Facebook Introduces Comment Moderation, Support Features and Live Chat for Certain Account Issues

Facebook introduced a new set of comment moderation and support tools to assist creators get the most out of its platform, as part of a larger effort to bring over more creators.

Furthermore, a significant addition for regular users: a new live chat option for individuals who have been locked out of their accounts.

Here's what's been said so far.

Spam comments and other distractions can derail or distract creators from managing their community engagement, which is a critical factor in boosting response. As a result, Facebook is introducing some new tools to assist you in managing your post comments.

The most notable update is a new, streamlined option to hide comments in-stream, which social media expert Matt Navarra recently discovered when testing.

Business Pages on desktop have long been able to hide comments, but creator Pages haven't, and the option isn't available in the new Pages experience until now (which is why it may have disappeared from your Page).

Whenever you hide a comment, only the commentor and their connections can see it, but Page admins can see all hidden comments on any post by clicking 'Hidden by this Page' from the comments drop-down on any post.

Facebook is also trying out new Moderation Assist for groups, which automatically moderates comments on your postings depending on your criteria and terms (i.e. no comments with linoleum). Facebook is also introducing more blocking controls to make sure that you can block troublesome users, as well as any future accounts that they create, new keyword blocking options, along with the ability to automatically hide comments with variations of words that use numbers, symbols, or different spellings.

Also, additional profanity blocking capabilities, user suspension/banning controls, and improved comment controls are all coming to Facebook Live.

“We’re also about to kick off a test for Facebook Live community moderation so creators can designate a specific viewer to moderate comments on their behalf.”

The big news of the day, though, is most likely the inclusion of live chat assistance for certain concerns.

According to Facebook:

“We’ve begun a small test to provide support through live chat for English-speaking creators in the United States who do not already have an assigned relationship manager from Meta to help with questions they might have about Facebook or Instagram. Creators can access a dedicated creator support site when logged in through Facebook. There, they can chat live with a support agent for help on various issues ranging from status of a pay-out to questions about a new feature like Reels.”

Thus, creators get dedicated, in-person assistance, but what about normal users?

“On the Facebook App specifically, we’ve also started testing live chat help for some English-speaking users globally, including creators, who’ve been locked out of their accounts.”

It's important to note that this is only for users who've been locked out of their accounts, but it's one of the most common complaints among Facebook users, with the difficulty to speak with a live person or even email a contact address giving considerable frustration for those who believe they've been unjustly locked out of its apps.

We will have to observe how effective this new approach is in resolving such difficulties (many people are legitimately locked out, even if they're not certain why), but it's an intriguing test that could help Facebook address a common user complaint.

Moreover, Facebook is testing a new 'Safety School' project to provide users additional information about how to manage their time in its apps.

“In this pilot, we cover policies, resources, and specifically the tools available around account security, impersonation and bullying and harassment. So far, we’ve connected with creators in more than 27 countries around this material, and we will be expanding this program and resources to more creators in the next year.”

Digital literacy is a critical gap in our current educational curriculum, and while many instructors and schools are working to address it, and the platforms themselves are working on various programs, it remains a crucial need that requires more attention.

As a result, it's encouraging to see Facebook attempting to push the agenda itself, in the hopes of encouraging more users to participate in such courses and information sessions.

These are the latest aspects in Facebook's larger effort to attract more creators and get them to post more on Facebook and Instagram over the holiday season and beyond. Its campaign to reclaim younger users, largely from TikTok, is a continuation of that push, and if it can create a more fair, beneficial, and positive environment for creators, many of them may reconsider their choices and shift their audiences to Facebook instead.

There's still much more to happen, but Facebook will be hoping that these new alternatives stimulate greater interest over the holiday break, along with its improved monetization and reach.