Meg Pickard provides an "abecedarium" or alphabetized list of concepts relevant to online community management and social interaction for the next generation. The concepts range from anonymity and bullying to trolling and virtual communities. Pickard suggests these ideas may better equip children with the skills needed to interact in today's digital world.

1. ABC
An abecedarium
of community
management
Meg Pickard
Independent Digital Engagement Consultant megpickard.com
Email: hello@megpickard / Twitter:@megpickard

2. HELLO
I’ve recently started reading books with
my baby daughter. At the moment, she’s
more interested in eating them than
learning from them, but as I look at the
various ABC tomes we have, I wonder
whether these words will be relevant to
her in later life.
What if Badgers are extinct by the time
she grows up? Will she recognise that
thing on the T page as a telephone, since
none of them look like that anymore?
Perhaps it’s time to start thinking about words and concepts which might equip the next
generation to better deal with the world they will inherit - and in particular, our world of
community management and online social interaction.
@megpickard

3. A is for anonymity
A big red herring.
The last few years have demonstrated that
using a real name is no obstacle to people
being disruptive or obnoxious (just ask
Facebook and sites which use Facebook
comments).
Stable and persistent identity is more
important than real name.
@megpickard

4. B is for bullying
We hear a lot about trolling these days
and the word is used interchangeably
with bullying.
Bullying is an unfortunate
consequence of the way social
interaction online has developed over
the years, but not caused by the
internet and no more acceptable
online than off.
@megpickard

5. C is for climate change
Climate change is a red flag for community
*@$%€?! managers. It’s one of the topics that seems
to be impossible to discuss without ire or
insult.
C is also for Customer Service: if you’re
going to do it, especially in a public sphere
(e.g. Twitter, Facebook), don't do half a job,
only focusing on the positive.
@megpickard

6. D is for Dimbleby
David Dimbleby on Question Time is more
than a host: he’s a kind of moderator.
He frames the discussion, ensures
different voices are heard, encourages
contribution and participation and
generally keeps things running in a civil
way.
Moderators online could benefit from this
approach - more host than bouncer.
@megpickard

7. E is for editorial control
In content-led communities, there are always
choices about what/when to publish and how to
frame or support a piece of content for maximum
community benefit.
Sometimes, organisations actively choose to
provoke or rile their audiences (to generate
discussion, or viral effect, or attention, or all of
the above). This is trolling, even if it’s happening
“above the line”.
Bear in mind that if you position something
provocatively, you can’t be surprised if people are
provoked. That’s not to say that authors deserve
every comment they get, but editors need to
share some responsibility for the quality of the
@megpickard conversation.

8. F is for fisking
Named for journalist Robert Fisk,
Fisking is point-by-point rebuttal of an
article or argument.
The practice may be well-established,
but has been recently popularized (and
named) by various American
conservative blogs, which took issue
with Mr. Fisk’s skeptical view of US
foreign policy in his articles.
The term "fisking" has come to denote
the practice of "savaging an argument
and scattering the tattered remnants to
the four corners of the internet"
@megpickard

9. G is for Godwin’s Law
Godwin's Law is a natural law of Usenet
named after Mike Godwin concerning
Usenet "discussions". It reads:
“As a Usenet discussion grows longer,
the probability of a comparison
involving Nazis or Hitler approaches
one”
Twenty years later, this still holds true.
@megpickard

10. H is for heckling
We’re used to thinking of heckling as destructive,
drunken yelling during a performance., intended to
disrupt and insult. But originally, this wasn’t the case.
The term originates from the textile trade. A Heckle
was a comb used for teasing jute or flax fibres so they
could be spun into hemp or linen. In 19thC Dundee
which already had a reputation for being radical, the
“hecklers” would have someone at the front of the
workshop reading out the day’s newspapers,
accompanied - and often interrupted - by furious
debate. This vocal practice was carried over to public
meetings for politicians, and the term took on new
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aniara/2798189665/
meaning.
So heckling: informed, if rowdy, debate and questioning
of authority on current affairs. Sounds like many
@megpickard newspaper comments!

11. I is for Internet (someone is wrong on the)
Opinions make the internet go round.
Remember that opinion (or experience) isn’t
the same as fact. You don't need to convert
people or win every single time.
Source: the ever-marvellous xkcd
@megpickard

12. J is for justification
A sense of ownership or entitlement means
that community members often demand
explanations for mod actions.
This can be a type of trolling, as it puts the
burden of wrongdoing on the moderator not
the community member.
Image by one of the web’s genius legion of macro-makers,
whose name I couldn’t find. Thank you!
Transparency is good, but be wary of getting
derailed by going into great detail in public
space. Offer individuals the opportunity to
contact the moderation team, and refer to
clear community guidelines.
@megpickard

13. K is for kidding
A get-out clause which allows people to
say unsayable things. It usually means
they’re NOT kidding.
@megpickard

14. L is for lulz
LULZ or ‘doing it for the lulz’ means
doing destructive/cruel/daft things for
laughs, playing to crowd.
It takes shadenfreude (taking joy in the
suffering of others) to a different level.
Schadenfreude is laughing because you
saw someone fall over. Lulz is laughing
because you tripped them up.
It’s a depressing form of online
behaviour, partly because it has a
tendency to escalate, and partly because
it normalises cruel, offensive or
Image by one of the web’s genius legion of macro-
obnoxious behaviour.
@megpickard makers, whose name I couldn’t find. Thank you!

15. M is for mansplaining
Explaining things in a patronising/
condescending/inaccurate way to
knowledgeable audience, under the
assumption that they are ignorant or
inexperienced in the subject matter.
Despite the name, any member of either
sex can be guilty of mansplaining.
Image by one of the web’s genius legion of meme-makers,
whose name I couldn’t find. Thank you!
@megpickard

16. N is for nobody knows you’re a dog
The famous New Yorker cartoon poked fun at
the relative anonymity of internet users.
But these days, between behaviour profiling,
reputation, tenure, shared ID tokens and so
on, while it’s true that no-one knows you’re a
dog, site owners, other users and advertisers
may be able to infer things from the fact that
you like chewing bones, chasing cars, peeing
on trees and having your tummy tickled.
@megpickard

17. O is for outrage
Internet communities (or, more
accurately, groups of people in social
spaces online) are prone to getting
pitchforky about things, being quick to
deride, defend and decry and slow to
praise.
@megpickard

18. P is for participation & passion
Nothing says ‘this is a community that people
care about’ like participation, especially by
those who are ‘in charge’ or responsible for it.
Be part of your communities, understand the
passions that drive them, share them if you
can.
@megpickard

19. Q is for quality/quantity
The everlasting debate.
Sometimes more isn’t better. Sometimes
(actually, frequently when it comes to
online interactions), more is just... more.
In any case, you need to decide what you
want to achieve (quantity or quality) and
then create engagement strategies to
drive towards that goal. These strategies
can be quite different!
@megpickard

20. R is for Rick Astley
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
But it’s a good reminder of the playful
side of online interaction too.
Rickrolling people is a kind of trolling,
but not destructive or offensive. It can be
disruptive, of course - because who can
resist dancing along?
Image by one of the web’s genius legion of meme-makers,
whose name I couldn’t find. Thank you!
@megpickard

21. S is for the Streisand effect
Attempting to conceal something has
unintended effect of making it more
interesting or visible.
This applies to moderation actions and
invisible editing of social media timelines as
much as diva’s Malibu mansions.
@megpickard

22. T is for trolling
People often talk about trolls when they
mean bullies or haterz. Trolling isn’t always
destructive and usually isn’t offensive,
though it can be playfully disruptive or
distracting.
One of the origins of the word trolling is
trawling, fishing for reaction, hunting for
gullible folks to distract and derail.
@megpickard

23. U is for unrealistic expectations
It’s often assumed that a community manager
(or community team) exists in order to
manage the activity of participants in a
discussion or service.
But part of good community management is
managing expectations for senior management
about community activity & tone, and helping
to influence products, positioning, staff
participation and so on to optimise it.
Image by one of the web’s genius legion of macro-makers, whose
name I couldn’t find. Thank you!
@megpickard

24. V is for virtual
I hate this word. It should be consigned to
the history books.
Virtual community is real community:
real people, with real emotions and
experiences and opinions, sitting in front
of real computers. We don’t call telephone
calls “virtual conversations”. We don’t call
watching television “virtual
entertainment”.
People sometimes say “in real life” as if
different rules apply there - “oh, I’d never
say that in real life”.
Image by one of the web’s genius legion of macro-makers, whose name I
couldn’t find. Thank you!
@megpickard Being online IS real life.

25. W is for windows (broken)
Broken Windows Syndrome isn’t something to
do with Microsoft. It’s a sociological theory
about crime. It posits that broken windows,
grafitti, derelict cars, litter etc - things which
make a place feel uncared for - can signal to
others that it's ok to perpetuate negative
behaviour.
This is potentially true for communities online
& off.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/4051469852
@megpickard

26. X is for xxx
What's with kisses littering social
spaces these days?
Another example of evolving
interaction norms.
X at the end of a tweet or facebook
post or email doesn’t mean kiss
(sorry). It means “this is personal”
or “I like you” or “I’m finished”
@megpickard

27. Y is for You Own Your Own Words
You Own Your Own Words was one of the
establishing rules of the WELL
community. It originally referred to
accountability & personal responsibility.
This is a useful concept to remember in
modern social spaces.
I like to say the platform may belong to us
but the conversation belongs to
everybody. We all play role in the quality
of interaction online.
@megpickard

28. Z is for Zzzzzzz....
The goal of many children’s books is to encourage the infant to
sleep. That’s not my intention here today with you.
However, it’s the end of a long and stimulating day, and I’m
conscious that I’m the only thing standing in between you and
the bar. A dangerous place to be.
So thank you for your time and attention, and for
accompanying me on this journey through the alphabet of
community management.
@megpickard

29. THANK
YOU
hello@megpickard.com
@megpickard