Threaded Discussion: A Mini-Analysis

I found a very interesting thread on the Verizon cell phone Google Group (alt.cellular.verizon). It is amazing how much time people dedicate to this environment. The thread I look at analyzing was originally posted by “Hunter” and he shares his experience about calling in to check on his usage minutes when he finds out that Verizon is tracking more minutes than he knows he has used. He gave more details about where he was living, calling from, and typical monthly cell phone usage. Five days after his original posting, there had been 56 responses to him (or to others within this thread), some on target, some a bit more tangential. Some people (either Verizon employees or other people with strong ties to Verizon) shared information about Verizon implementing a new billing system while others shared plausible explanations such as time delays in updating your minutes due to roaming or inadvertent cell phone usage and ways to eliminate this possibility (i.e., use a flip phone so you don’t accidentally dial someone).

So now for the million dollar question, “Why do people volunteer their time to help other people out?” I found Eric Raymond’s, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, enlightening, specifically his terminology of egoboo (egoboosting, or the enhancement of one’s reputation among other fans) as a drive behind participants’ volunteer activity. This phenomenon seemed to be a possibility for postings from some of the people participating on the alt.cellular.verizon board. Having posted on this board myself, it was interesting to see some of the same people posting in throughout the various threads I read. It was also interesting to see the participants banter back and forth, almost as if they were in a debate session or involved in a family feud. It is apparent from the communication that these folks know and recognize one another’s screen names. I also think some of these participants genuinely enjoy conflict and contention. They like to spark arguments and put others on the defense. Some of the users enjoy sharing their expertise and inside information, perhaps again an example of egoboo. There is definitely a social element to these boards. Of course there are those that post on occasion, but it quickly became apparent that there are a few people who spend a considerable amount of time in this Google Group.

I was also interested in Kollock and Smith’s concluding remarks about shortcomings of newgroups. “Many newsgroups remain relatively uncooperative places, filled with noise and argument.” I definitely found this to be the case on alt.cellular.verizon. Sometimes the participants were helpful, cordial, and appeared to be working towards a common goal of finding solutions. Other times (more often than not), the participants were spending time flaming one another, calling each other names, and pointing out other’s errors and shortcomings.

All in all, this was a very interesting opportunity to see how people interact in these online environments, to conduct some discourse analysis, and to hypothesize what motivates the people to participate in these types of discussions.

Logged hours: 6 hours searching archives for a discussion thread in which a question is asked and a significant amount of time is spent by one or more people trying to answer it.

Online Discussions Boards: Are They for Me?

Well, I can see how people can get lost in space – at least in the Internet. This assignment was challenging for me because, although I have used Google Groups as a research/problem solving tool, I have never actively participated in an online discussion board. At first I was overwhelmed with the massiveness of the groups, but as I began searching and sifting, I began to see the organization and navigation within Google Groups. I really struggled to find an active group that was of interest to me. I searched for my favorite TV show (I only have one obscure one I enjoy), parenting, single-parenting, dissertation, kids, Macs, videoconferencing between Macs and PCs, music, education, Microsoft suite, and well, the list goes on and on. The idea of archiving is amazing and I was impressed by the searching capabilities.

I spent some time searching in Google Groups for help regarding two specific issues: 1) videoconferencing with a Mac and a PC and 2) trying to get help with a Verizon cell phone issue. I found discussion boards were helpful outside of Google Groups as well.

Videoconferencing with a Mac and PC:
comp.sys.mac.comm
At an Instructional Architect meeting last week, we were able to include a team member from Hawaii, Bart Palmer, in an iChat conversation. I was so impressed with the ease of set up and clarity of the picture, that I thought I should try something similar at home. That way I could talk to Ben in Texas, my parents in Cedar and the boys could talk to their dad in Spokane. Unfortunately, all three are PC users, so it wouldn’t be quite as slick as a straight Mac solution. (Once you go Mac, you can’t go back.) There are some pretty easy set-ups, the best one being Mac-Mac, then Mac-PC via AOL (this requires Windows XP). Ben bought a Logitech webcam last night so I researched their Discussion Forum and tried to set it up w/Mac-PA via AOL, but no luck because he doesn't have XP. So, we both downloaded Yahoo Messenger and it "works" (I guess). I can see him, but the clarity was horrible compared to the iChat conference call last week. I guess we'll see if I can convert others to Mac. :)

Verizon:
alt.cellular.verizon
So, not to share too much information, but I was completely perturbed when I opened my cell phone bill and realized there was another billing error. I still wasn’t receiving credit for my in-network calls. I called Verizon's customer service last month and they told me they had billing errors and would credit my account the appropriate amount. This month however, I had no such luck. So, with the outrageously expensive phone bill in hand, I set out to learn from other’s experiences and see what could be done. I found a helpful board with a posting from a Verizon employee at ripoffreport.com. She stated, " At the end of every year we get a huge bonus if we save money...." Who knew?

Then I thought I’d post my own experience at the alt.cellular.verizon board. Wow! I was in for a rude awakening to the world of online discussions! If I expected sympathy or help, that was not on the menu. The first comment in response to my dilemma was from Edward, “Read and understand the terms of your plan. That way, you won't make any more stupid mistakes...and most importantly, stop whining. You screwed up-- so take some responsibility for your error and pay them what you owe them.” Ouch! Other harsh comments included, “Agreed, from a grad student no less. I can only assume a lack of attention to detail” and “What the hell is a grad student (or any college student) doing with a cellphone. You should be using the money spent on the cell phone for school costs, instead of running up debt for student loans. That will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

I can finally laugh about these comments. Fellow posters don’t know the whole scenario and perhaps feel better about themselves by trying to make others feel inferior, stupid, uninformed, etc. Unfortunately, when I first read these postings, I was seriously offended! I thought maybe I’m not cut out for this online interactions. Then, as more people began posting, and a tirade ensued about students loans -- they must’ve taken a page out of Wiley’s course on tirades ;) -- I began to see the situation in a different light. My overall impression is that people are a lot nicer, polite, and cordial in face-to-face situations. Perhaps my experience would’ve been different had I participated in a different content area (such as heart transplant survivors or single-parenting boards).

Follow up to the cell phone situation:
I was practically moved to tears when Julie, a CSR from Verizon, was able to rectify the billing situation. There had been, in fact, misinformation on Verizon’s part. She credited my account the appropriate amount and was so NICE! I guess Verizon isn’t so bad after all.

Logged hours: 7 hours searching archives and 4 hours participating in discussions and looking around.

Dawson’s Personal History

As part of the 7150 class, we’ve been asked to describe our personal
history of use of the Internet and social software. I look forward to reading other postings and see if others have had similar experiences.

I was first exposed to the Internet in the summer of 1997. It’s a little funny for me because it reminds me of “Where were you when you first learned about 9/11?” I remember so clearly sitting in a computer lab on the second floor of Interface Computer School in Spokane, WA. I was an instructor there, mainly teaching the Microsoft Office Suite (thus my nickname as the Microsoft Queen). Michael Norton, a fellow instructor, spent about 45 minutes sharing the concept of email and the Internet with the entire faculty. I remember thinking, “Wow! This is so fun! This is so cool! When did this come about?” Well, although I never thought I was an early adopter, I was stunned to realize Ray Tomlinson of BBN invented an email program in 1971 to send messages across a distributed network (Hobbes' Internet Timeline). Regardless of when it was invented, I became hooked in 1997 and was one of the innovators, or at least early adopters, at Interface Computer School to really fully grasp the concept and began emailing often. As an instructor, it was imperative that I stay on top of the latest trends and share these results with my students. We discussed netiquette, flaming, the importanance of subject lines, etc. I would say most of my learning regarding email came from personal usage and reading.

Instant Messaging was introduced to me as a Ph.D. student. I had heard about it, seen others using it, but my personal usage started while employed by David Wiley beginning March, 2003. Again, I was amazed to see that chatting capabilities were invented in 1973 by Doug Brown (Many-to-Many Space). Initially I was hesitant. I was worried about wasting time chatting with friends and coworkers about “fun” stuff and not utilizing my time as efficiently as possible. I also thought – Wiley is down the hall. Why should I IM him instead of poking my head in his office? I quickly learned how convenient, fun, and efficient Instant Messaging can be. I also learned how fun it was to make other people LOL, especially when they are in the same room. One of my favorite memories from my work with Wiley last summer is making Sandie cry because she is laughing so hard and Mark just shaking his head. All of my learning regarding IM has come from personal usage and seeing how others interact. Wiley has been a leader for me in this area as he was one of my first co-IMers. Emoticons are one of my favorite features – and I practice often with friends.

Because I have had great team members throughout my Ph.D. program, I have been exposed to wikis (thanks Brent) and have had the opportunity to use wikis for group projects in class as well as in a work setting (thanks Northface University and Instructional Architect).

My blog usage first started in the fall of 2003 in another 7150 class with Wiley. Although my blog didn’t not stand the test of time, I am interested to analyze the lifespan of this blog. Again, I thought I was pretty on the ball with starting a blog, then I realized weblogs began in 1997 (Many-to-Many Space).

Developing my Internet skills has come from a variety of sources. 1) As an instructor teaching computer applications, I was surrounded by other instructors utilizing the Internet and we would share resources and techniques. I also spent time reading and finding good textbooks for my students (remember, this was back in the 90s). Now I have found friends and fellow researchers/students to be invaluable resources, sharing their knowledge and approaches. Sometimes trial and error can be frustrating because I feel such a lack of time, yet if I spent the time, then sometimes the rewards can pay off. The gamble is one that is challenging for me to tackle – do I spend three hours hoping to find a more efficient method? Or do I use the tried and true method?

The Internet has become an important “need” in my life. Professionally. I can’t imagine conducting research without it. I can’t imagine communicating with team members and project leaders without it. Email, Instant Messaging, and listservs are ingrained in the way I communicate with my colleagues. Additionally, I utilize the Internet to conduct research and add to my writings. Personally. It is interesting to analyze friendships and relationships from a technical perspective. I find that I have maintained more friendships and relationships if they participate in technical ways of communicating. It is safe to say that a day doesn’t go by without a personalized email from friends or family, especially with Ben in Texas. I recently coordinated a family reunion with over 65 people in attendance. It was so frustrating to try and coordinate and communicate with those that didn’t email! I also love using online resources to find tidbits for my 6-year old son, Alex. He loves to catch bugs and we often research these bugs, their diet and habitat. Google images have been a great resource for finding pictures of comets, satellites, and all kinds of bugs and animals. Indeed, the Internet has become a need in my life, both professionally and personally.

Hello World!

Hello World!