43T paper 2 - regulating behavior

I'll comment on this.

Overall, I thought your paper was very strong, well written, and descriptive.  I got a clear understanding of how conflict is managed, the reputation systems, and the affects of social presence on user behavior at 43T.  I especially liked your recommendations on improving the reputation system by adding the cheers into user profiles.  Here are just some few minor things I would add:

1.  You mentioned social loafing as a potential problem with mechanism to counteract it.  Has social loafing ever been brought up by the membership or the moderators?

2.  You talked about a cheap identities issue where users who have been "nuked" can come back under a new identify.  How widespread is that issue and what effects does it have on the community?  Are moderators and users spending more of their time having to deal with them?  What are the effects?

3.  A concerte example from a user would be helpful in illustrating the effects of social persence on behavior.  

Other than this, the paper was a great read. 
 

I enjoyed the commentary about social loafing. From what I've seen of the site I have to agree that most people on the site are social loafers in the sense that we talk about them - they are just there to post and manage their own goals.

But, I have a slightly different opinion on social loafing. I don't think it's possible to socially loaf on a site like 43Things or Blogger. Even if you never comment on another person's goals or cheer anyone, just the fact that your goals exists and the site publishes them for all to see negates, in my opinion, the social loafing.

If there was a way, for example, to create private goals that nobody else could see then I would say social loafing can certainly take place.

However, I personally have adopted several goals from other users just because I happend on their page while following a trail of goals from person to person. You randomly show up somewhere and say "Aha! I've been meaning to do that in my life too!"

In this way, that particular user wasn't socially loafing. I gained benefit from his asychronous discussion (adding his goal) with me.