“Flaming” is, according to this article in today’s New York Times, “thoughts expressed while sitting alone at the keyboard [that] would be put more diplomatically — or go unmentioned — face to face.”
This article is an excellent discussion of some reasons why e-mail and IM users flame each other:
- The perception that the Internet is “anonymous”
- The use of anonymous user accounts
- Lack of face-to-face contact
- Time lag between sending a message and receiving a reply
I’ve taught online courses for over a year now, and I’ve developed a new appreciation of these reasons. That’s why I do my best to respond to student e-mail within 24 hours.
The only exception that I have is the weekend and holidays, when I try to take some downtime and recharge.
Response time is one reason that I don’t use WebCT. It’s much easier for me to respond via Gmail, especially if I’m on my PDA. Pipeline and WebCT just won’t work on a PDA.
Also in today’s Times is an article on the European Union’s Data Retention Directive, which will go into effect in 2009. Several European countries are already modifying their laws so that governments can easily track Internet and mobile phone users.
The Netherlands has developed a draft version of their data retention law that would force telecom providers to store GPS information for all mobile voice and data calls. This has become much easier to do with the widespread adoption of GPS technology in mobile handsets and cell towers. Data would be stored for at least 18 months.
A draft version of the German law outlaws anonymous e-mail and forum accounts. Google and many other webmail services require only two pieces of information to open a Gmail account (user id and password). The German law would require a verifiable identity, and the law may be difficult to enforce. As the article points out, this draft is a major surprise as Germany has long been considered a bastion of consumer privacy rights.
As I have often warned students, e-mail and forum posts might be retained for years. It’s always a good idea to save a reply as a draft, and then review it a few minutes later. Writing and sending a caustic reply might seem efficient, but if the message cannot be recalled or canceled, the results may be dramatic.
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