Online communities provide ample opportunities for user self-expression but generally lack the means for average users to exercise direct control over community policies. This article sets out to identify a set of strategies and techniques through which the voices of participants might be better heard through defined mechanisms for institutional governance. Drawing on Albert O. Hirschman’s distinction between “exit” and “voice” in institutional life, it introduces a further distinction between two kinds of participation: effective voice, as opposed to the far more widespread practices of affective voice. Effective voice is a form of individual or collective speech that brings about a binding effect according to transparent processes. Platform developers and researchers might explore this neglected form of voice by introducing mechanisms for authority and accountability, collective action, and community evolution.

在线社区为用户自我表达提供了充足的机会，但通常缺乏让普通用户直接控制社区政策的手段。本文着手确定一套策略和技术，通过这些策略和技术，可以通过既定的制度治理机制更好地听取参与者的声音。借鉴 Albert O. Hirschman 对制度生活中“退出”和“声音”的区分，它引入了两种参与之间的进一步区别：有效的声音，而不是更广泛的情感声音实践。有效的声音是一种个人或集体的讲话形式，它根据透明的过程产生约束效果。