DrunkofKittens wrote:

...and here is a definition for a wiki, which is a word that he takes for granted his readers will know, but this particular reader did not. {--- This sentence is so fucked up grammatically that I can't even begin to fix it.

Anyways, very interesting article, though he doesn't really make any "points" per se, besides the one where he thinks an online community will die without moderators... which goes contrary to the two most fruitful online communities I've personally witnessed (POE and OMM's forums).

It seems like guys like this guy would want to know about this particular site, since it really flies in the face of his preconceptions.

On December 9, 1992, Haakon posted 'LambdaMOO Takes A New Direction' (LTAND). Its intent was to relieve the wizards of the responsiblity for making social decisions, and to shift that burden onto the players themselves. It indicated that the wizards would thenceforth refrain from making social decisions, and serve the MOO only as technicians. Over the course of the past three and a half years, it has become obvious that this was an impossible ideal: The line between 'technical' and 'social' is not a clear one, and never can be. The harassment that ensues each time we fail to achieve the impossible is more than we are now willing to bear.

Interesting fact #1: We don't have a problem with n00bs coming in and talking shit. Why?

Ocould say that it's because we're such artful flamers and such an insular group that no one else but us enjoys posting here... but truthfully we don't have to go into "clubby flame mode" very often. Is it just that there are a million messageboards out there and there isn't much to draw new people in here, in terms of content? Interesting fact #2: The "group as user" identity that he keeps talking about was so strong, in this case, that it actually survived what should have been the end in terms of his classic "group destroys itself" model. OMM's forum had a purpose (discuss OMM), but eventually it got out of control, Chet couldn't/didn't want to keep it going if it wasn't what he wanted to see on his forum, but the mutant group that had grown up there (that very malignant force which should have destroyed the group) was actually a group on its own, and those of us that saw that second group as something worth saving came right over when we found out this site was here.

Interesting, too, is his party analogy, where people want to leave but don't. This spring there were definitely times when I think most people were most getting pissed off and would have rather not have posted, but kept posting anyway because it would be sad for the community (such as it is) to die.

Goddamn, my glass is empty again. Anyways, that article is long but you'll be happy to recognize yourself in it if you read it.

FoK