Board Dynamics

[Saxifrage]

Originally Posted by zefrank

this is interesting.

if saxifrage is still here, i'd love to get an idyllic scenario on what a message board should be . saxi should read about "burstiness" theory - not old school anthro to understand online community self organization.

and also from the rest of you. what would a moderator do? inforce something? if so, what and how?

is this board a hodgepodge? if not, how is it organized?

if no moderator, what sort of guiding principles do you think a board should live by? should you write a constitution?

audrey - who's message board should it be? are you looking for a more supportive environment? if so, for whom? everyone? where do opinions come in?

should the board be "closed"? invite only? should the public be able to read it?

Whoa now, quite the contrary, I think this board runs fine as far as I see it. Most people legitimately like each other and enjoy their time spent posting. Hell, this is a prime example of my problem, I drop my opinion and Ze thinks I'm dissin' his board. I seem to come off in a bad light even though I mean well The prior post was just giving my opinion from my personal experiences on message boards. I didn't mean hodge-podge in a bad way, the boards that I have participated in in the past were each oriented toward a particular subject. I am sure this is not the way of all boards but it has been for me. It is easier to keep people in agreement when they are oriented to one goal. Or the site is dedicated to arguement and disagreement (sadly, that is where I fit in). This one is a mix of people and topics.

As far as moderators go I believe that they are best used to eliminate direct personal insults. While critique of an opinion is okay something like "screw you, you're wrong as well as stupid" is unacceptable in a setting like this. You folks come here to chat about events around the world as well as events from daily life. You talk of sending each other cookies and visiting each other, folks, that's a community. That's like small town USA popping up in cyberspace. You have to protect that, it isn't very easy to find. Ultimately it's Ze's world, I am a fan, love his creations, think he is probablly a cool dude. -nuff said-

P.S. not familiar with "burstiness theory" but would like to check it out.