The First of Many
Well this is going to be my E-Rhetorics blog. If you have any interest in me or my friends, feel free to check out my other blog at http://imperfect-enigma.blogspot.com.
One way I can tell that I'm going to enjoy this class is that about ten minutes into my first class session, I already had some ideas about what to write my research paper on.
Topic the first: As a background, I am an avid forum-goer, and I post on two or three forums regularly at any given time. In addition, I read at least twice as many as I post on. Forum culture to me is amazing, especially in that the environment and personality of two forums on very similar topics and even having several of the same people can be entirely different. Doing some research on the history of internet discussion boards (with some history of BBS included) would be an interesting endeavor, and I think it would be a personally relevant topic. I don't really have an idea for a specific question as of yet, but I'll be thinking.
Topic the second: One of the most interesting forms of online communication is also the oldest: IRC. The most freeform, unregulated place to meet and talk to complete strangers. It can be a great place if you want to spill your life's story to a bunch of people you don't know, and it can actually prove to be an incredibly valuable source of information. The best part is that it is completely anonymous, and you can even change your name every five minutes if you so desire. If you want to see some of the best conversations ever conducted on IRC, I highly recommend visiting www.bash.org. Anyway, I think another interesting topic would be to spend some time researching the progression of the IRC community and analyzing the effect of anonymity on it.
Topic the third: This is sort of an overarching idea that combines the other two topics and focuses on a specific aspect: the anonymity. In a discussion forum, you have some sense of anonymity, but because people tend to be associated with a single user name, you still develop a reputation and a forum persona that doesn't go away. I like to call this "limited anonymity." In the IRC world, there is no limitation on how often you change your identity and/or personality, so you effectively have "complete anonymity." The two medium of communication are completely different, and I think it could be exciting to take a look at the effects of different levels of anonymity on the community at large.
One way I can tell that I'm going to enjoy this class is that about ten minutes into my first class session, I already had some ideas about what to write my research paper on.
Topic the first: As a background, I am an avid forum-goer, and I post on two or three forums regularly at any given time. In addition, I read at least twice as many as I post on. Forum culture to me is amazing, especially in that the environment and personality of two forums on very similar topics and even having several of the same people can be entirely different. Doing some research on the history of internet discussion boards (with some history of BBS included) would be an interesting endeavor, and I think it would be a personally relevant topic. I don't really have an idea for a specific question as of yet, but I'll be thinking.
Topic the second: One of the most interesting forms of online communication is also the oldest: IRC. The most freeform, unregulated place to meet and talk to complete strangers. It can be a great place if you want to spill your life's story to a bunch of people you don't know, and it can actually prove to be an incredibly valuable source of information. The best part is that it is completely anonymous, and you can even change your name every five minutes if you so desire. If you want to see some of the best conversations ever conducted on IRC, I highly recommend visiting www.bash.org. Anyway, I think another interesting topic would be to spend some time researching the progression of the IRC community and analyzing the effect of anonymity on it.
Topic the third: This is sort of an overarching idea that combines the other two topics and focuses on a specific aspect: the anonymity. In a discussion forum, you have some sense of anonymity, but because people tend to be associated with a single user name, you still develop a reputation and a forum persona that doesn't go away. I like to call this "limited anonymity." In the IRC world, there is no limitation on how often you change your identity and/or personality, so you effectively have "complete anonymity." The two medium of communication are completely different, and I think it could be exciting to take a look at the effects of different levels of anonymity on the community at large.
posted by Frederick at 1:50 PM
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