Conduit Issue One

Issue I

Welcome to the first issue of conduit -- an interactive newsletter for individuals interested in online community, the latest trends, news and opinions. It is our goal to bring you the latest information, interesting articles, humorous entries, reader's opinions and the most recent site question and answer.

In this issue of conduit:

1) Featured Question and Answer: "My Post Was Deleted?"

2) Your Community Answer: "If you had a posted deleted from a board, how would you respond?"

3) Community Wire: News articles support the importance of the internet during times of tragedy.

4) Community Voice: Top 10 Ways to Increase Site Stickiness

5) CommunityAnswers.com Asks What If?: What if.. the Government required access to all online communities and their content before comments could be shared live?

Featured Question and Answer

This issue's question was submitted by a visitor who recently had one of their posts deleted from their favorite message board. The question was submitted as follows;

"I am regular user on a message board, and the other day I got one of my posts deleted. In my opinion, it was deleted unfairly and I am not sure what to do about it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated."

To view CommunityAnswers.com's suggestions, please visit "My Post Was Deleted?"

~Are you searching for information on a particular topic? Check out our searchable archive of past question and answers.

Your Community Answer

Please do not forget to share your vote on our most recent poll; "If you had a post deleted from a board, how would you respond? I would.."

Come on, what are you waiting for? Make your vote count!

Community Wire

In the aftermath of the September 11^thtragic terrorist attacks both the positive and negative aspects of community were strongly evinced. From articles posted on news sites to chat room conversations to message board postings, they all reminded us how important the internet is during times of great devastation and difficulty. Wide-ranging and often troubling emotional outpourings, political and religious views and moving expressions of support, compassion and disorientation flooded many online communities. AOL UK, for example, had over 50,000 messages alone in their message boards designated for the sole purpose of discussing the attacks.

Tragic times like this make one thankful for community and online virtual communities, the power that they hold in bringing people together and guiding them through times of sadness and trauma. Where people can find no other physical avenue to express their feelings it is often the online community which gives them the opportunity to do so. The events of the past few weeks show how vocal people can be during times of controversy and stress, and how emotions can spill forth in text form. Being a moderator during such times is particularly stressful, especially when one's own emotions and views are strong, but these events show that moderation is of paramount importance within communities. At CommunityAnswers.com we are thankful for the community teams around the globe and for all their efforts during this devastating time.

CommunityAnswers.com expresses its deepest sympathy to all the families and friends of those lost, and we would like to express our gratitude to all the people who have come together to assist in the rescue and healing efforts. For more information on how you can assist, please call 1-800 HELP NOW (American Red Cross).

~If you wish to submit an article or comment to be featured within conduit's CommunityWire, please do so by using our online submission form.

Community Voice

Top 10 Ways to Increase Site Stickiness

10.) Create reoccuring pop-ups that prevent the user from leaving your site.

9.) Add a strip of fly paper to your login buttons.

8.) Lace your navigation bar with tree sap and add chewed up bubblegum to all hyperlinks.

7.) Alter your chat room door so that there's only a handle on the outside.

6.) Use the "Quicksand" skin when you choose a customization template from your message board themes.

5.) Once a visitor has gone beyond your home page, remove all navigation buttons, and disable the "back" button.

4.) Make all your "Exit" signs point in a circle.

3.) As evidence of the site being "Under Construction", liberally leave buckets of wallpaper paste and tile grout underfoot.

2.) Promise that the 1,000,000 visitor to the site will receive that same amount in cash.

1.) Hint that one of your moderators is <insert famous actor/actress> working undercover as part of their preparation for a big movie role.

Do you have a funny "Top 10" that you would like to share? Maybe you have written an article that you wish to publish. Please review our guidelines for submission and submit your ideas, articles and thoughts here.

CommunityAnswers.com Asks What If?

What if.. the Government required access to all online communities and their content before comments could be shared live?

Share your thoughts, and we will publish them in our next issue of conduit.

You can contribute to communityanswers.com and gain valuable insights by asking a question right now: