a roundabout response to todays Advertiser Article

we have been self moderating each other online for years. its nothing new really. online communities have a way of shunning and rejecting people who step out of synch or line with best practice or “niceness”. spammers, cyber bullies and pushers with the attitude that “its all about me” are soon ignored and moved on from. its a “dont try this at home scenario”. you just dont do it. or you do it once and LEARN FAST.

now, papers love to talk about this negativity. the cyber bullies. but in reality they (the cyber bullies) dont last long and they dont acrue many good friends. they fade away.

i have watched it play out time and time again. on various platforms… twitter, facebook, plurk… they have all had their moments. in fact i have self moderated myself a few times and had “quiet moments”. being online since 1999 means you get tired of the silliness that sometimes happens on these platforms.

so it works both ways.

most people these days dont bother critising or arguing with the offending person as they just look for the next positive element available to amuse them (i know i do). let’s face it – onliners go there to feel good. who wants the negativity from the outside world thrown at them?

no one.

onliners play games, chat with friends, go clothes (or gadget) shopping, entertain each other, swop company notes, share fun stories, tips and fashion advice. where in all that fits nastiness, competitiveness and negativity?

onliners go to be inspired. some of the worlds biggest inspirations, eg the dalai lama, louise L hay and even the pope have gone online to inspire the masses. they reach out with inspiring quotes, messages and friendship. they reach people online in a far simpler way than even a single church service can.

onliners support others. think of all the not-for-profits and charities raising awareness through FREE social media campaigns. what was once their dilemma ie how to reach the masses, is now open slather and all power to them – they for years have understood the need to use word of mouth marketing techniques. no longer at the beck and call of the corporations to gather a few dollars to send a few advertising messages, these groups have jumped online with glee. the ones that will succeed will be the ones who can still generate a few dollars to outsmart others in a fun quirky interesting and exciting awareness campaign or game. that ends up viral.

so, yes awareness of these issues is ongoing. however onliners have their own way of making sure others are kept in line. how many of you have responded to a blog post or status update comment with “hey, come on micky keep it clean…” or “hey micky, that’s a tad unfair on wally”.

think about it. i bet you have.

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