Users beware ….No dumb answers here…..
From a blog by Kathy Sierra called “Passionate - Creating Passionate Users”
There are some great graphs and pics on her blog and lots of relevance for learning theories and tips for desiging and maintaining interest in learning communites. This article focus is on user communities however there is relevance for learning communities….
“Most user communities take a typical path–the newbies ask questions, and a select group of more advanced users answer them. But that’s a slow path to building the community, and it leaves a huge gaping hole in the middle where most users drop out”
So how do we encourage people not to drop out, to keep being active and support a culture which encourages newbies and supports learning and participation. Kathy lists the following tips and the creation of “there are no dumb answers policy instead of there are no dumb questions policy”:
1) Encourage newer users–especially those who’ve been active askers–to start trying to answer questions
One way to help is by making sure that the moderators are not always the Ones Who Know All. Sometimes you have to hold back the experts to give others a chance to step in and give it a try.
2) Give tips on how to answer questions
Post articles and tips on how to answer questions, which also helps people learn to communicate better. You can include tips on how to write articles, teach a tough topic, etc.
3) Tell them it’s OK to guess a little, as long as they ADMIT they’re guessing
4) Adopt a near-zero-tolerance “Be Nice” policy when people answer questions
Don’t allow other participants (especially the more advanced users) to slam anyone’s answer. A lot of technical forums especially are extremely harsh, and have a culture where the regulars say things like, “If you think that, you have no business answering a question. In fact, you have no business even DREAMING about being a programmer. Better keep your paper hat day job, loser.”
5) Teach and encourage the more advanced users (including moderators) how to correct a wrong answer while maintaining the original answerer’s dignity.
And again, zero-tolerance for a**holes. All it takes is one jerk to stop someone from ever trying it again.
6) Re-examine your reward/levels strategy for your community
Is there a clear way for new users to move up the ranks? Are there achievable, meaningful “levels”?
One Response to “Users beware ….No dumb answers here…..”
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This is a significant attribute of learning communities. I found in some of the literature that I had been looking at, this responsibility was being focussed as a key role of the moderator, if not to give affirmation to contributors, but also to create an environment that promotes affirmation and open dialogue from all in the community.