A piece in today's NYT said all networks flame out, but that's actually too crude a statement. #
If you want your network not to flame out, give the users the tools to keep things moderated.#
One of the best features of Facebook is it gives the author of a post the power to decide who can respond to it. (I know they're not the only ones, but they're the first in my experience, so I give them credit.)#
If I write something that I know will attract trolls, I just restrict it to friends. If they flame me, or even try to provoke an argument, I just unfriend them, and I suspect they know that. The hotheads have been culled from the list over time, there's trust that people don't want and won't pick fights. #
Assume adults know when they're asking to argue, and not only don't accept the bait, but don't allow them to participate. #
Keeps things friendly. Not kidding. It doesn't flame out there.#
It also helps that I've been using these networks since the 70s, and there have been times when I sought out the flames, because I could have shut them off at any time, but I let them keep going. Now I don't. I just don't argue online, and as a result the heat doesn't reach me. #
In other words, if you give people good tools, and they use them well, you can make this work. #
PS: To be fair, the NYT piece focused on Bluesky, and they are for sure going down a path much like the one Twitter went down, but it will happen much faster because the trolls are already plentiful and well-organized. They're going for the billion-dollar cashout, for sure and they will very likely get it, and as users we will still be looking for an open system that we can use to get work done. #
Last update: Saturday December 14, 2024; 2:14 PM EST.
You know those obnoxious sites that pop up dialogs when they think you're about to leave, asking you to subscribe to their email newsletter? Well that won't do for Scripting News readers who are a discerning lot, very loyal, but that wouldn't last long if I did rude stuff like that. So here I am at the bottom of the page quietly encouraging you to sign up for the nightly email. It's got everything from the previous day on Scripting, plus the contents of the linkblog and who knows what else we'll get in there. People really love it. I wish I had done it sooner. And every email has an unsub link so if you want to get out, you can, easily -- no questions asked, and no follow-ups. Go ahead and do it, you won't be sorry! :-)