Week9 DIGC102 - Online Forum Discussion
Online Forum: http://www.instructables.com/
What is Instructables?
Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others.
Language - Jargon/specialised language:
DIY: Do-It-Yourself
Instructable: showing detailed step-by step details on how to make or do something
Slideshow: showing something that people have made,but do not have enough documentation or material for a full Instructable.
Burning Questions: a regular event in Instructables, where the staff posts a list of Wanted Instructables that haven’t been made. Users submit their entries and the best instructable that answers a question on the list wins a prize.
Featured: Members who have shown to be very helpful inside our community are handpicked by the Instructables staff and are given the ability to feature an instructable is they consider it meets the criteria for Featuring.
Multimodal?
Members can upload text, photos, diagrams and videos to write Instructables. Besides Instructables, members can also ask questions, submit slideshows and submit groups on instructable website.
http://www.instructables.com/about/submit.jsp
Authority/order/social behaviour is constructed in conversation:
- Who is allowed to speak?
Only the members of instructable website can post in the forums and comment.
- turn-taking (frequency & length):
After a member submitting a new instructable, other users can comment on it. If any users do not understand some steps in the post, they can ask whey they reply. The length may be not limited.
- treatment of ‘noobs’:
The instructable website welcomes noobs to join the community and encourages anyone of instructable website to help noobs. The instructable website also builts the FAQ Center to help noobs to become familiar with how to use the instructable website.
-norms and enforcement of norms:
Pornography - Any and all pornographic material is considered offensive. Posting images or links that include pornography is strictly prohibited. This is a family friendly site, children often browse this site.
Language - If you wouldn’t show it or say it to your headteacher at school, don’t show or say it here.
Insults and flaming - We have a “be nice” policy here. Please be positive and constructive with your comments or risk being banned from our site.
Spam - Spamming, misleading links and site advertising on the forums, orangeboards, instructables, and Private Messaging are strictly prohibited. However, offers and advertising are allowed in the For Sale Section
http://www.instructables.com/tos.html
- “Power Users”:
The staff of instructable website.
- Definition of purpose:
Instructables is a web-based service owned and operated by Instructables, LLC for the purpose of allowing individuals around the world to show things they have made and learn how to make things from others (the “Purpose”).
http://www.instructables.com/tos.html
- Moderation:
By using the Instructables website, users warrant to Instructables that they will not use Instructables, or any of the content obtained from Instructables, for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms. If users violate any of these Terms, users’ permission to use the Instructables website automatically terminates.
http://www.instructables.com/tos.html
- Silenced?
In the Instructables Terms and Conditions of Use
http://www.instructables.com/tos.html
“Should any Content be reported to Instructables as being offensive or inappropriate, Instructables might call upon the poster to retract, modify, or protect (by means of private and friends only settings) the Content in question within a reasonable amount of time, as set forth by the Instructables staff. Should the poster fail to meet such a request from Instructables staff, Instructables has the full authority to terminate any such reported and verified account and associated inappropriate content. Instructables, however, is under no obligation to restrict or monitor Content in any way;”
“Instructables, in its sole and absolute discretion, may preserve Content and may also disclose Content if required to do so by law or judicial or governmental mandate or as reasonably determined useful by us to protect the rights, property or personal safety of Instructables, Instructables users and the public.”
- Decisions about what’s “on topic”
The content should be related to the projects made by users and the process of making. The range of projects can include arts and crafts, food, home, life, offbeat (first known as “not liable”) and recently knex, transportation and tech.
http://www.instructables.com/community/FAQ-Center/
- who/what is a troll?:
Users who submitted offensive materials includeing pornography, insults and flaming and spam.
-how/when/where is help offered, accepted or asked for?
People can ask for help by submitting questions or accept help from comments directly.
