From Judith McDaniel
I recently came across a discussion that was a group chat that was NOT in a class setting. Since I teach online, most of the discussions I plan and facilitate are in the context of a class that I control in some way. I can set expectations, model good discussion protocols, insist on the use of evidence to back up an opinion—particularly a contentious opinion.
But what standards exist for a group that comes together in a discussion that is not monitored, that exists only because this group has an interest in talking about this subject? Is it even a problem that there are no standards?
It can be, if the purpose of the group is not honored. If the purpose is a discussion of ways and means of achieving a goal, and someone in the group uses the forum to sell their product or boost their company on this very topic, what happens? If the person doing this dominates the conversation, what happens is that interest drops to zero, the formerly interested participants stop posting, and the conversation that could have been exciting and stimulating is on life support.You might as well pull the plug. 
What to do? Are there any remedies? A blog from a couple of years ago had a useful and interesting suggestion. As you are forming a group, remember that you are forming a community, and every community operates according to certain expectations. Communities are more productive in every way when those expectations are explicit, when they are verbalized, written down, made available to everyone who wants to “join” the community. Here are a couple of examples from Channel 9, the Microsoft Developer Network Community
- Be a human being…
- Learn by listening…
- Be smart. Think before you speak…
- Marketing has no place on Channel 9…
- Don’t shock the system…
- Don’t be a jerk. Nobody likes mean people.
Another good suggestion—set your standards in the language of the community. Are you talking about education? About golf? Or rock climbing? Use the words and concepts of the community and you’ll be talking with the community, not at them.
Tags: Community Code of Conduct, developing a learning community, standards for discussion groups, technology
