Screencast: Entering the World of Twitter

For exercise 6 I created a screencast about entering the world of Twitter. 

In case the embedded link does not work, the direct url is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeGeBMLO80Y

Anonymous Users in Online Communities

In online communities, I think that anonymous users and lurkers should be allowed to participate and be a part of the digital environment. Having many of these types of users may not be ideal, but they play an important role in the survival and health of online communities.

In most online communities, the user group is built of people who were once anonymous participants or lurkers on the site. People want to see what a community is all about before joining, and they often want to explore and understand what happens once they decide to become a part of the new environment. In order to allow participants to gain a sense of comfort before joining, it is necessary that they are able to lurk for a period of time.

If a community wants to raise the chance that lurkers will become members, it is the designer’s responsibility to create a welcoming environment with various levels and types of interaction occurring on a regular basis. The interest of new users needs to be captured, and once they realize how the site can benefit them, they are more likely to join. There is a need for lurkers if a community is going to grow, but the key is a successful transition to encourage the anonymous users to become vital members.