bazaarvoice Q&A Moderation Guidelines User Guide

Q &A Moderation Guidelines
User Guide

Our Process

Our Policies

As a neutral third-party, BV moderation evaluates reviews allowing users to share their honest opinions while providing a layer of protection to prevent inappropriate or  irrelevant content from displaying. To that end we do not allow:

• Cherry picking of content. Any piece of content (including negative content / low star ratings) that passes moderation and authenticity will be published.
• We do not allow clients to stop and/or remove publishing of negative/ low star content.
• We additionally do not allow clients to remove negative content based on a resolution.

We will allow clients to leave review comments about the resolution, and we will allow users to leave a second review as long as it has new/valuable information to the  consumers.
Authenticity Policy: https://www.bazaarvoice.com/legal/authenticity-policy/
Take-Down Policy: https://bazaarvoicesuccess.force.com/s/article/Moderation- Take-Down-Policy

Guideline Summary

The table below is an overview of rejection and neutral (i.e. approved) codes. All reviews that are rejected are categorized with corresponding tags for ease of issue resolution  and reporting. Please refer to the complete list for detail and descriptions.

Default Guidelines

The following moderation rules are Bazaarvoice best practices and universally apply to all industries and verticals. Each represents a proven methodology to protect and  promote engagement. Variations may appear based on the client’s audience, objectives, and brand voice.
Default logic is subject to minor change.

Customer Service (CS Reject)
Order-specific Inquiries (CS Rejection Code)
If content contains any order-specific inquiry, regardless of whether it is the primary focus or not, then code CS. This includes questions about non- receipt of specific orders,  questions about missing pieces in a received order, questions about returns and exchanges or any policies or requests for the client’s help with their order, etc.
NOTE: Only code CS under this guideline if an order has been placed.

Directing Business Away (DBA Reject)
Directing Business Away from Client: If content encourages other customers to purchase the product from somewhere other than the client, then code DBA and content will be REJECTED. E.g.
“You should shop around; the prices are pretty high from here.”
Directing Business to a Competitor: If content overtly directs business to a competitor (whether named or unnamed), then code DBA. E.g. “Get these from the internet,  instead, they’re much cheaper,” or “Get these from Store X instead, they have a bigger selection.”

Foreign Language (FL Reject)
Content should be either in the expected language, or in English. English language found in content of any expected language does not warrant FL coding in and of itself and  should be moderated with the client’s current guidelines.
However, any language besides English or the expected language should continue to be coded FL (except for commonly understood foreign words or phrases, such as “not  so bueno” or “bon voyage”, “merci beaucoup”).
When the subject under review contains Foreign Language, such as descriptions, colors, locations, body parts etc., such terms do not affect FL coding when used in the  review. An example would be “Night Creme anti-rides “ in an English review or “TX BBQ ribs” in a Spanish review.

FL For foreign language countries (non-EN)
Some English Can be Approved
If Expected Language is English, default FL guideline applies.
If Expected Language is anything but English, client does not accept English as a universal language. However, content that contains a small amount of English (a sentence,  max) but is largely written in the expected language does not require the FL code or rejection.

Generally Inappropriate (GIU Reject)
Generally Inappropriate Comments: If content contains aggressive, threatening, non-genuine, or trolling comments (defined as deliberately offensive, provocative, or with the  apparent aim of either upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from someone), if content contains libel (defamatory comments that are known to be untrue), or  if content contains a personal attack against an individual or business, then code GIU and content will be REJECTED.
Additionally, if content is drug-related, obviously illegal, or contains lewd or sexually-explicit commentary, then code GIU and content will be REJECTED. As always, refer to the product for context and relevance.
Discriminatory Statements and Hate Speech: If content makes discriminatory or prejudicial remarks concerning any person or group, then code GIU and content will be  REJECTED. This includes, but is not limited to, comments based on physical attributes, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, etc.
Profanity: If content contains any profanity or vulgar slang (including creative spellings such as sh!t), then code GIU and content will be REJECTED. Euphemisms such as  freaking, fricking, fracking, dang, and darn do not warrant rejection.
Reject Symbols: If content contains any of the four symbols (brackets are part of the symbol), then code GIU and reject. [@] [$] [*] […], as well as any content that contains  the word “script” inside of <> brackets like this: < script > < /script >.

Image (IMG Reject)
Consider the context of the client and the product, as what is acceptable in a photo for one type of product may not be acceptable for a different type of product. (e.g. selfies  of the person who used the product, photos taken where the product is the camera or phone, photos of hunting or fishing trophy animals, photos where the product is a  weapon).

• Reject nudity or visibility of erogenous zones
• Reject anything that is dangerous or illegal
• Reject anything that’s distasteful (e.g. bodily functions, wounds, lewd/inappropriate gestures or poses)
• Reject if the product is used in a demonstrably incorrect way (e.g. BBQ grill inside a house, bricks inside a washing machine)
• Reject stock and watermarked photos (other than the clients’ photos)
• Reject videos longer than 10 minutes
• Reject if photo is if such poor quality it’s impossible to identify what it is

The same defaults apply to content types other than reviews, unless otherwise noted in a clientspecific guideline.
The IMG code is used for ANY REJECTION guideline violation found in the attached image except the LI code, which should also be selected for any Legal Interest issues  found in the actual photo/video. Neutral coding is not necessary for issues actually contained in the image. All other applicable codes should still be applied for issues found  in any other field.
Please note: If the actual product itself or its packaging contain rejectionable material that is visible in the photo, such as foreign language, nudity, profanity, or a URL written  on the product or the packaging, do not code IMG. You should still code IMG for any other issues with the image outside of the actual product itself or the packaging.

Legal Interest (LI Reject)
Evidence of Violence to Children, Child Pornography, Serious Injury to or Death of a Child, or of an Adult: If any type of content text or attached photos/videos suggest or  contain evidence of violence to a child, or child pornography then code LI and send an e-mail with content, id and client name to guidelines@bazaarvoice.com to notify the  in-house team. Also code LI and send an email with content information to guidelines@bazaarvoice.com if evidence of serious injury to/death of a child or the death of an  adult due to product error exists. (cont.)
Legal Interest: If content contains a call for legal action against the client or claims that the client is breaking the law, including regarding counterfeits/fake or pirated goods,  then code LI. Such “calls” or claims might contain words like recall, sue, and class action lawsuit. The occurrence of those words, or others like them, however, does not  necessarily affect LI- coding.
Potential Danger: If a user mentions that something about the product or its use is unsafe, then code LI.
Injury: If content mentions that either notable injury occurred to a person or animal or that significant property loss occurred due to product error, then code LI.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII Reject)

Personally Identifiable Information: If content contains an individual’s personal information, then code PII and content will be REJECTED. This includes cases where  enough information is included so that any of the following can be inferred:

• Full names (except those of celebrities or public figures)
• Phone numbers
• Specific physical addresses (in the UK, 5- to 7-digit alphanumeric postal codes should also be rejected, whether or not they lead to a specific address)
• E-mail addresses

Identity Theft: If content contains data that could lead to identify theft, then code it PII and content will be REJECTED:

• Credit card information
• Government issued ID card numbers
• Social security numbers
• Bank account numbers
• License plate numbers (in the case of images, clearly visible)

Exceptions:

• Contact information for the client or for any other company is approvable provided it is not otherwise inappropriate.
•  If there is an additional field which appears to be soliciting information from the reviewer, e.g. ‘full name,’ ‘phone number,’ ‘e-mail address,’ etc., then information that is  a response to the field name request is not cause for rejection.
  o The ‘Nickname’ field is a request for a user name, and full names are not allowed in this field.
  o The ‘Location’ field is a request for a general area like a city and state, and full physical addresses are not allowed in this field

Price (PRI Neutral — published, does not syndicate)
If content in any way references a specific price of the reviewed product, any other product, service, or shipping, then code PRI. Such references might be definitive (“I paid  $20.00”), comparative (“I paid less than $20.00”) approximate (“It costs around $20.00”), or hypothetical (“I would even pay $20.00”). Very general references to a product  being, for example, a “good value” or having a “great price” do not warrant the PRI code for this client. References to “free” do not warrant PRI coding.

Promotions and Coupons (PC Neutral — published, does not syndicate)
If content mentions any promotions offered for any client product, including giveaways, coupons, sales, clearances, or other promotions, then code PC. References to  “samples” do not warrant PC coding.
Retailer References (RET Neutral – published, does not syndicate)
If content mentions any company, including the client, as a retailer of goods or services, then code RET. Mention of any company, including the client, as a product brand or  manufacturer is not reason to code RET.
Shipping & Fulfillment (SI Reject)
Code SI if:

• Content dwells on a shipping experience (positive or negative). Such items might include but are not limited to packaging, transit times, missing parts, cost of shipping, or receipt of incorrect color/size of a product,
• The reviewer did not receive the product,
• The reviewer received the wrong product,
• The product is not functional due to damage (does not include manufacturing flaws).
  Exception: do not code SI if the subject of the review is a service or store.

Spam (SPM Reject)

If the same piece of content is duplicated on a massive scale, then code SPM. Copy/paste entries by an individual user do NOT warrant SPM coding or rejection, unless the  duplicates are so many as to indicate a major occurrence of fraudulent spam.
Note, it is very rare for this to be applied by moderation due to the nature of how reviews are routed and dispersed to the moderation team. Duplicates are most frequently  detected by the Authenticity team.
Underage (UA Reject)
If content contains any text that identifies the reviewer as being under the age of 13, then code UA and content will be REJECTED.
GDPR Exception for EMEA: If content contains any text that identifies the reviewer as being under the age of 16, then code UA and content will be REJECTED.

URLs (URL Reject)
URLs: If content contains hyperlinks or URLs, then code URL. Exceptions: product names which contain “.com,” and references to the client’s online portal (e.g.,  walmart.com, shop.com, bestbuy.com/accessories, etc.).

Additional URL Guidelines for Badged Branded Answers/Retailer Comments
Most URLs Approvable: Branded Answers are provided by product manufacturers, while Retailer Comments are provided by local dealers/service providers. Any URLs are  approvable as long as they are not directing business away from the client. (For example, linking a customer to the posting manufacturer’s website for a product manual or to  their support portal is okay. Linking a customer to a site other than the client’s for a sale or a purchase should be coded URL).

Irrelevant (VAC Reject)

For Reviews only
Code VAC if:

• Contains no information or sentiment whatsoever about the subject under review. The subject under review may be a physical product, a service, an experience, a store, a  hotel etc.,
• Includes no characters in the review “text” field, or the text field says, “No Value Provided,”
• Contains excessive random characters or meaningless word strings,
• Is so poorly written as to be unintelligible.

For Comments only
Code VAC and content will be REJECTED if it:

• Contains excessive random characters or meaningless word strings,
• Is irrelevant to the product or the review being commented on,
• Is so poorly written as to be unintelligible.

For Questions only
Code VAC and content will be REJECTED if it:

• Is not a question
• Contains excessive random characters or meaningless word strings,
• Is irrelevant to the listed product/category,
• Is so poorly written as to be unintelligible.

For Answers only
Code VAC and content will be REJECTED if it:

• Contains excessive random characters or meaningless word strings,
• Is clearly not an attempt to answer the related question,
• Appears to include an attempt to generate an ongoing conversation not relevant to the product,
• Is so poorly written as to be unintelligible.

Wrong Product (WP Reject)
If content obviously does not pertain to the associated product name, then code WP and content will be REJECTED. Shipping-Related Wrong Product Issues: WP does not  apply to ANY shippingrelated wrong product issues.
That includes issues related to non-receipt of a product or the receipt of the wrong  product.

Internal Codes

The following codes may appear in the workbench or reporting and are related to automated or internal processes. They are listed here for transparency and cannot be changed.
Duplicate Content (DUP)
The DUP code is not a moderation code, rather it is used by the Authenticity Team to indicate suspicious review activity, such as multiple reviews on a single product by a  unique user. It is not possible to overturn reviews with the DUP code from the Workbench because the Authenticity Team makes their decisions based on not only the  current piece of content but any related pieces of content. As a result, they have more information about the behavior of the reviews/reviewer. If there is ever any question or  concern about a review with the DUP code, please create a Support case to request more information from the Authenticity Team.
Note, this code is greyed out in workbench and cannot be changed by moderation or clients. Open a support case to inquire about its application.
Inauthentic / Fraudulent Content (FRD)
The FRD code is not a moderation code, rather it is used by the Authenticity Team to indicate suspicious review activity. It is not possible to overturn reviews with the FRD  code from the Workbench because the Authenticity Team makes their decisions based on not only the current piece of content but any related pieces of content. As a result, they have more information about the behavior of the reviews/reviewer. If there is ever any question or concern about a review with the FRD code, please create a Support  case to request more information from the Authenticity Team.
Note, this code is greyed out in workbench and cannot be changed by moderation or clients. Open a support case to inquire about its application.

Needs Badging (NBD)
The NBD code is not a moderation code, rather it is used by the Authenticity Team to indicate suspicious review activity, such as employee content that has been submitted  without disclosure of affiliation.
Note, this code is greyed out in workbench and cannot be changed by moderation or clients. Open a support case to inquire about its application.
Approved by Client (ABC ) & Rejected by Client (RBC)
ABC and RBC are not moderation codes, rather indicators of actions taken by the client via workbench.
Import (IMP)
The IMP code is applied when content has been imported.
Remoderation (REMOD)
REMOD is not a moderation code. The REMOD code is applied when previously approved content is reported as inappropriate and sent back through moderation.
Duplicate Submission (SDUP)
SDUP is not a moderation code. The SDUP code is applied when a single reviewer submits a second review on product that they have already reviewed.
Stop Syndication (STP)
STP is not a moderation code. The STP code is applied when content has been detected as inappropriate for syndication.

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bazaarvoice.com : (866) 522 -9927

References

• Bazaarvoice: Meet shoppers in all the moments that matter
• Online Shopping Marketplace: Clothes, Shoes, Beauty, Electronics and More
• Walmart | Save Money. Live better.
• bazaarvoicesuccess.force.com/s/article/Moderation-Take-Down-Policy
• Authenticity Policy | Bazaarvoice

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