Session 7: Rule Breaking

Official Documents
As stated in the readings by Grimes et al (2008), it is unlikely to have all four of the governing documents--Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Software License Agreements, and Community Standards--within a given network. xAble makes available the Terms and Conditions (TaC), Privacy Policy and the Help and FAQs.

• The TAC outlines the rules of engagement, including how the site should be used, what the site will not tolerate, and legalities (this is similar to the description given by Grimes et al for the Software License Agreements, although as explained by Grimes et al, "there is no universally accepted naming scheme" (9) for these documents).
  
• The Privacy Policy is straightforward, stating how the site intends to manage the information revealed by the user and who has access to private information.
  
• The Help and FAQs is unfortunately not as helpful as one would hope. While it does give a helpful overview of the purpose and functionality of xAble, it does not go into detail about how to use the site. This also does not cover community standards, including how and what to post, but it does offer suggestions about how to invite friends. (One attempt by a user to request a "how to" file for the system on the forum was met with agreement from a single user. The request did not take, and no file has been created since the posting.)

Breaking the Rules
Scenario 1: Spam (of course)
As with most Social Networks, spamming is not tolerated. xAble's TAC states that any user who "transmits or posts any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, "spam," junk mail, "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," etc." will not be tolerated. xAble also reserves the right to terminate on these grounds. However, within the past week, the forum has been inundated with spam messages selling all sorts of products (see Figure 1).


Solution 1:
It may be most helpful for the spam to be completely ignored. Kollock and Smith (1996) offer a suggestion to implement a control mechanism where other users don't restrict deviant behavior, but instead only discourage it by ignoring or expressing irritation (12). While this can be helpful, it is not always the most plausible way to deal with the situation. The xAble forums offer a count for the times the post is viewed. This may be motivation enough for spammers to continue posting and negate any affects of informal sanctions.

For this instance, I suggest it would be most helpful to instate network authority to delete or ban the user. The authorities could start by deleting the content, and if it persists, then the offending user could be terminated. This is considered "graduated punishments ranign from insignificant fines all the way to banishment" (Kollock and Smith, 1996, 12). The spammers are not contributors aside from the product they are selling. These free-riders are destructive to the forum because of the sea of posts they've created. Members now have to wade through the spam to find the real content, which is sometimes more effort than is necessary. This could cause a destructive effect for forum use.

Scenario 2: Profanity
In the search for violations of the official rules, I quickly discovered that most of the rule breaking had to do with sex and obscenity. For instance, the network allows browsing of photos that members post. After a few brief clicks, I found two instances where explicit material was captured. xAble does not allow nudity or obscene gestures. Although the nudity is borderline, it still seems to be enough to question the rules (see Figure 2).


Solution 2:
Perhaps the best solution to dealing with these issues is the inception of oversight. xAble already makes use of a rating system for each post, blog, photo, video, or audio. It would be an easy transition to allow a type of peer moderation. For instance, a user could down rate the photo above which would affect their "X" rank, a ranking system much like Answerbag, but less effective. Another solution would be to install a moderating feature where the user could easily report the offense to the authority. Peer oversight is an effective means of ensuring quality. If the users know they can be rated and the photo be taken down, they are less likely to be motivated to post in the first place (Cosley et al, 2005).

Scenario 3: Sex
xAble describes explicit sex as "any material that depicts, in actual or simulated form, or explicitly describes, in a predominantly sexual context, human genitalia, any act of sexual intercourse, any act of sadism or masochism, or any other erotic subject directly related to the foregoing." As such, a feature video that is posted in the top slot on the video page should be determined inappropriate and in violation of the sites rules (see Figure 3). The video was created by a user, Professir X, who is a professed rapper that communicates his life as a disabled person. The video starts innocently enough, with Professir X picking up on a woman. Throughout the video, the woman proceeds to unbutton her shirt (and I guess I should say that she is gifted in this area), grind on Professor X, take a bath (yes, she's naked, but no, you don't see anything explicit), and make out in lingerie with Professir X. Does that sound innocent to you?


Solution 3:
Surprisingly enough, Professor X is a major contributor to xAble. He keeps a blog that catalogs relevant issues with his disability, offers encouragement to other users, and promotes advocacy for the disabled. The majority of his content is not explicit, and he can be seen as a valuable community member. The course of action, therefore, should not be to terminate his account.

I suggest the site offer an outlet for this type of video that allows members to view the content but is not explicitly on the video page. For example, YouTube makes use of the "18 and above" rating system. Users over 18 must register with the site to be able to view a video with explicit content. I suggest that xAble also make use of this format for videos, since members 13 and above are able to view all material. If the video section continues to grow, this may become more and more of an issue. Also, Professir X finds real value in the material he produces. It may be beneficial to redesign the profile page to allow explicit videos to be viewed only from his profile and not in the main video library. This is a means of appeasing the user while also protecting the rules of the network. As Gazan (2007) stated, "Rouge users in online communities can be viewed not simply as destructive miscreants but as individuals with emotional needs that information systems might be better designed to address" (7). Designing the system differently would promote interaction, appease users, and address violations.

Lesser Rule Breaking
As a side note, I skimmed over the forums, and found no infringements of any sort. It seemed that the text representation of members was absolutely clean. If fact, one user commented on the fact that he did not want to break the rules in order to post an article that had an expletive in the link. xAble does not allow profanity of any kind, and the user considered membership more valuable than throwing it away to post a link (See Figure 4).


It was somewhat surprising to note the strict abidance of the law within the forum. When I searched through other formats, there was many more instances of violations. Although the actual account of the termination could not be accounted for, one user blogged about his experience with violating the laws. Professir X felt that he was unjustly banned from the site after promoting his new CD. The music professed his account of living with a disability. He felt that the network offered an outlet for his CD to be supported, but the network saw this as unlawful advertisement (See Figure 5).


Overall, it seems that the rules on the site are generally effective. It was difficult to find infractions of any kind. It would be helpful, however, to have an additional resource that explained the types of acceptable posts and what is expected of the user. I would like to see more of an outline of the community itself. I appreciate the quote offered by Madison (2006) concerning the significance of the law: "the role of the law, then, is to judge the extent to which it should allow [content] to happen" (189). I can't imagine a network functioning without a set of rules, or for that matter, a set of users functioning without deciding to make up rules.

Session 6: Online Identities with xAble

xAble is a community dedicated to enabling members to develop new perspectives on living with disabilities whil sharing experiences and information to promote change. As such, xAble attracts a user base primarily of people with disabilities as well as care givers and family members influenced by a person with disabilities. The community supports positive thinking and encouragement to other users through profiles, forums, and groups. Online identities for members are developed through the inclusion of assessment and conventional signals, discussed later in this post. Members develop online identities through creating strong ties by contributing to profile pages and discussions, which are filtered throught the concept of coping with disabilities. As stated by Liu (2007), "the taste norms of the class should greatly shape its members' tastes" (5).

Donath (2007) suggests that social cues are the building blocks of trust within an online community. Because online communities lack the capabilities to gather information about other users through face to face interactions, like facial expressions or character observations, reliance is placed on "consumption patterns, or the statements they make on their profiles in order to infer these qualities" (3). The following User Scenarios provide insight into the development of online identities through interaction and building of trust:

User Scenario #1: Finding a Friend

Joining xAble is a good way to meet people dealing in some way with disabilities. For instance, Taylor is married to a man with a physical impairment. She works tirelessly as his caregiver and loves him dearly, but she feels that she needs support from other women going through the same issues of caring for the disabled. Taylor decides to join xAble, and browses through groups to look for users with similar interests. She stumbles on Life Club, a group dedicated to sharing knowledge and experiences in the disability community. By joining the group, she can now read through the discussion posts and she finds that one person in particular stands out as having great and meaningful comments. By clicking on the user's profile picture, Taylor brings up Ahleah's profile. Taylor discovers that Ahleah also is a young married woman who takes care of her disabled husband. She also finds that she can read information about her husband's disability, view the profiles of her friends, and view photos of Ahleah volunteering at advocacy meetings. Friends have left comments about Ahleah's outstanding character, she has top rating scores on the site, and is the host for several groups on xAble. Taylor decides to add Ahleah as a friend based on the signals gathered, and her need for companionship as well as support through joining the group is now met.

User Scenario #2: Discussion Forum

xAble is also a means for asking difficult questions to users who understand the issues with disabilities. Miriam is a 32 year old user with a neurological disorder. She has worked for a company for nearly 5 years, but the company has failed to make accommodations for her disability. If the company does not comply, Mariam's safety is at risk. She is now considering suing the company, but she does not know how to go about it. Mariam decided to log into her account on xAble and go to the forum. She quickly ads a new topic to the general questions forum that is already set up. Mariam explains her situation, asks for advice on the situation as well as any tips on good disability lawyers. The question is posted in the forum. Two users browsing through the forum notice Mariam's plea, and respond with websites to check out about the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, pointers for gathering information to use in the process, and support for action. Mariam is satisfied because she gathered helpful tips as well as validation from her peers.

Online Identities in xAble
xAble relies primarily on profiles and posting patterns of members to infer trust statements. For instance, assessment signals are valuable in this community and take the form of personal photos of the member. If a user can see another member with a physical impairment or debilitating disease, it immediately builds trust because it would take great lengths to fake a disability. Members are also far more likely to trust other users if similar life situations are shared. Trust is also developed through conventional signals, like the profiles on xAble. The profiles are far more detailed than many other online communities. Members post answers to personal and medical questions about their disability, which gives great insight into the member's character and persona. Scenario 1, for example, allowed Taylor to see the vital statistics, like age, hieght, and disability, while also veiwing more in depth information, like preferences, pasions, and struggles in Ahleah's profile (see Figure). Ploderer et al (2008) suggests that "low degrees of anonyity and high transparency are critical facors for the formation of relationships among strangers on passion-centric social network sites" (341). The information Ahleah revealed about herself offered Taylor the oppotunity to quickly form a relationship.

Members use these trust signals to build an online identity. In Scenario 1, Ahleah has constructed an identity that resonates with the disability community. Because Ahleah does not have a disability, the profile is directed toward the care of her husband who has muscular distrophy. With the option to view the profiles of her friends, or even simply her husband, signals her trustworthiness and signifies her social context (Donath, 2007). Having friends on the network validates the claims she makes in her profile. This is also made evident by the display of groups in which she participates. Group identification is a form of displaying prestige, as Ahleah signified her solidarity with the group through the tailoring of her profile (Liu, 2007). She presents her character with the photos, self-descriptions, comments on discussion boards, and comments from friends (see Figure).


Another way xAble builds online identities is through consistent and constant participation in forums and clubs. Discussion is a major component of xAble as the primary support for interaction. In Scenario 2, Mariam built her online profile by posting a personal plea for help. Behind the scenes, Mariam has also joined several clubs, participated in several discussions posted by other users, and established the same profile allowances as describe in Scenario 1. This enhances her online identity because she has made an effort to create "strong ties" within the community. The more she shares and the more she communicates, the more her profile is believable (Donath, 2007). Other users are able to familiarize themselves with Mariam because she has made efforts to share her experiences, thus building her online presence and identity performance. Creating her own discussion based on personal struggles signifies her level of commitment and furthers the development of her identity to the other community members (see Figure).


It should be pointed out that Mariam has produced discriminating information about her employer in a public posting. This is considered signaling imperviousness, where the benefits to gaining information as well as status within the community outweighs the risk of revealing defamatory information (Danoth, 2007). Perhaps Mariam posted the plea for help with her employer because she truly needed tips on finding a lawyer. I suggest it was to identify with a major issue presented in the forums: ADA compliance. Because much of the post is dedicated to her concerns and complaints, and because of the responses given from other members, it seems that Mariam likely used this platform to establish herself as a capable person with a disability. xAble dedicates itself to this theme. This actually increases the reliability of her online identity because of the nature of the revealed information.

Like several other online communities developed out of "passion-centric" situations, in this case disabilities, xAble developed a set of values and moral codes (Ploderer et al, 2008). Although members create individual identities, they all follow an underlying code of conduct which promotes acceptance and non-discrimination in every word typed. Online identities are created with this in mind, as members value the support given through such an open minded community. The offline experiences of the members is what promotes the community itself. Ploderer et all (2008) suggests "in the absense of offline ties that share or support these habits, social network sites can help to alleviate the isolation and foster offline behaviors" (341). xAble members develop online personas that garner support from their peers that enables them a measure of encouragment for continuing to be active in their offline lives.

Notes:
xAble: http://xable.com/index.php
View Ahleah's complete profile here: http://xable.com/profiles/ahleah
View the complete discussion forum for Mariam here: http://xable.com/index.php?page=forum&section=topic&top_id=100018