ICS #3

This was my first visit to answer bag. I typically just read blogs and post in a few small online communities, where everybody knows your name. Answer bag was a new experience for me. I posted in a dozen different categories to cast a wide net, hoping variety would get me the points I was after. I asked about recipes, advice, opinions, and experiences. In the name of science, I asked different types of questions. It was challenging at first because a lot of my questions had already been asked. I was really hoping my request for a Chile Colorado recipe would reach Mexican grandmother's everywhere and inspire them to divulge secret family recipes. That did not happen as I hoped. Among other things, I goofed and meant to post a response, but ended up answering my question. I got the impression that answer bag is a place to find all types of information. I liked the detailed categories and subcategories. I saw a lot of polling questions that were being answered. Questions like, what is your favorite dessert?

My most answered question was: What time is it where you are at? Yes, a whopping 6 people shared their time zone information with me, how kind. I know there must be a successful strategy to attract points and responses, but I can't claim to know what that is. I saw other posts with only a few points and responses, so I must not be the only newbie. I can see the usefulness of the site, but I found it to be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. There was so much activity going on that it was difficult to attract attention. I felt like the middle child in a large family trying to get attention before someone else steals my thunder. It's a fast paced community with a new question popping up every second. Variety was the name of my strategy, but that didn't seem to get me very far. I poked around and saw that some questions have 100+ answers. I looked at some profiles and it seems that the more friends you have the more answers you will get. It would have helped if I had a politically controversial statement to make. Those questions seemed to rouse people.


Tedjamulia says that lurkers are attracted to online communities because of their desire for information that is credible, relevant, and easy to find. I would put myself in this category and even venture to say that maybe I have yet to acquire the necessary skills to attract attention in an OC. Keeping a low profile has been my MO for so long. I don't really want attention, and maybe that comes through in my postings. If not for the assignment requiring a posting, I would have lurked for a while; searched for questions I would be interested in, maybe hit the point’s button a couple times for giggles. I found myself hesitant to hit the point’s button. I kept asking myself, now is this question reeeaallllly points worthy? Why must I be so rigid, it's only points? The thing is that I know that it represents something. And since I was not too sure of the community I was hesitant to participate. It's my opinion that online communities mirror real life social structures. In any group there is a mixed bag of participants. A blending of extroverts, introverts, leaders, and followers. The action of the group tends to be made by a few people, with the rest following suit.

The group that I participate in frequently is specifically for introverts. I am intrinsically motivated to post there. The article by Ling talks about the collective effort model and homogeneity as reasons why people loaf or participate. I identify with that group, I know the group "culture", and my posts are valuable to myself and others in the community. I know that I am writing about a common topic and will be well received. I would not write about being an introvert on a general online community because I would not have the same amount of trust. For the introvert group, I have the three forms of self efficacy; technology, information, and connective, mentioned by Tedjamulia that motivate me to be a part of that group. I think self efficacy can vary depending on the environment of the community.

Tedjamulia discusses the issue of trust as a contributing factor to the success of OC's. I think trust is a key component and the reason people lurk first. Check out the other posts; see if there are any mean people waiting to pounce on the next post. I did see a couple of posts on Answer bag with negative points. It's very human that even though we are communicating virtually, fear and caution are still a part of joining a new group. I have seen abusive comments in other communities. People started posting good bye messages saying that they will no longer be part of the group because it isn't safe to post. Trust is a delicate thing, virtually and in person.

Usability is an important feature that attracts people to stay in Communities. Answer bag had great structure and was easy to use. Posting a question was a snap. Everything was nicely categorized and there was a broad spectrum of topics. It was just too busy for my comfort level. Tedjamulia says, "The more visible a person’s actions are to other community members, the more he or she will contribute and participate." I felt too invisible in such a large fast pace community. I was having fun posting questions at first, but lost interest over time. I would be more motivated to continue if I could attract more attention. Maybe next time. Answer bag is a great place to find a wealth of information. It's the New York of online communities. Great place to visit, but I couldn't keep with the pace.

The three reinforcers Tedjamulia talks about are: financial, performance appraisal, and social recognition. I have yet to take part in an online community that offered financial rewards if you contribute. I’m sure I would have many pseudo profiles to help fund my tuition. I would think credibility would not be as great when offering a financial reward. I know that I would post based on what ever meat the criteria instead of focusing on content. . I have done projects as a mystery shopper and posted my results in order to get paid, but I’m not sure if it’s the same thing. I was accurate and credible in my report because I was going to be paid either way. I can see that Answer bag uses performance appraisal and social recognition as reinforcement. The points system and user level rating are forms of social recognition. Also having a lot of friends listed in your profile can be a form of status. Life’s always gonna be a popularity contest on some level. It is motivating to have social status in a group. It takes motivation to get the status and apparently the validation is not enough for me to put the energy into it.

In Riding’s article, a virtual community consists of members who interact, feel part of a larger group, and have ongoing exchanges with other members. There is the potential for this type of interaction to develop among members on Answer bag. I did not have that experience as of yet. I’m sure if you post frequently in a specific topic, you could interact with the same people and feel like you are a part of that group. My experience using Answer bag was more of an Information exchange rather than a community. I didn’t’ see the opportunity for social support, or friendships to develop. My interaction was mainly for information purposes.

Now in the name of Science, I asked some questions that I would never want my mother to hear, tehe. Brilliant, I know. I thought they would get attention. I figured there would be a delete option...I spent the better part of 20min trying to figure out where that magic delete key is. Turns out it is invisible because it does not exist. Ya see, I put on the extrovert hat for a minute and kaboom. Ugh, I'm developing a Scrat complex.

Hey little buddy.



Overall, I liked the concept and design of Answerbag. I would use it in the future as a source of information. It’s easier when there’s no pressure to get points. I would be interested in the learning more about what is a successful strategy to get points.