Should Mac Law Students Have A Discussion Board?
I hesitate to even bring up this subject. I’ve been thinking about it for several weeks, and I still haven’t come up with a definitive answer. I’ve done some testing of different technologies for implementing a discussion board, but the real questions are broader in scope. Here’s my concept for a Mac Law Students discussion board:
- The board would be a space where we could all help each other with questions relating to Macs and law school.
- There would be a well-defined code of conduct. Everyone has a right to free speech, but we also have a right to set up a discussion area unencumbered by nitwits.
- The board would have a minimal number of broad topics, and only certain users would be allowed to start new message threads (so as to avoid multiple redundant threads, which plagues many wide-open boards).
- Users would register with a verifiable email address (you register, you receive a confirmation email message)
- Loose collective moderation (easier said than done, but I’m thinking if one user of the board sends me a message about a poster’s nefarious behavior, said user gets a warning; a second warning within a specified period of time and the user’s account gets deleted)
Questions for You
- Is a discussion board even necessary or desirable?
- Is a code of conduct (for example: no ad hominem attacks, no profanity) a good thing or a bad thing?
- Would you be interested in being an initial member/tester if I put together a discussion board?
- If so, which topics would you like to see covered?
Feel free to use the comments, or if you prefer, send me an email.
Ben wrote,
I like the idea. Particularly because there are a few mac+law school related things that I’d like to get the ball rolling on, but lack the motivation to do individually. Do you think your readership is large enough to support a forum though?
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 1:28 am
Erik Schmidt wrote,
Ben,
Thanks for the comment. The readership size is a valid question. Right now the site is getting about 8,000 unique visitors per month. However, a sizable chunk of that number consists of folks who aren’t law students.
Frankly I’d prefer a small participant group that is fairly engaged and has a strong community feel, versus a larger board that feels more disjointed. That said, there’s only so much control one can legitimately exercise over a board. It becomes its own animal over time.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Alex wrote,
Hi Eric,
Certainly interested in the idea. Sometimes posting comments on a Blog is a little too “official” for questions and answers. A forum would provide a place for law students to ask questions regarding software for macs and to flesh out ideas about products/techniques without undermining the integrity of the articles.??
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 1:51 am
Erik Schmidt wrote,
Alex,
Good point. The informality of a discussion board might pull some people out of the woodwork who might otherwise not ask questions. Thanks for the comment.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 2:04 am
John Dollarhide wrote,
Why does your post, in light of my first week of law school classes, painfully resemble the transcript of one of my professors? I honestly cannot answer any of the above posited questions in fear that I the act could be tortious.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 2:06 am
Erik Schmidt wrote,
John,
Thankfully you owe me no duty of care.
But “might” is the word you’ll probably hear most often as a 1L, followed closely by “maybe” and “possibly”. Embrace ambiguity!
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 2:20 am
amicus curiae wrote,
Okay, this is my second comment - as the previous one was LOST because, apparently I failed the challenge! I mean, I answered 20 (sum of 10 and 10) I dont know why it was rejected.
Anyway, as I mentioned (that comment was really Loooooonnng) I’d love see your new discussion board.
I am from the Philippines and very few law students use a laptop in class, and most of them are in the high-end law school (tuition fee wise) and in my school, I am the only one who uses a laptop. I want to meet and interact with like minded individuals - mac users for that matter. And also I want to learn your culture as compared to the culture in law schools here, my school is very old fashioned when it comes to technology. I believe you can bridge that gap.
Thanks!
(ok, here’s the anti-spam question again, I hope I get it ‘right’ this time, it’s 10+6)
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Erik Schmidt wrote,
Apologies for your earlier comment getting swallowed.
I appreciate you taking the time to repost your comment. That is one feature of a discussion board that might be particularly interesting. We have readers from the US, Canada, UK, continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines, pretty much any where there are law schools.
That is one reason I think a board could be good. Sharing information about more than just Macs could be very useful.
Thanks again for the comment.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Meach wrote,
I would be interested in a forum as well. There are a lot of tricks (applescript, automator, flowcharting) I’ve developed for myself to make briefing cases easier and the like, and I’d love to see what other inventive Mac users have come up with as well.
A forum would be a great place to put up that kind of information, ask questions, and share experiences of being a Mac user in law school.
This site has been a great reference for me since I started school last year- I doubt I ever would have looked at OmniOutliner without your recommendation- and I will always be in favor of more MacLawStudents.com.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Daniel Trout wrote,
I love the idea of a discussion board. I think we could all help each other with mac and law related questions. I would be interested in being an initial member/tester.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Mike wrote,
I also really like the idea of the discussion board and would love to be an initial member/tester.
I think the idea of having a limited number of people able to start new topics is a good one, but would also limit participation in some negative ways. What about a system where people outside of the approved group could start new topics, but their new topics would only show up after approval from a moderator?
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Erik Schmidt wrote,
Meach, Trout, Mike:
Thanks for the comments. Mike, I like your idea of new topics being vetted by moderators. That could be a good way to eliminate redundancy without being too overbearing.
Keep the comments coming.
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Scott wrote,
I’d love to see this!
Link | August 24th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Tripp Adams wrote,
Erik,
As a brand new Mac user and 1L your site has been invaluable! I have Mac students and PC students alike asking me about my set up and for suggestions on helping them getting organized.
I think a discussion board with a dedicated and enthusiastic audience would be great.
Link | August 25th, 2007 at 1:48 am
Erik Schmidt wrote,
Tripp,
I’m glad MLS has been helpful. Thanks for weighing in on the discussion board question as well.
Link | August 25th, 2007 at 4:18 am