4 P's for online community governance

Communities need a holistic and interconnected approach to governance.

Governance is the organised collection of mindsets and toolsets that allow us to maximise constructive engagement and minimise harms in our communities.

Communities are complex human systems.

When we only considers one aspect of community function, such as moderation, our governance of those systems becomes impractical, and unsustainable. It compartmentalises forces that act upon and within our communities, such as power, consent and mobility. And it denies the inherent nuance of the system itself.

You can use the 4 simple P’s below to establish a holistic approach to online community governance.

They are interconnected, by design.

Protocols must be anchored in purpose and shared values.

Playbooks must reflect actual processes, which in turn enshrine authentic protocols.

When governance feels misaligned, punitive or somehow out of sync, it’s usually because one or more of these factors hasn’t been thought through, or is working in opposition to another.

Purpose

Why does your community exist? What problems is it solving and what shared value is it generating for stakeholders and participants?

All good community strategies have clarity of purpose, but not all communities cascade purpose into governance.

Your shared why (which can and will evolve) should inform all aspects of your governance.

Protocols

These are your guiding parameters for community operations, such as Community Guidelines or moderation policies.

They should reflect your shared values and desired social norms.

Collectively they create your community culture. Your protocols should enshrine and honour the shared social contract you have with those who you’ve gathered. If you’re unclear on that contract, revisit that before setting cultural protocols.

Processes

These are the workflows that allow you to sustain your protocols and empower you to deliver on your purpose. They span every aspect of community operations.

What is the process for communicating acceptable behaviour and social norms when a new member or user joins?

What is the process for maintaining meaningful boundaries in the community?

What happens when leadership is challenged, or when behaviour creates harm?

Playbooks

All communities need a playbook.

Your playbook is the documentation of your processes applied to specific scenarios that are common to, or important to, your community.

They should map to real-world scenarios, and capture both opportunities and risks. It will evolve with your community over time.