A message to exclusive groups and other "private" online communities:
Let me first say I have no problem with exclusionary groups so long as they are based on a person's character. A group which is formed for a purpose should have the right to exclude from it's rolls persons who would defame, derail, or otherwise inhibit the functioning of said group.
To require numerical achievements for entrance into such a group, however, strikes me as unfair, counter-productive, and inherently stupid. It is not wrong to seek out members who will be positive contributors to discussion or to more closely scrutinize potential members who do not have established reputations in the community at large, but to set strict communicative benchmarks - posts per month, blogs per week, pics in profile, non-model friends, etc - not only turns aside many positive community members who may simply spend time on other activities, but encourages the filling of message boards and forums with the exact kind of redundancy and tripe it is the goal of exclusive groups to reduce.
When I have something to add to a discussion I will say it. I do not apologize for failing to see the purpose behind being the 3000th person to tell a model she is hot or the 70th person to agree that oral sex is pleasurable, and I refuse to seek out places to repeat the words of others or wrack my brain for mundane topics on which to blog simply to please a group administrator.
Hopefully this post will not go unnoticed by groups I attempt to join and the administrator may pause to reconsider his or her specific criteria. If not though we shall simply continue to live our lives apart, unable to potentially enrich the others', having nothing to blame for the loss but narrow mindedness and sloth.
Let me first say I have no problem with exclusionary groups so long as they are based on a person's character. A group which is formed for a purpose should have the right to exclude from it's rolls persons who would defame, derail, or otherwise inhibit the functioning of said group.
To require numerical achievements for entrance into such a group, however, strikes me as unfair, counter-productive, and inherently stupid. It is not wrong to seek out members who will be positive contributors to discussion or to more closely scrutinize potential members who do not have established reputations in the community at large, but to set strict communicative benchmarks - posts per month, blogs per week, pics in profile, non-model friends, etc - not only turns aside many positive community members who may simply spend time on other activities, but encourages the filling of message boards and forums with the exact kind of redundancy and tripe it is the goal of exclusive groups to reduce.
When I have something to add to a discussion I will say it. I do not apologize for failing to see the purpose behind being the 3000th person to tell a model she is hot or the 70th person to agree that oral sex is pleasurable, and I refuse to seek out places to repeat the words of others or wrack my brain for mundane topics on which to blog simply to please a group administrator.
Hopefully this post will not go unnoticed by groups I attempt to join and the administrator may pause to reconsider his or her specific criteria. If not though we shall simply continue to live our lives apart, unable to potentially enrich the others', having nothing to blame for the loss but narrow mindedness and sloth.
pyrhhus:
Honestly more of a response than I thought I'd get. Food for thought: board thread