Emma, 23, from Surrey, joined the forum of popular women’s magazine five years ago. Interhacktives tracked her down to talk trolling, platform hopping and braving offline meet-ups…
What originally inspired you to join a forum?
I was 17 when I accidentally found the magazine’s forum via a Google search for advice about something (probably boys…). I read through a few threads, became hooked, and lurked for about a year keeping up-to-date with people’s stories. At the beginning I remained anonymous and took a back seat to observe rather than actively engage with other users. By the time I finally joined as a member and began participating myself, I felt like I knew some of them already.
Did you feel welcomed as a newcomer or did established cliques of users intimidate or isolate you, intentionally or otherwise?
Some people say the forum’s cliquey but as a newcomer I never found it to be so. You just have to be a little brave to take the first step and join a discussion. It only feels cliquey if you’re not involved but everyone was welcoming to me. As long as you’re a nice person most people are friendly. Put yourself out there and stop moaning!
How long did it take before you felt a sense of belonging in the community?
It didn’t take long to feel a sense of belonging because I knew how everything worked from my lurking days. I was interested in what people in the community had to say and wanted to keep talking to them so I did.
Were there any problems on the forums?
Spam was a real issue and there were a couple of people who were infamous for being controversial, provocative or plain ridiculous. Some members thought it was funny but others found it annoying. One girl would post all the time about how she never showered. Why would we want to know that?! One troll got kicked out for posting inflammatory messages and winding others up.
What role did the forum’s moderators play in the running of the community?
Overall they were helpful but didn’t do much to maintain loyalty so there were a lot of people who came and went. Some of the moderators barely seemed to be online but those that were would spark conversations surrounding interesting topics. A webmaster was on hand to assist with any technical problems or trolling issues.
What would you describe as the strengths and weaknesses of the community?
The diversity of a group with varying opinions, backgrounds and cultures was a major asset for me. I guess the main weakness was the number of people who would hide behind internet anonymity and be harsher than they would likely be in real life, saying things without much thought.
A group of you chose to move platform from the magazine’s forum onto Facebook. Could you tell me a little about this?
Well the forum had to close for a little while to undergo renovation, but because so many people used it daily one user suggested temporarily moving the chat to Facebook. Several members were already friends on Facebook and a few had met up in real life. I nearly didn’t join the new group because I still hadn’t surrendered my anonymity and I was nervous about doing so, even though I felt ‘close’ with a couple. An announcement about the Facebook group was posted on the forum and around 150 people joined it, making everything much more personal as your full name was revealed. Despite my apprehension I decided to follow and was pleasantly surprised as there was no trolling or spam. Some people returned to the forum when it re-opened but the vast majority stayed on Facebook and don’t use the original boards anymore. I don’t think this would have happened had they not shut the forums down for those few days. It must have been gutting for the forum’s managers as most of the key contributors left!
How did the community’s identity and practice change when it set up on Facebook?
The girl who originally came up with the idea for the group became the administrator and added a few well-known people to help her. It was tricky at first because some people tried to join who had barely posted on the original forum. There was controversy about who to let in or not, resulting in accusations of us being cliquey. We’ve now made it private and unsearchable with a completely different name because people post such sensitive things on the group. Many members don’t want their friends or family to know they use it so that’s another reason for the secrecy! The platform change has made a difference as people feel safer on Facebook and talk more candidly about their personal lives. It feels intimate and is often used as an emotional support system. People are less overtly critical of each other’s opinions as they cannot hide behind an anonymous username here.
Tell me about your offline meet-ups. How did you preconceptions of people change upon meeting them offline?
It started on the forum when people who used it every day would decide to meet up, often in twos or threes. On Facebook it was mainly people who lived near each other but then somebody initiated a larger, organised event to include everybody. Photos were posted on the group afterwards which gave wary people like me some confidence. I decided to go to the next gathering as I’d seen that there weren’t any total weirdos! I made sure that people I felt I knew were going (the ones I talk to the most), but I was still nervous as it was a totally new thing for me. I’d been chatting to them online for five years so the ‘getting to know each other’ process has been long. It was an odd experience because we know things about each other’s lives that many close to us offline may not. People’s offline and online personas matched up for the most part but naturally in some respects they are different to how you imagined. Generally the most talkative ones on the Facebook group are the loudest in real life. There weren’t any big surprises as you can often gauge people’s personalities from what they say online and get to ‘know’ each other without ever having met!
Have people left the community since it moved to Facebook or not? Do you see yourself being part of it for the foreseeable future?
Some have yes and they often make a post announcing their decision. Certain members claim that it’s attention-seeking but I understand as it’s quite addictive as an entertainment hub and very distracting from work. Of course some people simply clash with others as happens offline too.
Why should more people engage with online communities?
I never set out to join an online forum and my virtual friendships are very different to my offline ones. I would recommend joining an internet community because the experience has opened my eyes to lives that contrast with my own. People will ask questions they feel they can’t ask elsewhere so it can sometimes feel like you’re talking to a bunch of agony aunts. You feel less judged and can say anything to them!
Would you be more likely to stay loyal to a newspaper if you were involved in a related online community?
I think the reason the forum I used worked well was because it had become a completely separate entity. Nobody really read the related publication and some even actively disliked it! The forum just attracted a lot of people and became a buzzy hub. An online community always has the potential to become its own thing but comment threads on newspaper websites could definitely be played up more than they are.
So journalists be warned for the community always owns itself…
Interview by Jess Denham.
Interactive Journalism MA student at City University London. Blogs at jessdenham.net and tweets @jess_denham.