  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 paper 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.
