What are the most essential user controls for social media?
NOTE: When I created this little poll it was my first time using poll daddy. I configured it to allow people to choose more than one option. I’m not sure the results say as much as I’d like them to. Thanks to all who participated in the experiment. Next one will be better.
What is your ideal vision of a social media network? Think about what’s presently available and consider how you might change it to better suit your own needs. Drop your ideas into a comment below. I will aggregate your responses into a single post and twitter, delicious and RSS the results.
You wrote this social networking contract:
http://melaniemcbride.net/about-melanie/social-media-policy/
I think it’s interesting that your “social networking contract”—which was a bit anti-social, actually—wasn’t written in a format that allowed for commenting.
Isn’t the very point of “Social Networking” to create give and take conversations between those who are connected? And if so, why aren’t you willing to accept feedback on your proposed “network contract?”
Shouldn’t contracts be two-way agreements?
Hmmnnnn.
hi Bill,
“Shouldn’t contracts be two way agreements?”
You bet! “contracts” should be two way agreements. This isn’t a contract. Nor is it a set of “rules” for others.
Please reread the title of my page - it’s not, as you rewrote, a “Social Networking Contract” but a (personal) Social Media Policy. In fact, I titled it “Social Media Policy” for that very reason.
Ever been to a website that has policies or terms of use? Most social networks define our terms of use for us. My Policy is a response to that sort of top down logic. This is how *I* wish to use social media - it doesn’t extend to YOUR use or anybody elses. That’s why I encourage you to create your own. Because of the differences that exist between us in relation to our boundaries and etc.
Please also reread the policy itself. You’ll note that I encourage others to create their own policies to reflect their own differences of opinion.
Also, as a woman, safety is another issue that resonates more deeply with me than it might with you.
Thanks for your comment.
Regarding the comments function, you could have commented on the original:
http://melaniemcbride.net/2008/04/06/diy-social-media-policy/
Also, I’m not sure how any of my policy constitutes anything “anti-social” - I’m being perfectly transparent.
In the interest of developing a collective social contract I argue that people should develop individual policies about their terms of use. A contract may well be in order for social media. I hope the developers of social communities create those.
As for not “allowing” comments on my page - it wasn’t a blog post but a policy on my website. Again, it also wasn’t a contract. The original post is above. I welcomed feedback. I’m sorry you weren’t there during that process.
darn, voting makes the survey go away! I don’t recall if it was on there, but as I mentioned in our email exchange, I think social control should also allow for data portability — I may operate on your site, but allow me to take my data elsewhere (or at least refer to it)