2008 Blog Behavior Discussion and Case Study Dialogue
Increasing every day is the
number of Blogs and Forums on the Internet and there is no end in sight to this
hyperbolic pace. With India and China coming on line with some 2.4 Billion
combined potential Internet Users in the future it should be obvious that these
formats will become a mainstay in human electronic communication and continually
evolve as new systems, innovations and spin-off systems for social networks hit
the scene.
Of course in all this there
will still be the human element and common sense truths about humans and their
somewhat predictable behavior. For instance a human disrespected wants revenge
and will indeed seek it. In a battle of words they will cause a reciprocal
response on those who offend them online. This is a known quantity. But in this
case study let's consider ways in which rival online Blog participants might
diffuse situations.
It has been recorded and is
often repeated in online forums or blogs that a single participant can bring the
group into a state of social courtesy. How so you ask? Well, by merely agreeing
to disagree and putting forth compliments to one or more offenders or attackers
of personal character in these online venues. Potential compliments go something
like this;
What should be noted is
humans often like to give their opinions online and each time they do you have
the opportunity of gleaming perhaps a little more insight into their rational
and the subject matter as a whole. Compliments should be sincere and try not to
go overboard, yet often it has been said that you can kill them with kindness.
So when someone is manipulating a Blog or Forum discussion into personal attacks
or robust combativeness, perhaps you will remember these thoughts and ponder
these tips.
2008 Human Psyche Study on Blog Behavior
Often when folks
participate on Blogs they take the issues personally and enjoy discussing them
from their perspective. Perhaps this gives them a voice that they might not have
otherwise. Indeed people tend to be more willing to type opinions into a
computer system such as an online Blog; opinions which otherwise would not be
uttered in conversation, as they would not wish to offend.
These two dynamics of
opinion giver and the participant taking things personal are ever present. Often
offenders may not mean to offend or sometimes they might, either way the
disrespected person whether intentional or not seeks a revenge of words.
Many people say that
participants should not take things personally and even ask; Is there any way
you cannot take Blog comments personal? Well, this is an interesting thoughts?
Is it not a person's nature to defend their position and point of view? If we
ask folks not to defend themselves are we also not suggesting that we destroy
the individual for the benefit of the whole or delete the individual for the
politically correct masses? If so, how can you expect innovation and cater to a
group of creative individuals.
Generally Blogs are used to
discuss opinion, concepts or ideas in the first place, all of which folks will
have thoughts to consider or even points of contention. Often Blogs or Internet
Forums will post rules of conduct and sometimes these rules get rather long. Of
course they are meant to prevent conflict and personal attacks.
Now then when lists of
rules get too long the system breaks down as people are afraid to speak up and
discuss their point of view, for fear of offending or violating the rules. The
truth is the average human would forget the long list of rules as soon as they
read them (attention span-dummying down theory). Therefore a large list of rules
serves no purpose other than making people so ultra careful that they do not
enjoy the thinking process or blog posting or it simply inhibits participation.
Thus what good was served in making the incessant rules list?
And realize, I am merely
using common sense here, thinking without the boundaries of the Box (Blog, Blob)
and discussing my thoughts on this subject. Please do not get offended at truth
from my POV? And to that point please use this article for discussion purposes
to propel thought. Now then the next item, I would like to discuss is;
2008 Case Study on Blogs
"Human Demands for Law and Order"
So often humans will demand
law and order in their endeavors and yet what they are really demanding is to
make rules to control the situation and make everyone else do things their way.
We see this in nearly every aspect of the human experience; we see it in
sophisticated societies and advanced civilizations. And yet one has to ask if we
are inhibiting ourselves by allowing the never-ending cycle of rule making.
Indeed it is a known fact
that most of those who are involved in rule making enjoy the process because
they cannot compete in the current reality and want to shield themselves and
better their chances for success. Rule making allows for an increased hyperbolic
mechanism of control. Once started it cannot be unwound.
The interesting thing is
that eventually the over regulation even bounds the hands of the rule makers
themselves and eventually there comes a time for a paradigm shift from a
revolutionary element to break the dead lock created. Let us consider the
Internet and rule making for a moment. Lets consider the stifling of innovation
in the name of rules. How about increasing the rules in an online Forum or Blog
for writers as a case Study?
Often humans demand law and
order and isn't that in fact the beginning of the law of unintended
consequences? Bureaucracy crushes innovation and if a writer's Blog is to pitch
ideas and concepts to the overall team or to a group of writers then it cannot
be over bound into a box of overwhelming rules. And if we have 10 or even 50,000
plus innovative and Creative People available to participate on a Blog or Forum
(writers are generally at the top of the food chain of creative types); then it
makes sense to foster creativity and not hamper it.
So where as it would be
correct of course to state that all writer's Blogs or Forums are in fact
Dictatorships driven by the ego or needs of the moderator or owner, that does
not mean a little benevolence towards rule making is not a good idea to get the
most out of the process of hashing out ideas and concepts. Rule making is so
dangerous to innovation, there is a fine line and once you cross that line one
defeats the purpose.
Surely if anyone of the
1000's of participants cannot handle the rules then they are welcome to find
another writer's Blog to discuss such industry items and they can search out
such opportunities to propel thought. There are indeed thousands of writer's
Blogs and 100s of writers Forums too. Actually there are discussion forums on
every possible human subject. I have found interesting Blogs and forums on the
Internet and there are many places to start looking;
In this case study we have
pitched the thought that although humans love to make rules, are able to do so
and have ample opportunity to make them often; I submit to you that with that
opportunity comes the important responsibility to maintain the system's agility,
integrity, flow of thought and process to create innovation.
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