Help:Making Discussions a success

Discussions can be a dynamic part of your community. But — especially if you're used to other conversational features, like forums — you'll probably need a few tips to get them running well.

The biggest single piece of advice? Don't expect the same thing out of your Discussions crowd as you do out of your wiki's editors.

The Discussions area is mainly about having fun. Most people who use Discussions are not wiki editors. They arrive on mobile web and through the FANDOM app. They're also likely to be more casual fans of your wiki's topic.

So run Discussions differently than you do the wiki proper.

Get people talking
Not surprisingly, Discussions are all about generating conversation. Since you'll want users to return often and have lots of fun, focus on giving them positive reasons to come back every day.

It's vital they see great discussions the first time they arrive. So always make sure you like what you see in the first few posts that are visible on any given day.

Lead by example. Post regularly yourself. The more often you contribute something interesting, the more others will, as well.

Importantly, you should always be experimenting with different topics, times of posting, posting length and other variables to find out what resonates the most with your users.

Consider posting things like these:
 * Topics you know other fans will want to talk about. News about your fandom, fan theories, controversial plot twists, speculations, game tips, in-game curiosities discovered — they're all excellent things to post about.
 * Regular topics or activities. For example, you can make Friday trivia day where you post a quiz related to your fandom.
 * Polls. People love voting. Just make sure that you're asking an interesting question, rather than one that always appears in your fandom. Just remember: you only get seven choices in Discussions polls. And they're best posted from a phone.
 * Questions, not statements. By prompting users to give their thoughts on a topic, rather than posting a fact, you’ll invite more responses. For example, rather than posting "I just saw the latest episode and can’t wait for the next one", ask, "What did you think of that cliffhanger?"
 * Replies and upvotes. Just as you’d like others to appreciate good content, give upvotes to the kinds of posts you’d like to see more of and keep conversations going by adding responses yourself.

Use categories
If your wiki covers a topic with several different parts — such as a video game with several installments, or a franchise with both a filmed title and a comic series — you may want to set up categories for the Discussions.

Remember this about categories:
 * Feeds are personal. By default, all messages from all categories are compiled into a single feed. But users can filter by category to see as much — or as little — of the whole as they want. That means that different users can have very different experiences of your Discussions area.
 * Keep categories wide open. The maximum number of categories you can set up is ten. But use fewer, if possible. A few, broad categories is better than several specific ones. A category called "Merchandise" is better than one called "1970s actions figures".
 * The "General" category. Your wiki's default Discussions category is called "General" and it can't be deleted or renamed. If you choose to use only one category for your community, all posts automatically use "General".
 * Categories aren't forever.. Adapt your categories to suit the way the conversation is actually flowing. And don't be afraid to retire category names that have proven unpopular. Let the conversation
 * Short names are best. A category name must be 20 characters or fewer, and it should be obvious to users what kinds of posts they can expect there. Fewer than 20 characters are actually displayed, however, so check your category names on a phone to make sure they display properly.
 * A solution for spoilers. If the wiki proper has strict policies about spoilers, consider starting a category called "Spoilers" and ask the gang to post there. That way, people trying to avoid spoilers can turn that category off, and they'll probably be okay.

Moderate ... moderately
The best way to moderate is to do what we've already been talking about. If you lead by example and use Discussions yourself you probably won't have to do any "negative moderation", like deleting posts and blocking users. In fact, it's important that you do actually visit Discussions regularly, since Discussions posts don't show in Wiki Activity or Recent Changes

You should also be aware that there are special admin and moderator tools for Discussions, and that individual users can report particular posts for you to look at.

Customize your guidelines
You may already have community policies outlined on a wiki page. Discussions has its own guidelines page where you can call out these same policies or outline Discussions-specific guidelines.

Users will see an announcement about the guidelines the first time they open Discussions in the FANDOM app or the first time they post on the web. Discussions are enabled with a default set of guidelines which can be updated at any time by admins. When you customize them, keep in mind:
 * The dynamics, tone, and userbase on Discussions may be different from other areas of the community. Some rules that apply to your wiki editors may not apply on Discussions, and vice versa.
 * Keep your guidelines as short and to-the-point as you can. This will help ensure users read them all!
 * If you find that specific issues keep occurring in Discussions, update your guidelines accordingly. For example, if users start conversations on the same topic repeatedly, you might choose to restrict that topic; or you might add a spoiler policy if spoilers become an issue.
 * Many Discussions users may be app-users only and not familiar with the policies and customs of your wider community. Ensure your Discussions guidelines can be read as a completely independent document since many of your readers will not know your wiki rules.

Check out these Discussions guidelines as examples:
 * Fallout
 * The Walking Dead
 * Elder Scrolls

Recruit help
Even when your community is small and the volume of posts is low, it’s a good idea to have several moderators keeping an eye on Discussions - the faster bad posts are spotted and removed, the fewer problems they will cause. When looking for moderator candidates: We hope these tips will help you make Discussions a place in your community where users have lots of fun and share great ideas with each other.
 * Consider promoting active Discussions users into your team of moderators. Someone who is already very active there will have no extra work in checking in regularly.
 * Take note of users who report bad posts frequently. That’s a sign they care about the community, know the rules, and have an eye for what’s good and what’s bad content.
 * Don’t worry if you only see your desired moderator candidate in Discussions, and they don’t edit articles. Especially if your community has an app, you might find many users who contribute exclusively from their phones, where they are not likely to edit. They can still be great moderators.

Further help and feedback

 * Visit Discussions Wiki for information and advice on moderating and managing Discussions

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