I've been part of many on-line communities over the years, and (as has
been mentioned here several times) there are a few common patterns that
often happen. If you haven't already seen it, I strongly recommend reading
Clay Shirky's "A Group is its own Worst Enemy" available at:

http://www.shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html

This group, however, is a little bit special.

Many on-line communities live or die solely on the written words that
form them. If a divisive "flame war" erupts, there is little or no way
to try and defuse it that won't be taken as an attack by at least some
participants.

We are special because we have another channel, a rich and powerful
one that can shine a bright light and reveal the inadvertent
assumptions and misconceptions of text for what they are - a pale
shadow of real communication.

We have video.

Many people have described this group as very friendly, helpful and
civilised. In my opinion, one of the most important reasons is simply
that we have a culture of sharing ourselves on video.

Has anyone else noticed that the recent flare-ups have happened at
times when there also seemed to be a drop-off in personal,
heart-on-sleeve videoblog posts?

My suggestion is simple.

If you feel strongly. If you want to tell someone how you feel. If you
think someone has misunderstood something ...

Make a video.

--
Frank Carver   http://www.makevideo.org.uk



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