Quaker online discussion group relaunched
Peter Sender introduces a new online Quaker discussion forum
Friends have been using a new version of the Quaker discussion forum at www.quaker.org.uk to share thoughts about Quaker worship and beliefs, Quaker work and running Quaker Meetings in Britain. This was launched with new ‘Advices and boundaries’ following concerns about how discussions on previous forums were moderated. The new forum is focused on Quaker discussion and offers a welcoming environment to Quakers and non-Quakers alike. We wanted to provide somewhere different from the usual web. Everyone signing up to the new forum is asked to agree to boundaries for both the content of discussions and for the manner in which they are held. We want Quaker values to be visible to forum visitors and want our contributors to enjoy participating in topical discussions related to their Quaker beliefs.
The introduction of the forum boundaries meant that individuals who had already registered on the old forum had to re-apply for access. ‘We were really pleased to receive over ninety applications in the first couple of days, and a big increase in new applicants’, said Nik Dadson, web officer in Quaker Communications Department. He continued, ‘the old forum had a much wider remit and it was difficult to maintain a Quaker centre to the contributions. Friends were troubled by this and began to leave. The new forum hosts discussions about Quakers in Britain, which sets it apart from other discussion groups and we hope will encourage contributions from both non-Quakers and Quakers. The moderators and administrators are working hard to maintain a welcoming, respectful atmosphere on the forum and we encourage any readers of the Friend to visit www.quaker.org.uk/forum and register.’
Problems arose on the old Quaker forum with content that some contributors felt was inappropriate and with disputes about the moderation of posts. Tensions existed between expectations of freedom of expression and expectations of Quaker values being maintained on a Quaker forum. These difficulties led to the closure of the old forum. We felt that the agreement of forum members to accept the new ‘Advices and boundaries’ has led to more understanding about the importance of the tone used when writing on the forum and the need to avoid stating personal opinions as facts. Many of our contributors were enthusiastic about the changes when they re-applied and we have had only a few individuals who are inconvenienced by the boundaries. We have learnt that in a public web forum it is sometimes necessary to intervene so that the majority of members can continue to enjoy a Friendly conversation with each other.
Peter Sender is Information team manager at Quaker Communications Department
Comments
Another web-based discussion site linked to BYM is found here: http://groups.google.com/group/quaker-b It’s the inheritor of t’old Quaker-B e-mail list (and still has this option), and registration can be completed by e-mailing a request to the list moderators.
By woundwort on 8th December 2009 - 13:18
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