The problem with forums
So I’ve been a frequenter of my brother-in-law’s forum for the last 3 years or so, in fact I was a charter member and an admin. Well he decided to shut it down today. It started out as a fun place to go and post jokes, humorous pictures or videos, or just talk about stuff with a group of fun educated people. Well the past few months it has become a place where a post about humor, or a news article turns into a pissing contest where nobody backs down. Now I understand people can be stubborn (I am, just ask my wife), but why is it that people feel almost a NEED to become beligerant to each other when it comes to forums? I mean you can hit hundereds of them and see the same thing happening. Is it the power that the anonymity brings? I don’t know.
We had even gone so far as to create a section on the forum where those who wished to debate issues could go at each other. We called it the Barbershop. It started back during the elections and I think that is where things really started to turn. Since then it’s almost a daily occurance that people argue about politics, religion, or anything else that happens to piss them off.
Not sure why I’m posting this. Guess I’m just wondering why forums seem to always degrade into a place where people stand on their mountains and dare you to knock them down. Maybe that’s just the way of things.
Well it’s Friday, it’s payday, and I’m thirsty. Cheers.
Oh, and just so I don’t end things on a sour note… I was sent the following today. I thought it was funny:
Common People - see if you can figure out who is singing. Took me all of 5 seconds. 
Hi Eddie - I was giving your post a thought as well as Bio’s and the comments left there.
Now I pry had a hand in the pot as well, certainly on the sensitivity side at times. As I pick through the pieces of my shattered social life (house dad with 3 small kids makes for a limited perspective), a couple of things come to mind:
1. I think the assumption/expectation with most forums is that they should be a place not unlike work or school, where you have a common objective (a lot of the folks at the BRHF are Lazy-I or Ex-Spectrum types), and thus talk within the parameters of a work environment - certain subjects are not touched because all know that it would hose up the esprit de corps (”working as a team” would be a grossly simple definition of that term) that a good organization requires to be successful.
Teh Intraweb (as Bio puts it) is a different animal altogether. Here most of us who use it can put on only the persona they want others to see, if they were up to fooling folks - I’d like to think that most are more or less not putting up a front, but most of us net vets know better. What goes along with that perceived anonymity is the perceived license to do what we want, and that is a part of what can lead to the collapse of a forum. I’ve even seen a Christian forum get taken down because of that. And of course, since there is a high degree of plasticity on the web, someone who is tossed off can go somewhere else with virtually no harm no foul and start again - try doing that with work, school or home.
2. Relationships are dynamic animals. The longer a group of people are in the same area, the more of the real them comes to the surface, and conversely the more they can be shaped by that environment. Along with that, things happen to folks during the course of one’s life that changes how they look at the world. This will also be reflected in the persona that comes to the surface.
So whatta ya do with all this highfalutin’ drivel? First define the expectations for the forum which in the case of the BRHF was, I think, well defined. Second, enforce it. I think a lot of the issues could have been resolved with a little more hands-on moderating (even if I was the one getting my kiester slapped) before the plug was pulled…but that is just my opinion, I know you and Bio are pretty busy folks.
I am going to post this on Bio’s comments as well, I think - thanks for helping to get the thoughts out of my head.
Wish you all the best, Eddie!
Mike
Comment by Mike — 4/9/2005 @ 3:07 pm
Thanks Mike, I think you’re pretty right on with most of what you said. I think we all got comfortable enough with each other that the opinions just started pouring out. And you’re also probably right about the moderation or lack of on the part of Bio and myself. I guess I figured Bio knew most of the people well enough to moderate on his own, I felt kinda like a standby. And not to shurk my responsibility in this, I guess there was also a bit of lazyness on my part as well as figuring since we are all adults we could “work things out”. I probably should have taken the title a little more seriously. Bio probably wouldn’t have made me an admin unless he was okay with me rapping some knucles once in a while. Maybe some more active moderating on our part as well as getting rid of places that could foster the attitudes that developed (specifically the Barbershop) is in order. I’ll talk to Bio about it on Monday. All good points you made and I’ll see what he has to say about it as well.
Comment by eddie — 4/9/2005 @ 4:06 pm
Why, that’s your fellow Canuck Bill Shatner! I heard snippets of his new album - call that man the energizer bunny! He just keeps going and going and….
Comment by Mike — 4/10/2005 @ 8:40 am
Hey, if you want it, I have the SW3:RotS soundtrack. Would pass it on through the forum, but…. You know.
Comment by miftah — 4/10/2005 @ 11:47 am
yeah the entire album is quite good. Shatner is legend in Boston Legal
jeff
Comment by jeff lang — 4/18/2005 @ 5:24 pm