Live Blogging Online Communities Session

Adam Glenn, AG@ Media and I, Reporter
Blake Willaims, Topix
Robin Miller, slashdot
Marc Mercer, Advance Internet

Topix--set up forums after Katrina because users couldn't communicate with one another. slashdot has a million registered users but only six employees. Robin Miller is also with Linux.com. Marc Mercer worked with interactivity for 15 years. Had a dial-in bulletin board. Works for Advance Internet -- 10 sites, 2000 forums, photogalleries and video. He sees lots of 'trolls' and over time developed defenses against the "trolls."

Advance -- covers all timezones across USA. Sets up an INTRANET so that workers that are isolated "go rogue" and keep their ethical balance. His model is "virtual community policing" of the virtual cities. The key is response to user complaints within five minutes. He takes the Tipping Point's idea of the bad and spreading effect of a broken window as a model. Has roving groups that "patrol" the system. NOLA.com is one of their sites.

In an emergency, they provided the backend to change the NOLA.com site into an emergency communication center within a few minutes.

Adam asks for examples of mistakes that others should avoid. Blake Williams biggest mistake was enforcing registration Cited a study that anonymous post content aggregated, is as high quality as when you force registration. When they took off registration to post, they had the "hockey stick" effect. That is the "J" curve distribution. I think he means that comments came up abruptly when there was no barrier to submissions.

Linux.com does allow anonymity. slashdot's biggest mistake was calling the reputation ranking "karma" and that word caused competition. Use reader credibilty index, but don't reduce it to a numeric score at least where folks are real techie. Mercer says the biggest mistake was thinking that all communities are the same. Minor tech changes can affect the social-psychological balance of the community.