ideas about this forum

• Life Cycle of Mailing Lists by Tatiana Matveeva (Inity), 11/26/98
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    • Not Exactly by Doug W., 12/5/98
      
      

I appreciate posts like the one above by Doug, because they encourage us to think about the dynamics of this forum. And because we are talking about the psychology of cyberspace, one thing we can do is discuss THIS forum, which is one type of environment in cyberspace.

>>The challenge of what I'm suggesting is to focus the discussion on a particular area of interest. If there is a good book or article, let's all read it and discuss that. Tatiana wants to talk about cyber addiction then let's stay with that idea.<<

That's all fine by me. A discussion will develop and mature as long as people continue posting. A number of interesting discussions got started here, yet they tend to fade after a while. Why might that be?

>>This meandering in and out of one topic after another certainly gives ample opportunity for everyone to express their opinion...<<

I don't mind the meandering. I like the fact that the forum allows a variety of ideas to pop up. If people continue posting in one thread, then that thread will develop and mature.

>>but I thought the original idea of all the BOL forums had a more 'professional' or scholarly intent.<<

The other forums are indeed more "professional" and scholarly in their discussion. But I think that's because the topic areas are very specific professional ones. The topic here (the psychology of cyberspace) is one that almost any visitor can relate to, simply by the fact that they are here (i.e., an internet user). I enjoy hearing from "lay people" as well as from professionals and researchers. I've learned a lot from them.

Doug, if you want to start a more professional and scholarly thread, that's great! Scholarly discussion will probably lead to a self-selection process that will narrow who posts.

• ideas by Dale R. Smith, 12/13/98