LIBR 246-11 Web 2.0 (Summer 2011)

Privacy is a big thing for me, too, Susan.  Like you, I tend to observe rather than comment.  I like reading product reviews, bu have to take them with a grain of salt, because a lot of times there is an underlying agenda.  I guess I sound cynical.  But, that's freedom of speech.  I don't like having to give out my email address because, as you mentioned, I don't like getting the resultant span that inevitably follows.

Commenting in an online community can open a Pandora's box.  Once you make a comment, it's viewable by everyone.  Even the wing-nuts.  There are those who feel compelled to expound their knowledge on everything -- even if they know nothing about the subject of their comments.

However, it can also be a good thing.  Recently, one of our local fire fighter/EMTs retiresand I made a comment on the newspaper blog page about how she helped my wife and me when my wife fell on our deck.  I was the first to comment on the story.  What followed was an outpouring to positive comments and stories similar to ours.

I guess there is good and bad with online communities; as others have mentioned (both here and in the readings) good moderators set the tone.

Hi Susan,

I also tend to be more of a lurker and hold myself back to not reveal too much about myself on online communities.  Most of the time for me, I feel like time is also a major factor holding me back from contributing more in online communities.  I feel like the last few years while I have been doing my degree online I like to spend the least amount of time as possible on the computer because I am already spending so much time using the computer for schoolwork and at work.

Sherri

Susan, you brought up something I hadn't even thought about in terms of a registration process/being a member of an online community even though I had the same reaction you had when I faced it in real life: the spam emails! I think this is a good thing to keep in mind if and when we form our own online communities. Even if the organization thinks that the information it is sending out via these emails is helpful, it should allow the user to choose whether or not to receive these sorts of notices.

Oh I know what you mean about newspaper websites. It's painful to read the comments, but it's like looking at a car wreck -- you can't look away. Newspaper sites I think are the clearest examples online of why it is important to have good moderation in any online community. Local newspapers could be amazing spaces to discuss local issues, but they have degenerated into spaces for spewing of vitriol. Moderation could fix this, but most newspapers have not made an effort to do this. If a media outlet is not willing to hire someone to dedicate themselves to creating a civilized atmosphere in the comments, they probably shouldn't allow commenting at all.

Susan, thank you for bringing up the issue of privacy in online communities! I, too, am a luker or anonymous poster more often than not due to privacy concerns. It's a relief that we do sometimes have the option of posting anonymously, but I also get disguisted with the people who abuse this... The anonymity of the internet can often bring out the worst in people.

Being a lurker and doing online has been quite a challenge. Each semester, each class requires me to sign up for various sites/organizations. I use to have a notepad by my laptop just to keep track of all the usernames and passwords I've created. One big issue I have with a lot of these online communities, is that even when don't check the box about getting emails I still somehow manage to get them! Ugh!!

Also, I very rarely contribute to comments because I am afraid of how people are going to respond to my comment. Like you, I don't like looking down at the comments because while I think many people's comments add values, there are just as many "crazies" out there that represent the worst of mankind.

I've also noticed that one of the few times I do take part in online discussions is when I have strong feelings regarding feedback. For example, this past December my family and I had plans to fly to New York the day after the blizzard hit. We had a horrible experience at the airport and with the airlines, but there was one person who went over and beyond her job duties to help fix our trip. I posted everywhere I could about how horribly the situation was handled but I made it a point to contact the airlines directly to tell them how wonderful that person was.

It has always been a delicate balance for most people to decide when to participate in the discussion.  Opining is, I believe, a natural tendency for most people and that partially explains the success of web 2.0.  The next step for the social network is to somehow make people feel there is something to be gained by participating in the discussion.