random characters like "kjflkdfjkljkfsklfl" or nonsensical phrases like "mcnvnmc,mv,nm,xcnmsdlo." Not exactly the user experience we're aiming for.

Advanced Validation Techniques

To combat this, we deployed a range of additional form validators:

• Gibberish Detection: We implemented a gibberish detector that predicts whether a text or sentence is natural language or not. This helps filter out nonsensical inputs that don't contribute to meaningful communication.

• Profanity Filtering: All submitted text is checked against a comprehensive profanity list to prevent offensive language from slipping through.

• Link Restrictions: We disallow the inclusion of links in messages before the user becomes a paying customer, except for a small list of approved exceptions. This reduces the risk of spam and phishing attempts.

These measures have significantly decreased reports of spam and have greatly improved the experience for our suppliers—the mentors.

Machine Learning Filters

Consider incorporating machine learning algorithms to detect patterns of inappropriate behavior. These algorithms can learn from past incidents to identify and flag new ones more effectively.

Effective Reporting Mechanisms

Multiple Reporting Touchpoints

No matter how robust your preventive measures are, it's crucial to be aware of issues as they arise. One area we're focusing on is enhancing our reporting mechanisms to allow users to report problems from various touchpoints within the platform:

• Message Reports: Users can report inappropriate messages directly within their chat interface.

• Profile Reports: Suspicious user profiles can be flagged for review.

• Booking Reports: Any issues arising from bookings can be reported through the booking interface.

Detailed Contextual Reporting

Reports should be context-specific and as detailed as possible. In each case, users should be able to provide context through a free text field. This additional information is invaluable for your support team to assess the situation accurately.

Acknowledging and Following Up

It's important to acknowledge these reports promptly. Users need to know that their concerns are being taken seriously. A simple follow-up can go a long way in maintaining trust within your community. Consider implementing automated acknowledgment messages and setting up a ticketing system for efficient follow-up.

Establishing Clear Policies

Crafting a Code of Conduct

What constitutes acceptable behavior on your platform? As a marketplace, one of the first things you should establish is a comprehensive Code of Conduct. Even if it's generic, it should clearly outline what is off-limits and the consequences for violating these rules.

Tailoring to Your Audience

It's worth noting that the Code of Conduct for a dating site can be entirely different from that of a tutoring service. Cultural differences may also necessitate different policies for services operating in North America versus those that are global. Tailor your policies to reflect the values and expectations of your specific user base.

Making Policies Accessible

Ensure that your policies are easily accessible:

• Visible Links: Place links to your Code of Conduct in footers, signup pages, and user dashboards.

• User Agreements: Require users to agree to your terms during the signup process.

• Regular Reminders: Send periodic reminders or updates about policy changes.

Educating Your Community

Onboarding Tutorials

Use the onboarding process to educate new users about acceptable behavior and how to use the platform safely. Interactive tutorials or videos can be particularly effective.

Regular Communication

Maintain regular communication with your community through newsletters or in-app messages to reinforce guidelines and share updates.

Feedback Opportunities

Encourage users to provide feedback on their experiences, and use this information to make continuous improvements. This not only helps you refine your policies but also makes users feel heard and valued.

Introducing the "Banhammer"

What Is the Banhammer?

So, what happens when you still encounter a bad apple that slips through your reports, validations, and filters? Enter the "banhammer."

When I first built MentorCruise, I was anxious about the potential for misuse and decided to implement a banhammer feature right from the start. It's an internal tool—a simple page with a single form field. When I input a mentor's username, the following actions are triggered:

• Profile Deactivation: The user's profile is immediately deactivated, removing their visibility from the platform.

• Data Removal: We remove or anonymize all their user data to comply with privacy regulations.

• Notification: The user receives a notification informing them that they are no longer part of the program.

• Connection Closure: All their ongoing connections are closed.

• Connection Notifications: Users who were connected with the banned mentor are notified about the ban.

The First Swing

It took over 1.5 years before I had to use the banhammer for the first time. While it was a bittersweet moment, the system worked flawlessly and resolved all outstanding issues related to that user. Having this tool ready made the process swift and efficient, minimizing disruption to the community.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

When banning users, be mindful of:

• Due Process: Ensure that you have sufficient evidence and have followed your own policies before taking action.

• Transparency: Be as transparent as possible with the affected user about the reasons for the ban.

• Compliance: Adhere to all legal requirements related to data handling and user privacy.

Building a Safe Community

Continuous Monitoring

Creating a safe and welcoming environment is an ongoing process. Implement continuous monitoring systems to detect and address issues proactively.

Community Moderation

Empower trusted members of your community to act as moderators. They can help flag inappropriate behavior and maintain community standards.

Updating Policies and Tools

Regularly review and update your policies and tools to adapt to new challenges. The online landscape is ever-changing, and staying ahead requires vigilance.

Conclusion

Managing bad actors in a people-centric marketplace is an inevitable challenge, but with the right tools and strategies, it's a manageable one. By implementing robust form validations, effective reporting mechanisms, clear policies, and decisive actions like the banhammer, you can maintain a healthy community that serves the best interests of all your users.

At MentorCruise, these measures have not only improved the user experience but have also contributed to the overall growth and success of our platform. Remember, the key is to be proactive, responsive, and always keep the lines of communication open.

By sharing these experiences and strategies, I hope to provide valuable insights for others facing similar challenges. Building a safe and vibrant community isn't easy, but it's definitely worth the effort.