Latest / Community Marketing with Fexingo: Discord, Slack Groups, and Brand Communities / How a Brand Community Vetted Its Own Community Guidelines
Transcript
- Lucas: So this week I was digging into a community that decided to let its members rewrite the rulebook. And the result was a 40 percent drop in moderation incidents within two months. Luna: Wait, members wrote the rules? That sounds like it could go sideways fast. Lucas: You'd think so, but that's exactly why I wanted to look closer. This was a 2,000-member brand community on Discord — a tech accessories company, not a huge name, but a loyal fan base. They had the standard rules: be respectful, no spam, no self-promo. But moderators were burning out, and a lot of long-time members were quietly leaving. Luna: So they decided to hand the pen to the people. How did they even start? Lucas: They opened a dedicated channel called 'Rules Rewrite' and asked members to submit their own versions of the rules. They got over 300 submissions in the first week. Then they grouped them into themes — respect, safety, content, and what they called 'vibes.' Luna: 'Vibes' as a category. I love that. What kind of rules came out of that bucket? Lucas: One was 'Don't be a jerk, even when you're right.' Another was 'Assume the best intent, but call out harmful behavior.' They even added a rule about not posting memes in the help channel — that one got a lot of votes. Luna: So it's not just about politeness — it's about how the community actually functions day to day. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key insight. When members co-create the rules, they feel a sense of ownership. They're more likely to enforce them themselves, which takes pressure off the moderators. Luna: But what about the risk of members writing rules that are too lax or too strict? How do you balance that? Lucas: Good question. The community team didn't just hand over the keys. They ran a two-week voting period where every rule had to get at least 70 percent approval to pass. That filtered out the fringe ideas. Luna: Seventy percent is a high bar. How many of the original submissions made it? Lucas: Only about half made it through, but that was fine. The ones that didn't pass sparked conversations in the community. People debated them, and that's actually a healthy sign. Luna: I bet the process itself was a bonding experience. Everyone gets to feel heard. Lucas: That's exactly what the community manager told me. She said it was the most engaged the community had ever been outside of a product launch. People were actually excited about rules. Luna: I mean, when's the last time you were excited about a rule? But okay, 40 percent drop in incidents — how did they measure that? Lucas: They tracked moderation actions like warnings, timeouts, and bans. Before the rewrite, they were averaging about 90 actions a month. Two months after, it was down to around 54. And it stayed there. Luna: That's a big improvement. But what about new members? Did they feel more welcome? Lucas: That's the other number that stood out. New member retention — people who stayed active after their first week — went from 38 percent to 61 percent. The community manager thinks it's because the rules now read like they were written by people, not lawyers. Luna: So there's a real business case here. Lower friction, higher engagement, less moderator burnout. Lucas: And that's the thing — this isn't just about being nice. It's about building a community that can scale without breaking the team that runs it. Luna: I was just thinking, we've been talking about all these communities and the work that goes into them. It makes me appreciate the people who make this show possible. Lucas: Yeah, honestly. We keep this podcast ad-free, and that's thanks to listeners who've found it valuable enough to support. If any of these marketing conversations have sparked an idea you've actually used, consider buying us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It's a small gesture, but it truly helps us keep doing what we love. And we love digging into stories like this one. Lucas: So back to the rewrite — there was one more surprising thing. They put the new rules in a channel where anyone could suggest an amendment anytime. It's like a living document. Luna: So the community can keep evolving the rules as it grows. That's smart. What was the first amendment they passed? Lucas: Someone proposed a rule about spoilers for a popular TV show that was airing at the time. They added a 'spoiler-free zone' for 48 hours after each episode. It passed with 82 percent approval. Luna: That's so specific and so practical. It's like the community knows exactly what it needs. Lucas: And that's the takeaway, I think. When you trust people to govern themselves, they often rise to the occasion. But you have to give them the right structure to do it. Luna: What would you say to a brand that's hesitant to let members in on rule-making? Lucas: Start small. You don't have to rewrite everything at once. Pick one rule, like self-promotion, and ask the community how they'd like to handle it. See what happens. Luna: And you might be surprised that the community is often stricter than the brand would be. Lucas: That's been my experience. One community voted to ban all links to competing products, which the brand would never have done on its own. But the members saw it as protecting the space they love. Luna: It's a great reminder that community is not just an audience — it's a partnership. Lucas: And that partnership can pay off in ways you don't expect. Not just fewer moderation headaches, but deeper loyalty and even word of mouth growth. Luna: So if you're managing a community, maybe it's time to open up that rulebook. Lucas: And if you do, let us know how it goes. We might be covering your story next.