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Benway's Observations on Webcam Chatroom Behaviour and Hierarchy |
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Introduction. The webcam chatroom on this website has been in existance since around January 2000, evolving from what was originally something of a free-for-all, where everything was acceptable, except abusive behaviour, into what has now become a very well defined and specific concept. The basics of that concept are covered here . Before setting up this chatroom, I frequented many chatrooms around the net, some on irc, others using yahoo audio chat, and some other webcam chatrooms. In each case, I found similar forms of behaviour, though the hierarchy differed from room to room. For the purposes of this essay, I will concentrate on the hierarchy of the webcam chatroom on this site, though the behaviour described appears to be universal. No chatters names will be used in this essay, as certain of the people who frequent the room might not like their position within the hierarchy, though it is possible they might work it out for themselves anyway. Also, for the record, some individuals fall into more than one of the catagories of chatter described here. You may also notice the + and - signs against the catagory descriptions. Those with a + are openly welcomed, and encouraged to join the room. Those with a - may be grudgingly tollerated, while others are openly discouraged, or even ejected from the room. The Hierarchy, and Observed Behaviour. Regulars: + Core Members Despite what you may think, inclusion in this catagory is not dependant on how long a chatter has frequented the room, or even on how much time they spend there. The people who fall into this catagory can best be described as having an attitude that conforms to the concept of the room. Attitude would appear to be of more importance than would first appear to be the case. It takes more than just knowing what the place is about, to actually fit in. On occasion, a new regular chatter may read all the material regarding the room, including the rules, what the room is about, information on acceptable behaviour etc, and yet still fails to grasp the basic idea, that being to have fun, and make friends - To be part of a community, without attempting to manipulate thier position within it, or prove some point. I`ve spent much time observing the attitudes and behaviour of the core members, in an attempt to define what it is that actually sets them apart from the other chatters. This wasn't as easy a task as you might think. Their personalities, backgrounds, social standing, and levels of intelligence are all very diverse. In the end, the only characteristics I can find common in all of them are empathy and a sense of fun. These people not only like each other, but care about each other. Many people seem to view other chatters as somehow unreal, as if whatever they say to the people in the room will have no effect on them, or as if they were talking to their computer, rather than real people. The core members seem to have overcome this attitude. They take a real interest in the lives of the others in the group, and are true friends. Speaking entirely for myself, I love these people, and find them some of the finest I`ve ever known anywhere. + Occasional, but highly regarded chatters. These are people who would easily fit into the `core members` catagory, except for the fact that they only visit occasionally. They are well liked, and fit in extremely well, but either don`t have the time to visit that often, or just don`t see the room as their home on the net. Whatever the case, it`s always a pleasure when these people join the room, as they always have something to say, and make a positive contribution to the room. + Low impact regulars. That may sound like a strange way to describe a person, so let me explain. There are a few chatters that frequent the room on a regualr basis, sometimes visiting every day, but who actually have very little impact on the room. They are polite, and pleasant enough to talk to, but don`t actually contribute to the feeling of community. Make no mistake, this is not a criticism, merely an observation. There's nothing wrong with a person sitting on the sidelines, observing quietly, and maybe throwing in the odd comment or opinion every so often. To be honest, the ability to lurk and not require constant attention is something to be valued. The point is though, they don`t make a great deal of difference to the dynamic of the room. - Point Provers There is a certain type of chatter that occasionally frequents the room, that has completely missed the point. These people have realised that there is something very special about the place, without actually understanding what it is, and so take it upon themselves to prove that they belong here. How they go about this varies. Some will absorb all the rules, and guidlines for the room, making it very clear that they've done this, and then set upon every person who wanders into the room and breaks the rules. They behave as if they were an Op, even though they are only a guest themself and have no higher standing in the room than the person they are instructing to follow the rules. Then there are the `I`m better than everyone else` types. Certain chatters go to great lenghts to demonstrate their intelligence, either by belittling those of a lower intelligence, or by droning on at great lenght about some technical subject that really is of little interest to the other chatters. Others will go to some length describing what an important job they have, how much money they have, how much better their computer is than everyone else's, or similar. I suspect these people, realising the room is something special, are trying to validate their presence, by proving that they too are special. In the end, the behaviour of these people usually stems from some form of insecurity. They are trying to prove their value to themself, by proving it to everyone else. Ultimately though, they manage to do nothing more than to alienate themselves from the rest of the group, and are generally not popular. They contribute nothing of value to the room, as their only real interest is themself, and as such, they actually detract from the dynamic of the room, often killing the conversation dead. - Users These are people who don't really have an interest in the room, or the people in it, but visit on occasion, when they want something. Often, they`re looking for technical assistance, advice on a piece of software, or simply want an opinion on something. I wouldn`t go so far as to say these people are a nuisance, though they do consume an ammount of time that could otherwise be spent chatting with less selfish regulars, and at the end of the day, they contribute nothing at all to the room. - Whiners A number of people, having found the room frequented by intelligent and caring people, have taken to treating the place as somewhere to unload their problems. They don`t visit for weeks or even months, but rest assured, when something is troubling them, they show up, and explain in as much detail as possible exactly why their life sucks and why they are so depressed. To say these people contribute nothing is an understatement. If they actually visited when times were good, it wouldn`t be so bad, but behaving as they do, they do nothing but bring everyone else down with their presence. - Nuisance Regulars These are people who have found they like the room, and visit on a regular basis, but have absolutely no idea what the place is about, and often don't even care. They just know they want to be here. At the risk of generalising, these people are usually either very young, people who`s first language isn't english and are unaware of cultural differences, or those who are simply socially retarded. Whatever the case, the result is always the same - they are rude, disruptive and annoying. Usually, after being warned on several occasions that their behaviour is unacceptable, they end up finding themselves banned from the room. Non-Regulars + Potential core members. These are people who show all the characteristics of the core members. They may not know anyone else in the room, but are a real pleasure to talk to. Sadly, all too often, people in this catagory may only visit once or twice, and are never seen again. Every effort is taken to make such people feel welcome though, and they are openly encouraged to return. +/- Polite but uninspiring. A frequent type of visitor is the person who wanders into the room, who has no idea what the room is about, and doesn`t really care... they`re just looking for a conversation. They can be polite and sociable, but are ultimately uninspiring, as they aren`t interested in being part of the group and are missing the point with regard to what makes the place special. These people are generally made to feel welcome, and are treated with respect by default, but they are of low impact, and it doesn`t matter at all if they never return. - Webcam People. These people come in two different varieties, neither of which show any understanding of what the room is about. Webcam watchers: These are visitors who's main interest is in watching the cams. They may on occasion make smalltalk with the people they`re watching, but at the end of the day, if the cams weren't there, these people wouldn't visit. As such, they've missed the point, and neither appreciate the finer qualities of the room, nor have anything to contribute. On a more positive note, they don't tend to stay very long. Webcam users: These are people who wander in, having not read the introduction or instructions, and merely want the be able to show their cam in the room. Such people are actually quite a nuisance, as it takes some time to explain how the cams are displayed, and to make them understand that their cam won't be listed unless they visit the room on a regular basis. Having got these facts through to them, they usually leave... which is even more annoying after taking the time to explain it all to them. - Lamers For full details on the behaviour that constitutes a lamer, click here. These people can usually be split into three different groups. Trouble makers: These are people who gain pleasure in deliberately disrupting the chatroom, and go to some length to abuse the other chatters. This kind of behaviour probably derives from some form of social maladjustment, as they are not necesaraly unintelligent. They could probably be seen as a more extreme variation of `point provers` described above. AOL Users: AOL make it extremely easy for people to get online... so easy, that even incredibly unintelligent people can get online. The truth is, anyone with a level of intelligence even slightly above that of that of an ameoba would choose a different ISP. That being the case, the behaviour of an AOL user is almost without fail the behaviour of a moron. Strangely, it`s not necesary to be an AOL user to fall into this catagory. Occasionally, a user of a different ISP may display the same characteristics. For a perfect example of this kind of behaviour, and to see how they are treated in the room, click here to read a lame chat log. Bloody Foreigners: This is not actually as xenophobic as it sounds. We have several regulars who`s first language isn`t english who are highly valued members of the group. There is however a type of chatter, who may or may not speak good english, but through cultural differences, are percieved as simply rude or ignorant by all of the english speaking chatters. This may sound extreme, but not one single person who has entered the room from a couple of european contires in particular, has behaved in a civilised manner. This actually became so annoying that I blocked access to chatters from those countries. In Conclusion. On reading this piece, it would at first appear that chatters falling into negative catagories are far more common than those in the positive ones. Thankfully, that isn`t actually the way the room functions. While there will always be those people who miss the point of the room, and on occasion can be a nuisance, those who really understand what the place is about do tend to guide the others. Also, it's not uncommon for people who don't really fit in to simply leave and not return. In more extreme cases, where a person becomes a persistant problem, and upsets the pleasant atmosphere of the room, if they don't respond to some friendly advice, a decision is usually made to block them from accessing the room. The end result is a very special room, where a particular type of chatter can make themself at home, and feel like they really belong somewhere. |
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