Attempting the Impossible
December 12th, 2010
How many times has this happened to you? You’re on your favourite tech blog reading about a new cool tech gadget but your eyes drift inadvertently down into the user comments. The comments are full of fanboys professing undying support for their device while claiming everyone else is an idiot. Random trolls are throwing around racial slurs or homophobic garbage. Know-it-alls claim that they had the idea for the product 10 years ago and only an idiot wouldn’t have thought of it sooner. Other geniuses claim “your stupid.” You move your mouse to the window close button and vow never to read user comments again.
I’m taking a small departure from talking about iOS development today and I want to talk about a new website I’m launching.
I spend a lot of time on the internet. Between twitter, reading blog posts, reading tech and game news, and learning new stuff, a big part of my day is spent online. One of the things I’m constantly frustrated by is the level of discourse I see taking place on blogs and forums. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and general bigotry is rampant online. I used to get so angry reading the user comments on CBC News stories that I had a friend of mine write a script for my browser that just removes them from the site entirely when I browse it (I’m much less angry now). 
After seeing several friends attacked online by various internet idiots I had the idea to form some kind of organization whose goal is to improve the quality of online discussions. An impossible mission, of this I am aware. However, I felt like it’s worth a shot. With this in mind, I have created SocBID.org.
SocBID is The Society for the Betterment of Internet Discourse. Its goal is to encourage people to treat each other with respect when posting comments online. I have outlined 5 simple guidelines for people to use when posting online. The guidelines are common sense, but it can’t hurt to state them outright. If you see someone being a jerk on your website, feel free to politely direct them to SocBID and encourage them to participate in the discussion in a meaningful way. If this is something you also care about, take the SocBID pledge not to be an online jerk and help make the internet a better place.
Owen
Wow! What a neat idea! Kind of like RTFM for internet comments.
I wonder if the other aspect of this that is needed is a place/program/site for people to vent and get all that nastiness out of there systems. Maybe something like that first “AI” program almost acted like a psychiatrist (ELIZA).
I agree most website’s comments are filled with too much rudeness. Unfortunately, I fear that those people who would be interested in SocBID and would take time to read the suggestions are already going to be making an effort to be civil and constructive in their user comments.
I think the main problem lies with the anonymity of most user forums. There is no user signup, no verification, etc. In face-to-face social situations, you can simply choose to no longer socialize with someone who is constantly a jerk. In user comments, the majority of the time there is no consistent identification of people’s identities.
Now if SocBID had some sort of verification system that tied into a website’s user comments and a reader could selectively only enable comments made by SocBID-verified users, then that would be very helpful.
Great idea. See also xkcd.com/810
As the host of the Cocos2D Central board I’m pleased to announce that we officially adapted the SocBID as our board guidelines, as presented to every board visitor just below the search box.
Check it out:
http://cocos2d-central.com/
Something about SocBID and the idea for it clicked with me.
I have two points to add. The first I would place between #3 and #4, although it’s hinted at in #3:
3.5) don’t speculate or assume
It’s not helping. Present facts. Name, and if possible, link to your sources. Back up your argument with concrete data or evidence.
6) don’t be a fanboy
It’s ok that you have a subjective preference for a specific device, piece of software, or person. But please do accept that others have a right to disagree with your sentiments and/or prefer your beloved device, software or person’s nemesis, even though it may be of inferior specs, quality or looks.
Rock on. Some may snipe that this is an empty gesture, tho. But someone has to start bucking the trend.
I know this post is old, but I figure I’ll add my two cents.
The internet is definitely a bit of a cesspool, but I find that the better a commenting system is (technologically speaking), the less you have to deal with the awful comments.
For example, since TechCrunch started using Facebook for comments, the amount of garbage has gone WAY down. People are a whole lot nicer are more constructive when they can’t be anonymous.
Reddit also has the best (IMHO) commenting system on the internet. On Reddit, good comments quickly come to the top, bad comments fade down into oblivion.
Conversely, Youtube has the worst commenting system I’ve ever seen, and fittingly, their comments are also the absolutely worst I’ve ever seen.