[Air-l] "rules"

[Mark Tempestilli]

In conjunction with fol comments, it has also been my experience that the "business rules" I
previously mentioned go hand-in-hand with active on-line moderation and facilitation--akin to a
"community manager."  The "business rules" cannot stand alone or they really lose their value. 
Note that I say moderation & facilitation, not direct control.  And the meandering is not
completely forbidden, but rather "contained" within some soft boundaries. The "community
manager" can be a nearly full time job.  Something to consider.  Again, the question is, "what
kind of community do we want?"

--------------------------------------------------------
Mark Tempestilli
Captain, United States Navy
Director of Network Centric Warfare
U.S. Naval Academy
email:  tempesti at usna.edu
phone:  410-293-1458
>
"Those who will not risk, cannot win."
- John Paul Jones



>>> KeithDoyon at aol.com 03/20/03 18:58 PM >>>
sj wrote:  <<The interesting question that Danny initially asks, that I've 
been interested in for a very long time, is to do with our expectations for 
community. Should we expect discussion of the war, silence about it, or 
ignorance of it, how do those expectations come about and how do they change? 
>>

and mt added:  << In other on-line communities I have participated in, the 
communities generally had a set of "business rules" roughly governing online 
behavior and themes. >>


I haven't previously posted on this topic, not because I don't share strong 
feelings, but rather because, in my strictly personal experience, I have 
never participated in any online community that didn't have something akin to 
"a set of 'business rules' roughly governing online behavior and themes" 
without sooner or later experiencing an acute time and attention/energy 
allocation conflict, due to large numbers of posts far afield from the 
"theme" of the list I was trying to keep up with.  It's like attending a 
committee meeting with a weak chairman who lets discussion meander 
indefinitely ... such meetings are exhausting.  So is keeping up with posts.  
Somewhere along the line, something else has to be sacrificed to do it.   But 
they're fascinating and informing, so I keep reading ... lol

Here's to a compationate victory, leading to a long, agreeable peace.
Keith