Don’t crush the spirit of passionate members.
I know, it can be tempting. We’ve all experienced an overposter. We know how irritating a hyper-passionate member can be.
They might comment on every article, respond to every discussion, and email a few times a week with ideas or tips for the community.
The problem isn’t their passion, it’s the lack of channels available for them to direct their passion.
The most passionate members are rarely the most experienced or most talented in their fields. They’re often newcomers who have found something they connect with. They often can’t answer many of the questions or contribute quality articles.
Almost all the channels we have available to members to benefit from the community require them to have the expertise to contribute at an advanced level.
The better method is to create non-expert channels. Helping moderate is the obvious one. But it’s neither the best nor legally possible in some communities. A better option is to encourage members to gather the best expertise from elsewhere, to host interviews and events with key figures, or help put together questions newcomers need answers too.
