Sunday, April 12, 2009

Group Dynamics & Failure Modes

Another lesson in the workings of a community.

Money quote:  
It's easy, particularly as a leader or moderator, to feel betrayed by everyone when the crowd goes in a direction that you don't want it to. And the fear of the mob is a powerful motivator. The temptation is to lock everything down, pretend that there is no community ethos but the one you provide.

But people don't work that way. Clamp down on a community, and it turns sour; the community spirit becomes one of grumbling and nit-picking conformance to the stated rules. Spontaneous action for the common good, being unrewarded, goes away.
Goes with this lesson.

(From Evilrooster Crows, via Making Light's Sidelights.)

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