I joined a lowrider car forum earlier in the term. A lowrider is a car or truck which has had its suspension system modified (sometimes with hydraulic suspension) so that it rides as low to the ground as possible. Lowriders often have user controlled height adjustable suspension. I was raised in Los Angeles, so I was influenced by the style of lowriding. This is my first time joining a internet community forum. I found it to be a little difficult to navigate the different forums in the community, but some good practice I found it to be fairly easy to find my way around.
I posed as a student from Oregon State University. In the general forum area, I posted a thread asking for places in Oregon that specialize in lowriders. I also told them that I have a 1964 impala to be fixed into a lowrider. The following day, I received numerous replies about places to fix my car, tow companies that can move my car. The responses were helpful and informative about getting my car fixed. I found out that I was accepted when my thread was read by other members in the forum, also being invited to join car clubs in the state.
The lowrider community has given me a sense of belonging to there forum. I have been active with the community, and replying to other peoples post.
Wood and Smith talk about lurkers who give no feedback or contribution to the internet community. Being a member of the forum, I feel obligated to leave comments on other members posts to show a common respect to them. Being the newbie in the forum, I think its my duty to be active in the car forum. It shows others that I'm serious about cars and lowriders.I have also checked other threads in the forum. Many suggested their style of making a lowrider, I guess there is different ways of making a lowrider. Some members like the traditional way and others the newest technology to make a lowrider. Members would state their opinions and facts about the subject.
When there was a agreement of disagreement in the forum, many used some form of vulgar language to get their point out. In other cases some use emoticons to suggest to others how they feel. We can see the different ways people in internet communities communicate their feelings to others. It is just the same when your face to face to someone. Wood and Smith talks about netiquette in the internet. Many people don't have respect for others in the internet, but having the same standards in life such as respect can clear some disputes. The use of vulgar language is a prime example in the net. I think having good manners in the net can further a better relationship in the community. We need to remember that there are people in the internet that has feelings also.
Pila,
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way as you did about having common courtesy to the older members of my new internet community. I knew that if I wanted them to know I was serious about joining their group then I would have to take the initiative and throw myself into chat rooms and respond to discussion postings. After a couple weeks of me being the one to respond to all their blogs I started creating my own discussion topics and people were happy to comment back and give me their own opinions. This is when I felt as if I was finally accepted into the group.
I agree with you Pila! I think that the purpose of joining an internet community is to interact with other members and participate in discussions. If you want to be accepted into the group, you should do these things, as opposed to just being a lurker and not participating. I don't know, but to me being a lurker in an internet community is equivalent to being like a hermit in a real life society...You're a part of the community, yet you don't interact with the rest of the people in your community...so no offense, but what is the point to being there if you don't want to fully participate?
ReplyDeleteHi there, your blog struck a cord with me because I to have grown up around cars! Although not lowrider cars, my dad is a freak about classic cars! Anyway I also found acceptance in my site by people commenting back on what I had said. And I agree with you, as a new person blogging I think you have to contribute a lot to make people know that you are serious about the topic your blogging on! People also used bad language on my site when they were disputing something. I think this is because they feel guarded by the fact that they are "hiding" behind a computer!
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