​Facebook community groups, the bane of your existence. Maybe not everyday, but some days you wish you had just never logged on. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some general guidelines to help you help the admins of these groups keep the experience fun and safe for all when you come across or are the subject of, a post online that causes you concern.   
 
Report the original post to Facebook directly. If it violates community guidelines, the original poster will be notified that Facebook has removed the post. This decreases the likelihood for retaliatory content to be posted as Facebook is a neutral third party and reports to Facebook directly are always anonymous. Group admins may be reluctant to remove anything that is not a blatant violation of community guidelines for a variety of reasons. Reporting directly to Facebook reduces the work for admins who are often weighing ethics, personal interest and group retention into their decision to remove content or not. If it is a public group, you do not need to be a member to report its content.  
 
Report individual comments on the post to the group admin. Hot topics can spark hundreds of comments and it can take a long time to read through them all for group admins. A group admin is much more likely to remove a comment rather than an entire post, especially if these comments clearly violate the site rules. Reports to group admins are NOT anonymous and some groups discourage this kind of reporting and will usually say so in the group rules. Most will appreciate the work reduction.   
 
See something? Report something. No drama required. The worse thing that can happen is that the content will not be removed. No one is notified of anything unless you report to the group admin. There are no limits on the number of times you can report content either. Telling someone you are going to report their post is not productive and incredibly annoying. Blocking an admin does not stop them from being able to see and moderate your posts in the group, even if your post or comment is not reported.  
 
Let sleeping threads lay. See a post with over 400 comments that has not been commented on in over a week? Leave it alone. It is not likely a productive post anymore anyway. It can take a great deal of time for admins to find where the new comments are posted. If you create too much work for an admin to moderate, they will probably just kick you out of the group. Apply that same logic to those who reply to every single comment on a post. Have something to say? Make your own post. It is much more likely to stay up and get seen versus a comment. You will also get better engagement if you can make your point without disparaging others.  
 
Whether you find your business in a buyer beware post, or your family in a viral video, remember that there is something you can do to help keep the comment section from going completely off the rails. These are only general guidelines. Every small-town community Facebook group is different but that is what makes every one of them unique and meaningful to those who join.  
 
Kelley Denham