Mosquito Corp – Discussion Links
28 July 2006. Notes and links for discussion with Biff, Barbara, Betty and Bill.
Happy Cog
Discussions that work
Discussion can be the focus of a site or an adjunct to it.
Unmoderated discussion fails
A moderator is needed on any site to prevent spam and abuse. For ironic proof, see the comment by “Bin Laden” on this article about Bulletin Board Spam.
Discussions by teens for teens
You wouldn’t know it, as many young moderators and webmasters prefer not to advertise their youth, but kids or teens moderate the following discussion sites:
- MuggleNet’s forums
- Harry Potter discussion by teen for teens.
- Mogget’s Old Kingdom
- Garth Nix books discussion.
- Youth Guardian Services
- Teens-only, safe haven for discussion of issues like sexual health, sexual orientation, and relationship problems that would be awkward for most teens to discuss with adults.
Notes and inferences
- Successful teen-moderated and teen-attended community sites like these center on a specific, shared cultural interest. Participants are motivated and emotionally engaged, otherwise they wouldn’t be there.
- A specific, shared interest keeps discussion on topic and respectful without heavy-handed moderation needed.
- Mosquito is a specific, shared interest. Participants are highly engaged, otherwise they wouldn’t be there.
- For Mosquito, moderation will be required (as with any community site) but the environment will lend itself to good behavior and focused discussion, with very little risk.
Reassurances to remember
- The level of access (who can see and post to a board) can be set to whatever level Mosquito and the instructors feel comfortable with, on a board-by-board basis.
- All well-respected courseware products come with discussion boards for use by students and their instructors.
- Blogs written by Mosquito writing students will produce fabulous publicity for the program. (“I didn't know teens could do that!”)
The Kids Are All Right
A respected academic says not to worry about kids on the internet:
Kids who’ve grown up with the internet do the darndest things.
