When I started moderating Flickr...
 A hobby of mine is photography. It gives me something creative to do, a chance to play and I enjoy meeting the people I end up shooting. For me it is a source of relaxation and escape from the pressures of the day job.
Small problem: a lot of my work is with young women hoping to become models, who want to experiment with the idea, or who just like being photographed. I've met some interesting people and made a few friends this way. It is fun and this is not a problem. The problem is the reaction of a small group of people to my photography.
Specifically the problem is with "gentlemen" who seem to think that passing comment on the physical attributes of the model is an appropriate means of communication. Freakier still are those who comment as if they are talking to the model.
I expect - and the girls I work with expect - a degree of this. Every now and then a comment slips through and there have been times when I've been OK with this simply because I've adopted a stance that people are entitled to their opinions and to voice them. Until, that is, one person decide to post a particularly explicit commentary on an image. It was offensive and potentially degrading to the model concerned.
At which point enough was enough.
I want people to come across my work, enjoy it and say so. But when they arrive I want them to see that the models are being treated with respect, that I am taking my work seriously and that those who might want to work with me, or use my work, are dealing with someone reputable. Which is why I bit the bullet and decided to moderate comments. I've even been blocking some people.
There are some who are going to see this as censorship, or who will argue that it my work is put into the public domain I should tolerate such things as the poster has a right to say what they think. They will see me as over sensitive and suggest I "get over it."
Perhaps, and those people are entitled to their view, just as there are people entitled to enjoy my work in "their own special way." Nor do I have a problem with critique or criticism or commentary. What I do have, and what this has to be balanced with, is a responsibility to those who find my work and who want to enjoy the image for what it is without encountering personal rants and fantasies.
Many of us may face the same question - at what point do we turn off the right to post and start moderating. All I can suggest is this is a pure judgement call, one based on what you believe is the right balance between freedom of expression and respect for the aims of your content.
Previously on this blog...
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A dozen beautiful images of Saturn
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Setting up shop in a new country: beyond the website
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Why call centre staff deserve your respect
If call centre staff set the first impression for your business, why do we treat them so badly?
Becoming a Specialist? A hard decision to make ...
Specialising requires hard strategic decisions to be made about your business.
When good people move on
Losing a member of staff to another company is not necessarily a bad thing
The quest for quality in Agile Software Development
Why quality assurance remains a central part of project management, regardless of the use of Agile methods
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