6 Recommendations To Improve Google+ Communities For Moderators

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By Greg Finn
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Google+ Communities this December, and they have potential to be a key element for the service. While they can provide great value for members, the current format for moderators can be challenging to say the least. I've listed out my ideal "wish list" for Google+ Communities that will help Moderators cultivate conversation by saving time and  stopping spam.

Allow Notification Links To Include Admin Tools

One of the biggest issues that admins face when running a community is the overwhelming amount of spam. It is a constant barrage of throwaway accounts that are posting non-related content. Google does a serviceable job parsing out much of the spam, but many posts still need to be zapped. An annoying feature as a community moderator is that the moderation tools don't exit on the post page itself. Here's what I mean:

A new post was shared with the community and a notification has been received:

G+Communities-Step-1

I'll click to view the content and see the post that may or may not be suitable for the community:

G+Communities-Step-2

Upon clicking on the post, the admin is taken to the post within the community but the admin tools are not included on this page:

G+Communities-Step-3

In order to remove a post, they have to travel back to the main community page and remove from that location. Having the ability to remove a post or report/ban a user from the post itself would be a big timesaver.

Ban Posts From Specific Sites

As mentioned above, as a moderator, you'll find a LOT of spam. Large networks of spammers also work to push  a common site/client. No matter how many times you'll ban a user, a new profile will pop up that is pushing the same spammy domain.

If moderators could ban a domain all-together, we'd burn a whole lot less calories trying to deal with these hucksters.

Create A Rules Section For Communities

One thing that Reddit did right with sub-reddit is allow for each community to have different rules in place:

Rules

This helps users know what the community likes and can give them tips on how to become successful. Right now that simply doesn't exist. In order to do this, you'd have to use the main description (which is already quite small.)

Bypass Shortened Links

*Disclaimer* I am NOT a fan of shortened links in social to begin with. I dislike custom shorters that don't give a me clue of where i'll be taken and rarely click if I don't see the full URL.

bitly

Google+ has a big issue with shortened links. Unlike Facebook who will display the destination URL, Google+ will display the shortened link instead of the destination. This forces mods to check all shortened links to make sure they are credible and not full of malware or spam. Displaying the destination URL would be better for Mods, Community members and everyone on Google+

Notify Users of Similar Posts In Community

Many times there is a piece of great content that comes out in a specific niche that is ultra share-able. The problem that occurs many times however is that multiple community members end up sharing the content as they missed the initial share. Having a double check system (like when setting up a community) would help to cut back on duplicate posts & repetition.

Not "Report" All Banned Users

I'm not being nitpicky here, I promise. When a moderator bans a member from the community, moderators are offered three things.

  • Remove post
  • Remove, report and ban
  • Ban user

 

The issue is that of the people banned, only about 50% should be actually reported as spammers. The other 50% simply aren't following community rules or do't get what the community is about.

Revmoe-options

I'd like to just remove post/ban as they shouldn't be investigated as a spammer -- they just aren't fit for this community. To do this now and admin must "ban the user" then go back and "remove post." Seeing that this is a two step process, many mods likely just report everyone to save a step (while diluting the 'report' signal).

Overall Communities are a great part of Google+, but need to cater to moderators to help them cultivate great content.  What would YOU change about Google+ Communities? Leave your response in the comments below.

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Meet the Author

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Head of Performance & Innovation / Partner

Greg Finn

Greg is the Head of Performance and Innovation for Cypress North's digital marketing team and one of the founders of our agency. In 2010, he and Matt Mombrea started Cypress North in Buffalo. Greg oversaw the opening of our second office in 2022, located in his hometown of Rochester.

As Head of Performance and Innovation, Greg co-manages our digital marketing department and works closely with our team to ensure all our clients achieve the best possible results. He is always looking for ways to test new digital marketing techniques and technology, and oversees all teaching and training efforts to ensure our agency stays ahead of the curve.

Greg is also a co-host of our weekly Marketing O'Clock podcast, where he and the team provide updates, insights, and hot takes on the latest SEO, PPC, and social media marketing news. In addition to weekly news shows, Greg hosts our Marketing O'Torial digital marketing tutorials and often co-hosts bonus Marketing O'Talk episodes that bring together panels of digital marketing experts.

With nearly two decades of experience, Greg is a known and trusted voice in the digital marketing community. He’s a contributor for Search Engine Land, a member of the Search Marketing Expo (SMX) programming team, and has been a featured speaker at some of the largest search engine conferences, including SMX, eSummit, and Pubcon. 

When he’s not working or staying updated on the latest trends, Greg enjoys watching his kids play sports and coaching their soccer team. He’s been named the runner-up “Greg of the Year” on Marketing O’Clock’s annual Clockscars Awards four years in a row. While the coveted award has evaded him for many years, Keanu Reeves has not. Greg once saw him at Gabriel's Gate tavern in Buffalo (and noted he was very tall.)