ISSUE 5—Heroes or hoverers? A place for all in online communities

The lead up to the Australian general election on 7 September has seen frenzied social media activity by major political leaders. Both  main contenders for the leadership, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbot, through their active social media presence have acknowledged the importance of social media for community engagement.

Who has been more successful? Kevin Rudd, with his longer term social media presence, has attracted more followers. Sustained presence and interaction are important for building and maintaining a community of followers. The Sydney Morning Herald explores this issue at  http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/smallbiz-marketing/election-showcases-power-of-social-media-20130815-2rxkn.html#ixzz2eAnNfxbV

In the US, President Obama’s success with his social media campaign is seen as a function of with his long—3.5 year—social media presence in contrast with candidate Romney's much shorter one.  

The politicians are all demonstrating active leadership on online communities. But what of the other end of the scale–the not visibly active, seemingly dormant ‘lurkers’ referred to in this blog by commenter Rox?

Can we count those peripheral participants as part of the community?

Communication experts agree that lurkers are important. According to Kate Crawford of the University of Sydney, lurkers ‘contribute a mode of receptiveness that encourages others to make public contributions’.

It’s clear from the work of both Crawford and Australia’s Listening Project that, like real-world communities, online communities have their active leaders and their inactive, peripheral participants. All play significant roles.

Here is a multimedia metaphor for the interaction between online followers and online leaders—a large-group rendition of the Cup Song. (Don’t know about the Cup Song? This is a viral YouTube-activity that was unleashed with the release of the movie Pitch Perfect.)

This rendition highlights the importance of the leader for keeping a community together–the leader sets the rhythm for interaction, maintains the momentum, and creates a platform for powerful collaboration. But without her followers, there would only be silence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFtfk0bZVRM

Want to know more?

On Obama vs Romney social media use, see http://www.policymic.com/articles/10072/why-obama-is-dominating-mitt-romney-on-facebook-twitter-and-pinterest )

See Kate Crawford’s  article,  ‘ Disciplines of listening in social media’ at

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Crawford%20Continuum%20following%20you_0.pdf

For The Listening Project: http://www.thelisteningproject.net/

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ISSUE 4 – continued – more about CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION

Poetry collaboration

This exchange of text poems began as a message to a closed LinkedIn group, the group of students with whom I am completing my Master’s Degree in Communication Management. In the course of writing this blog, I learnt of the possibility of social media to allow for ongoing conversation – surely the first step to community. See Issue 3, posted 25 August, where I  interviewed a textpoet.

So I decided to try texting.

[1st post, on LinkedIn]

AVRIL:

Be creative! send me a textpoem on [mobile number]. Here's an example:

Tap in symbols, and it starts

 /characters to open hearts

/speak to me in prose or rhyme

/and let's connect thru space & time

The result? A response from 3 class members via texting; with one, a lively dialogue has emerged. Read and enjoy.

AIZA:

Although our tutes are not the same

I still will deign to play your game

Of poetry in SMS,

Does this suffice? I did my best!

AVRIL:

Love it!

now tell me all about your blog;

does progress lag, or does it jog?

Is this semester going well?

I’m confident that you’ll excel!

AIZA: 

My blog, alas!

Progress is slow,

This comes to me as quite a blow.

AVRIL:

Take courage, friend!

Why don’t we try

To comment on each other’s blog

From now until semester’s end?

In other words, a dialogue.

In matters not whichever class

We both are in; we still will pass

And let s maintain this conversation

For a full collaboration!

AIZA:

 I do agree with your proposal;

 My service is at your disposal!

AVRIL:

so later on I’ ll check your site

Look out for comments late tonight!

AIZA:

 your kindness is appreciated,

But, er, my blog’s not yet updated!

AVRIL:

No problem. And I need a break

Issue 4: CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION, NOT JUST COMMENT?

Writer/journalist Stephanie Wood recently published a compelling feature article on loneliness. In addition to addressing  the deep seated experience of emotional and physical isolation, she  challenges the notion that social media can help to alleviate loneliness. See http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/all-the-lonely-people-20130826-2skkz.html.

It would appear, indeed, that  social media platforms can invite mere comment rather than engagement – or even just envy as we appraised others’ seemingly more enriched lives.  

We’ve all heard  about the potential of Facebook to cause loneliness. But a study intent on proving this actually found the opposite. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/facebook-loneliness_n_3839003.html

Aiza has commented on this blog that social media shows evidence of ‘the Existence of certain protocols and rules of use which can only be learned and internalised through constant exposure and use’.  

By virtue of this definition, we can envision proficient social media users as those who are true community members – they have adopted the language, use the protocols for engaging in dialogue, and are engaged in regular interchange.

And other commenters have shown how constant exposure and the next step- response – have enhanced feelings of belonging:

Sally Morgan: ‘social media can help us feel like we belong and decrease feelings of isolation’. 

Denise: 'the bottom line for me is that I see Facebook as a very positive medium and a fabulous vehicle to connect with other like-minded human beings and make friends.'

According to Spanish scholar Jose Luis Orihuela, in an article in Comunicação e Sociedade (translated into English!)

 ‘The blogosphere is community and conversation’.  

Please continue the conversation- let me know what you think about the question,

Can social media build community?

Want to know more from these commentators?

Denise: http://greyisok.blogspot.co.uk/

Jose Luis Orihuela: Email: jlori@unav.es; Blog: http://ecuaderno.com/.

Aiza Rus: http://vitamincplus.wordpress.com/author/aizauts/

Sally Morgan: https://plus.google.com/107611860416207398724/posts

ISSUE 3 ALTERNATIVE DISCOURSE? A NEW LANGUAGE COMMUNITY?

The comment from poet Shelley Tracey got me thinking:

can creative communities form through the medium of social media?
Accordingly, I interviewed Shelley via Facebook Chat.
Here is a transcript.

What do you think?
Can social media  create a new language, a new discourse, a new language community?

Using Social Media to Influence Customers with Michelle Levings - Networ...

Issue 2 - RESPOND, RELATE - AND MAKE THE CONNECTIONS REAL?

Dear bloggers, see Denise below
who  wants to share what she has learned.
community's first rule is this:
when contact's made, see it's returned!


Lani Paul in the video- and other speakers featured in this recent forum - reminds us of the key to engagement:   when media users respond, keep the community going by translating the art of dialogue to the digital.

It's important to talk to your community

Can social media build community?     

My blog addresses just this question. 

You’re invited— full impunity—to offer any sound suggestion. 

Issue 1: ATTENTION SEEKING OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?

As social media users, are we doomed to being serial narcissists – trying to turn our ordinary lives into a visual and verbal feast others can only envy?

Daily, our so-called friends on Facebook present their gourmet meals, concert tickets and glamour purchases for our attention. See Ian McManus’s discussion on the way Facebook nourishes this unhealthy way of life.

But the same articles highlight our deep need for belonging, and for integration into multiple communities.

Can social media deliver this? Can we use social media to create, join, and enhance online communities – and encourage others to become members?
With your help, this blog will attempt to answer these questions

Dear fellow students, here's a link 

Or two that help to make you think:

- the research behind it – why we want to belong: 

see

  and the need for community that propels people to join Facebook, as I recently posted in Ian's discussion:

see

Share your thoughts, and help build my community on building community!

POST 2
thanks for the encouragement as this blog begins. Continuing the theme of acknowledgement, I have been examining websites and blogs of support groups, to examine the way people's experiences can be validated via social media, giving them the sense that they are members of a community of fellow sufferers. Look, for example, at the comments in this blog on the experience of miscarriage. What does thier language tell us? what emotions are they expressing? Is there a common thread in the nature of their comments?
http://themiscarriageblog.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/other-type-of-two-week-wait.html