Well, I have never really used discussion boards, or internet communities to any great extent, mostly because I don’t have the time to keep up with them. I hate the logging-in part and I hate that you have to create a new username/profile for each one. Who can keep track of all of those? Especially because it seems like each site or group has it’s own requirements (i.e. so many characters, this many letters, that many numbers, ect.). And then, nobody really tracks whether or not these profiles are accurate and/or used on a continuous basis. I can’t tell you how many time’s I have had to join, in order to access their information and then have never logged-in again.
But in the spirit of this project and because I really have been meaning too, I joined a mom’s group with a focus on saving money and time. Mostly I was interested in all of the hype about coupon’s and how much you can save if you know how to do it.
So I set out, you have to apply to join the group and it said that the administrator would be notified (via e-mail) of your request. I was granted access within 24 hours (via e-mail), but somehow it felt like there should have been a cerimony or at least a group song. Maybe ridiculous hats or a special handshake…just kidding! =)
Anyway, what suprised me was the amount of information that was posted every single day. In one day there were almost three new pages of posts, there was no way I could keep up on everything.
Overall, people seemed friendly and helpful. I didn’t have any outside e-mail contact with anyone (afterall, I didn’t even know them), nor did I do any instant chatting. But what I did do was read posting and respond. I was able to learn a lot about the art of coupon clipping and it was amazing how much time people can spend tracking sales patterns. At one point, someone actually posted a reward for their coupon binder that they had lost in a local grocery store the day before. They were willing to pay money to get back the coupon’s that were going to save them money…seem like an oxi-moron if you ask me!?!
Anyway, I didn’t really experience any issues or problems. A few times there was question about whether or not a posting was accurate or ligitament. But that was usually resolved by the administrator deleting the original post or the original poster clarifying what they ment. I didn’t really experience any “arguments” or negative interactions, mostly everyone was there to help each other out. And I got a few good deals (although, the time it took may have actually cost me money….).
What bothered me, like it talked about in our readings, is the anonymous nature of these communities. I have no idea if these people are telling the truth and if they are not, I have no recourse to hold them accountable.
