Throughout the year on the OpenWeb blog, we’ve reported on the biggest trends across our network of publishers, offered tips and best practices for encouraging quality conversations, and kept you up-to-speed on our latest product offerings. Here’s a rundown of our 10 most popular blog posts from 2020.
A journalist’s guide to talking with readers
In 2020—amidst a global pandemic, an election, and other historical events— there was a greater need for better connections between journalists and readers. We know that making those connections isn’t always easy, so we put together a guide with practical tips to help journalists navigate conversations with their readers. Read our guide for journalists here.
OpenWeb tests the impact of nudges in online conversations
Our moderation platform—which includes Jigsaw’s Perspective API integration—has a real-time feedback feature that gives users the opportunity to edit a message if it is suspected to break community guidelines. So, does it work? Yes, and then some. Read our case study to learn more.
The path to user loyalty and lifetime value
Website traffic is spiking for many digital publishers in 2020. That means it’s time to convert those first-time visitors into a loyal audience. The key to loyalty is creating a habit that keeps users coming back. Here’s how publishers can help move users through the loyalty funnel.
Quantifying safety online
Millions of conversations take place across our network of 1,000+ Partners each day. At OpenWeb, we’ve created a set of measurements to ensure best-in-class moderation and encourage civil conversations. This blog post explains how we measure the success of our moderation process using our “quality score” metric.
The state of online conversations
In our State of Online Conversations report, we examined the impact of quality conversations in 2020—including our finding that active users contribute a whopping 33:50 minutes on average per session compared to 1:29 minutes by non-engaged users. For more insights, download the report.
How to deal with trolls
Internet trolling is nothing new, but 2020’s news was particularly polarizing—all the more reason to keep the trolls at bay. For publishers, setting comprehensive community guidelines and building a loyal community that upholds quality standards (and doesn’t hesitate to report trolls) is also essential. Read more in our post, How to deal with trolls.
Why now is the time to create your first-party data strategy
Do you have a first-party data strategy for 2021? With the death of the third-party cookie inching closer, now is the time for publishers to plan their strategy. Fortunately, publishers have a powerful source of first-party data within their communities. Read this post to learn more about the benefits of first-party data.
Algorithms vs humans
Content moderation isn’t solely about removing bad actors—it’s just as important to identify, expose, and reward high-quality content to promote healthy conversations. This post explains why publishers should opt for moderation that helps incentivize users to create civil, engaging content.
Election insights: readers looked to the comments section for updates
With no clear winner for several days during the week of the 2020 election, the public was hungry for updates—and across our network of news publishers, we saw a 20.3% increase in users spending time in the comments section. Read more 2020 election insights here.
Your community, your data: now simplified through Google Analytics
Earlier this year, we were thrilled to announce our integration with Google Analytics to help publishers better leverage their first party data. Through our integration, publishers can view their community data and website data all in one place—and that’s just the beginning. Read more here.
Stay tuned for more in 2021
2020 was quite the year for online conversations. In 2021, we look forward to sharing even more great content designed to help publishers build healthy, thriving communities. Click here for more insights from the OpenWeb blog.
