I used to run a community of over 3000 souls, about 500 of whom were active every week. Of course, I didn't moderate alone - I had community helpers, without whom the task would have proved restrictively daunting. I still miss it, although it was one of the most challenging things I ever had to manage online.

There's a new blog called Everything in moderation: all about moderating online communities. Yum yum. The landscape for this topic has been incredibly barren since the Bust. The money to manage these communities may have dried up (and hence a lot of the buzz), but communities continue to flourish online, and without money to hire (cheerleaders, community leaders, moderators - call them what you will) we need to get creative about how to keep things moving smoothly. I look forward to reading more from this site.

For those with a passion for the topic, I offer these other links from my bookmark graveyard:

• The Journal of Online Behavior
• The Psychology of Virtual Communities
• The Psychology of Cyberspace
• The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online
• Design for Community

Many of these haven't been updated in a dog's age (hence the barren landscape), but much of what they have to say about online behavior still hold true.

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