When I first read what this week’s assignment was I got a little concerned because I have never joined a online discussion group besides myspace and facebook, so I had no idea where to start looking for my new group. However I was surprised at how easy it was to join an online group and how easy it was to find something I was interested in. They have a group for anything and everything, which is also kind of a creepy thought. However I decided to join a basketball discussion board because it is something that I know a lot about am interested in, so while talking to these strangers I will be able to add knowledgeable input.
So the first few days of being a member of my new discussion group I decided to just use the forum page. This is where you can leave comments on a previous question or comment that someone else had already posted. This was nice because I didn’t have to worry about what someone would say back to my comment right away. This way I could leave and come back and check what people had said about my comment. It’s funny because I got nervous awaiting other peoples responses to my comments, it was like I wanted their approval, like I was meeting someone new for the first time in person, but these people I would never have to meet in my life. I soon realized that what I was saying was matching up with what other people were saying, so I felt some confidence in my writing and my knowledge about the game.
After a week or so I decided to advance my form of communication by entering a live chat. I’m not going to lie I was a little nervous. It is weird to me that you are talking to people you don’t know and can’t get a picture for or anything. It could be anyone on the other end of the conversation! So after I got over this little fear of mine I entered the chat with an open mind. I let other people start of conversation and then I would just add my two-cents in here and there. But as time went on I became more comfortable and began starting my own topic of conversation.
The first question that I asked was very simple and open ended, so I knew I would get a lot of feedback. I asked “are you a duck or beaver fan?” Woah this caused more controversy then I expected! People started discussing the Beavers head Coach, Craig Robinson and the men’s team and how he has helped turn the program around, and now Ernie Kent and the Ducks are dealing with a non winning Pac-10 season. People then started to take bets and challenge one another on who was going to win the Civil War down at MAC court in a few weeks. When there was a disagreement being said people would really stick up for what they believed in and their opinion. For a chat room, it got pretty heated! Quickly after that I excused myself from the group and called it a night!
As Postman says in his book “Technopoly also encourages insensitivity to what skills may be lost in the acquisition of new ones. It is important to remember what can be done without computers, and it is also important to remind ourselves of what may be lost when we do use them.” This quote makes me think about how much people rely on their online lives. In some cases it is all people have and they devote themselves to meeting people and engaging in conversations online all the time. This allows people to lose so many communication skills for the real world. I was glad that I tried something new by joining an online group but I would not want to make it my lifestyle, there is so much more out there then what’s behind the computer screen.
I shared your anxious feelings in the new venture. For whatever reason, I am comfortable on myspace and facebook, but this seemed more random. I have communicated and additionally, have met people that I had previously not known through myspace/facebook, but still, this felt different. It is sometimes hard to take information seriously or passionately without knowledge of those you are communicating with. I experienced this and it seemed that you did too.
I don’t know if I care what others think enough to spend time and energy defending myself to random on-liners. Discussion boards and certainly not for everyone…
I noticed that many people started out in an internet community by simply responding to posts as opposed to starting their own posts. I think this is the best way to approach being a new member of any group, because it allows you to gauge the personalities in the group and to determine what the appropriate behavior is for interactions in the group. Once you have acclimated into the group, then it makes sense to do as you did, and ask a simple question or make an unbiased statement, so as to not rub anybody the wrong way! I can only imagine the kinds of replies that you got to your question of ducks vs. beavers, but I would hope that they were, for the most part, respectful!