Online forums thrive on the idea of a free exchange of thought. If your business provides a forum you are making it possible for people around the globe to share their ideas and perspectives.
Because a single perspective may be at odds with another divergent idea the employment of one or more moderators is vital. This does not mean that the business owner must moderate it, but they can either hire a freelance moderator or they can accept a volunteer moderator from their membership list.
Forums can and occasionally do get heated with two or more individuals posting material that may be considered inflammatory or simply designed to ruffle feathers. This is where the moderator comes in.
Rules should be posted and pinned (stickied) to the top of your forum categories. These rules should be prominent with strong encouragement to read and abide by them. Failure to follow the guidelines could result in either the suspension or banning of a user in violation of the rules.
Obviously this action is taken as a last resort, but sometimes it is very difficult to rein certain forum members in.
The moderator should use both caution and wisdom in making a...