We receive a lot of e-mail and Instant Messages that contain the same or similar questions each day. I thought that broadcasting the answers here might be helpful and encourage discussion or suggestions. If readers like Community Q&A, I'll make it a regular feature. Feel free to post other questions here, too, since it is a great method for encouraging dialog about these issues.

Q. "This is a member-managed board. We've promised not to report one another, so why are you hiding posts and 'TOSing' us?"

A. Anyone using our network has agreed to abide by the Terms of Service (TOS). There are no TOS-free zones on AOL or AIM. Just because a board is member-managed doesn't mean that TOS or Community Standards do not apply. Member-managed means that we do not proactively moderate an area (as we do in AOL-managed boards). So, no matter where you are on our network, we expect you to:

* Understand the Terms of Service and the community standards for that area

* Abide by the rules and manage your own behavior

* Use the empowerment tools we provide (like filters) to control your experience

* Notify us if you feel standards or TOS have been violated (see methods below)

Member-managed does not mean that you can violate the rules just because people agree that they won't report one another.

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A. There is no statute of limitations on TOS. We will take content down that violates TOS once we know it is there.

Q. "You just gave me a TOS violation. I see all kinds of other people doing the same thing I did. Why don't you give them a TOS violation?"

A. Each of us is responsible for our own behavior. Just because I get caught and someone gets away with something, doesn't mean I shouldn't be held accountable. Many of you are tired of my speeding analogy; but here it is again

Joe leaves the office tonight and speeds home at the rate of 90 miles an hour without getting caught. I do the same thing, but being the police magnet I am, I get caught. Is it fair? Perhaps not. But, I still broke the law and will be held accountable.

If you see others violating TOS then let us know; but, bad behavior by others is no excuse for our own.

Q. "Why do you allow this garbage to be posted?"

A. We do not and cannot (on principle and for legal reasons) preview all user-generated content before it 'goes live' on the service. We cannot prevent people from behaving badly. All we can do is try to stop the behavior once we are aware of it and remove content that violates the community standards or Terms of Service once we see it.

We want to partner with you to make certain that our community areas are enjoyable and safe, so use the Notify AOL or Report This functions.

In the case of egregious behavior that should not wait 48 hours for a response (child endangerment, child pornography or illegal activity), write to AOLPeopleMGR@aol.com or contact one of us via e-mail or IM. My AIM screen name is nanciymeng and my e-mail address is Nancie.Meng@corp.aol.com.

Q. "I reported this and nothing has been done. Why aren't you people taking this stuff down?"

A. A few reasons exist for why user-generated content you report to us might not be removed right away or at all. We receive tens of thousands of notifications a day. We strive to remove bad content within 48 hours (usually we take things down within hours), but the time it takes us to review notifications can be affected by several things including:

* Level of seriousness. User behavior or content that falls within the "big three" (child endangerment, child pornography, and illegal activity) takes precedence over all other offenses.

* Multiple reports from the same person about the same content can bog the system down. Try to keep the 48 hour turn-around-time in mind. If something you reported has not been taken down after 48 hours then, by all means, contact us. Remember, too, that when you use a notify button or link and write to multiple screen names then many people focus on one piece of content. This slows down our ability to plow through all the other reports we receive.

* 'Frivolous reports' or reports of activities that do not violate guidelines. The vast majority of notifications we receive each day report behavior or content that do not violate community standards or Terms of Service. In these cases, no action is taken. If you have questions about something you've reported, refer to community standards and Terms of Service and then contact us if you still have questions.

* Something is broken. We know this can happen. A mailbox fills up, human beings (fallible as they are) don't read a report correctly, or some technical glitch results in a report not getting read. Just reach out to us to let us know.

We've built a new organization and have plans for new technologies and systems that should speed response time and increase efficiencies. You can help us by understanding the standards and knowing how to use the notification system effectively.

Q. "I got blocked from the message boards because some people don't like me so they report all my posts. I don't think it's fair that I get TOSed because they don't like me."

A. We can't make them like you if they don't; but, rest assured that we only action behavior and remove content that actually violates standards or Terms of Service. So the best strategy is to know the rules and abide by them. Then they have nothing to report. Those who abuse the notification process put themselves in a position of being blocked.

Got questions? Comments? Suggestions? Comment here. And, I'd love to hear from other community managers, too. Does any of this sound familiar? Do you handle things differently?