Community Management Integrity: Some Concerns!

I am sure the Digg team is well aware of what I am about to present as a concern. And probably have systems in place to address such situations. So, this post is not so much for the Digg team, but more so for the users of Digg.

To be aware of it, and to recognize it as wrong will help stop it (tyranny) from happening.

What is the concern, and what do we intend not happening: Community Manager Tyranny!

Here’s the deal. A Community Manager’s role is to ensure the Frame of the Community is actualized.

What do I mean by Frame? Frame is: what is talked about, how it is talked about, and what is used to make discernment in discourse.

Now. Members have their own Frame, and join the Community for the Community’s claimed Frame. Community Managers have their own Frame. And the Community Manager’s Frame may, or may not be the same Frame as the Community they manage.

If your Frame is not the same as members of the Community you’re in, you will be buried!

If your Frame is not the same as the Community’s Frame you’re in, you will be booted out of the Community by the Community Manager.

Now, here is where the Community Manager Tyranny comes in:

Sometimes the Community Manager’s Frame is within the Frame of the Community, but is of a particular Frame that is not of the Frame of certain others who also have legitimate reason to be in the Community. When such a thing happens, tyrannical Community Managers will actively seek to weed out members independent of their Frame. They will make up offenses, be petty, and boot the members they dislike.

Because of Digg’s Community Management transparency policy, members of the Community will be able to witness what the Community Manager does and also will be able to be aware of the reason that guided the Community Manager’s action. This will allow Community Members to revolt against the Community Manager if they perceive any tyranny.

But there is a situation where the majority of the members in the Community, along with the Community Manager, seek to be propagandists. And thus, active tyranny is legitimized. It’s tyrannical because members who have legitimate reason to be in a Community will be booted out because their Frame is not of a particular perspective of the majority of those in the Community and the Community Manager.

I trust Digg will have systems in place to review Community Manager Integrity. As members of any Community, we best be aware of illegitimate activity and not seek to be of, nor further, such activity ourselves.

Basically, do not allow Community Manager Tyranny to exist and don’t legitimize Community Manager Tyranny for the sake of propagandizing a perspective.

We are all propagandists to some extent. But that does not mean we cannot be a people of integrity.

Again: To be aware of it, and to recognize it as wrong will help stop it from happening.

I just wanted to get that off my chest.