The roles we play on forums

Have you ever posted a message on a public forum? Why did you post it? What did you want to say? What made you choose the particular forum - topic relevance, familiar people or urgent / desperate need for help?
Whenever we decide to make an appearance on a public site, we have two options - be invisible, i.e. anonymous or reveal our name. These are two totally different conditions which determine our online behaviour.

People who post intelligent, balanced and relevant comments are lifeblood to any successful forum discussion.
The worst type are anonymous discontented forum users who give vent to their anger or malice. I have seen thousands of comments posted by such people on national websites and it has always made me wonder about the true nature of anonymity. Does it automatically gives you freedom to abuse other people or is it a shield to protect you - from what?

If the forum is closed as in elearning environment, people coming to forums have a certain aim in mind, and usually it is posting for study purposes. They are never anonymous and it preconditions their sticking to the rules of netiquette. However, during a long time I have observed that there are as many patterns of behaviour on forums as there are participants. Active, coherent and responsive people are emoderators' joy. There are the brash ones and there are the considerate, there are the shy and the headstrong, the diligent and the idle. And there are lurkers. Reading, observing, watching, waiting, posting only when they cannot avoid it.

I have known the website Flame Warriors for years. It gives a huge list of roles people play on forums, each role supplied with a picture and definition created by an artist Mike Reed - Rebel Leader, Big Cat, Toxic Granny, Coffee Klatch, Bliss Ninny, Fanboy, Lonely Guy, God, Weenie etc.

Even if you don't agree with everything Mike Reed has written, it is worth taking a look at the site, especially if you have to deal with forums - either as a participant or a moderator.

Learning Technologies course - the sunny side

Not all things are black, only cats at night...
To be fair, after my previous post I have to bring out the best points of the course which are numerous.
First, I have re-discovered people who were familiar to me but unknown at the same time. Doing the course tasks has revealed their skills and talents which are really surprising. They are displaying perfect command of the subject, excellent writing skill, logical and coherent comments and postings. I am really happy to have learned this...
Second, I am gratified that many course participants feel satisfied with all the new things they learn every week. After all, I was the one who invited them to this course, and although I did not build it, I sort of feel responsible for the outcome.
I think the course is challenging but rewarding...
Third, I have understood that the ladies who are on the course are really trying to do their best to complete all the tasks, do the quizzes and questionnaires which is not easy for some of them, having little children or sick parents. And the gardening season is open! What a dilemma - do the tasks or work in the garden?

Learning Technologies online course - stumbling along....

The third week of the course is coming to an end, and I have already drawn some harsh conclusions.

First, people should not apply to this course if they are not sure of their ability and willingness to spend hours and hours online, being persistent and diligent.
Second, people should not apply to this course if they do not favour technologies and hate the time they "waste" at the computer. Finding "very objective" excuses seems childish to me...
Third, people should not apply to this course if they just hope to complete the course by lurking (see what is a lurker) quietly somewhere "behind the scenes" and never showing up in public. Being taciturn, does not rank high on such a course.

Starting a Learning Technologies course

Finally the time is ripe for the first online course with me as a moderator. See the previous post about this course http://baibasvenca.blogspot.com/2010/01/moderating-my-first-online-course.html

After completing the final leg of the preparation (3 more weeks), I am now ready for this adventure.(?) I only hope my "students" will be as excited about it as I am now. We are meeting on 30 March for a face-to-face meeting. I will report about the event...

Moderating my first online course

[P o s t p o n e d !]
Next month I am starting a new course, approved by the British Council and the Ministry for teachers who want to learn new ways of using the internet with kids at school. This is a great course, challenging, demanding but also satisfying the needs of a caring, professional teacher who wants to be knowledgeable in Web 2.0 tools.

I am looking forward to this course not only because I will have to test my skills as a moderator but also as a blogger who has been blogging in solitude for about a year, writing for myself, as I like to remark. I would love to have comrades who would care to visit my blog and I would be immensely interested in visiting their blogs in return.

I don't feel like twittering or chatting but somehow blogging has an inexplicable appeal to me. A blog is like an open door to a person's thoughts and views. I would like to have a chance to be a guest to another world-of-mind now and then...

Back from Vilnius

After two fruitful days in Vilnius I am back to work, i.e. at my computer.
The first thing I am doing is making a scrapbook of the few photos I have from the seminar showing the lovely Latvian group, all the great ladies whom I met and befriended.
More reflections when I am in the right mood...