Online forums are one of the earliest means of group communication on the internet. Since the dial-up bulletin board systems of the 80’s, this type of social software has exploded in popularity. Even today as more and more systems for communication spring up, forums remain one of the most prevalent. But when businesses look at implementing forums some concerns may hinder the process.

Two of the most prevalent are the questions of who will moderate the forum and how. The fear of a few disconcerted individuals damaging the company by publicly posting unfavorable comments can give rise to these concerns. And consequently, some may determine, the protection against this sort of attack is to require that all postings be reviewed before going public or shortly thereafter, promptly removing all unsavory comments. After all, we control the forum, right?

Wrong. This argument, however well-intentioned, represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what a forum is and how it can benefit businesses. The first and most important principle that we must all understand and accept before proceeding with such an initiative is this: the web is not ours, the people on the web are not ours, the conversations happening on the web are not ours, and therefore, our forum is not ours.

A forum cannot exist without the users who contribute to it. And we will not have users if we put ourselves between them and their conversations. While we will have moderators, their roles will focus on maintaining the integrity of the forums not selectively censoring the opinions that cast a harsh light on our company. And since moderators generally focus on how users communicate and not what they say, moderators can come from any department or level of expertise. For a concise overview of the responsibilities of forum moderators read the wiki on forum moderators.

That being said, it is important that our experts actively participate in the forum so that our knowledge and efforts are represented accurately and frequently. And certainly, what is true for external users is true for internal users- we must not try and restrict or require approval for postings from our employees. Any attempt at a broad approval system for messages that reach the public through our forum is not only a tremendous waste of resources but a mistake that would damage our response time, credibility, and influence on the forum and off. Those of us who will participate in the forum will do so at their own discretion. And we should encourage them to be as open and as honest as possible. Besides, if we do not trust our people to faithfully represent us then maybe they shouldn’t be our people.

This could mean that as the forum grows the demand on our staff to respond to the contributions of others will surpass our willingness or capability to do so. At which point the threat of an opponent coming in and showering an unchecked hail of criticisms may seem very real. How appalling would it be if our own forum overwhelmingly decried our faults and persuaded the world we are little more than pseudo-scientific miracle workers? Perhaps this is the most acute reservation that some of us hold against public exposure- our potential inability to represent ourselves well enough under the scrutiny of the public eye. Indeed, I’m rather curious myself about how well some of us will embrace the responsibilities of this form of communication.

But that is a challenge, not a limitation. No business is perfect, we will make mistakes and we will be exposed of them. And we will be accused of mistakes we never made. But no matter how great the opposition, our voices will be heard. We’ve never let fear of failure deter us from what we knew to be right before. Why start now?

The revolution of the web is transforming the way businesses communicate with their customers. An idea that was before frightening or practically infeasible is becoming a common-place goal of businesses that cater to online customers. Transparency between businesses and consumers (or the appearance of it) is popping up all over the web with astounding consequences.

Robert Gorell discusses the need for it and offers some useful tips in his Transparency Imperative. Larry Prusak discusses trust and social capital within the organisation. Biztalk has a take on online transparency. Wired recently published an article describing one under-dog’s triumph over competitors with the aid of a series of unrelentingly honest blog entries. And there are many, many more…

Some of the key points that I have found are:

The attraction of global word-of-mouth marketing marginalises the risks of publicly acknowledging a company’s faults or mistakes. Word-of-mouth marketing is free, and with the web it’s more powerful than ever. By engaging users who are willing to speak out, you encourage them to continue, thus perpetuating the conversation and expanding our reach and relevance.

“Showing that your business is willing to address the customer’s concerns generates positive word-of-mouth.” People who receive direct and honest responses to their complaints, even if the company has been unable to resolve the issue, are more likely to continue using the company’s products than those who don’t. This is straight out of the Customer Service basics manual. But when this exchange is publicly documented, such responsiveness and care is appreciated by many more than the one directly touched customer.

Online conversations about our business are already happening. Not providing a forum where people can discuss your services does not prevent them from doing so- it might instead force them to go to competitor’s site where the audience is biased against us, or a forum where other such shunned voices gather to decry our silence (and implied guilt). The impact of conversations we are not a part of will be far more detrimental to our cause than those that we create, contribute to, and encourage.

“Transparency will give people a context for change, allowing them to accept it more quickly.” By communicating our efforts, passions, and ideas the world is far more likely to support the paradigm shift we see happening. And there’s no better medium for this exchange than the web.

Censorship and transparency are like peanut butter and mayonnaise. “Nothing will send the external blogosphere into a hair-pulling tizzy like negative comments being censored out of corporate self-interest. One of the surest ways to lose credibility is not to take the good with the bad and the ugly.”

Sincerity predicates transparency. “Nobody wants to read a blog that’s essentially just an advertising vehicle. At best, this approach is worthless to the customer; at worst, it’s a disingenuous turn-off that can damage brand affinity.” Any company that attempts to speak with a human voice must try really hard not to sound like a robot.

And I leave with this: transparency is the child of necessity in this age of interconnectivity. How businesses traditionally communicated with consumers was shattered by the web, and to survive we must begin to openly persue the values we’ve built our company on: honesty and integrity.

I don’t need to tell you why the web is important. I don’t need to list all the various success stories and revolutionary advances in web technologies and how they impact our world. You already understand, if only subconsciously, the tremendous power of a world of interconnected human minds. Together we are changing the rules of business, economics, innovation, growth, communication, and self-fulfillment. You can feel it in your gut- the anxiety of knowing that an explosion is about to happen, but you don’t know exactly when or what to do after. This is a natural feeling- we have it so that we act when the world needs us to. And right now the world is needing massive change.

This new era began (for me) in the early 90′s. Raised on an Apple computer, I discovered the wonderous online world when we signed up for AOL on one of the early Macintoshes. I remember the day distinctly- the screeching of the modem, the AOL pyramid, and the key that opened it… magic to the eyes of a 8 year old. That day marked the beginning of my growth as an internet savvy technophile. Some years later I would host my first server on Hotline over my 56K dial up. I established my first alias, HackMac, worked my way into the ‘underground’ crowd and made some smart friends. The top dog at the time was a fellow named The Weasel who ran the popular HackAddict server and e-zine. We all looked up to him, desperate for the scraps he’d throw us now and again when he’d make an appearance. Besides, he was the preeminent Macintosh hacker on Hotline- think Crash Override from ‘Hackers’- he was uber rad. When I began email correspondence with him over an article I wrote for HackAddict describing methods of ripping off coke machines and payphones, I thought I had somehow ‘made it’ and I was ‘connected’ to the underground hacker culture. Pure adolescent nirvana- Christmas paled in comparison.

When The Weasel moved on to bigger and better things (his life) we all felt a void. Well, maybe I more than most. I decided to try and continue his legacy and edit the next generation of Macintosh hacking e-zines: Happle. It was pretty much a flop. I was just getting into a life of my own, and hormones were telling me that trying to get laid was a more important endeavor than trying to find writers and readers for a little known hacking e-zine. I passed the buck onto a british friend named Jambo (who went on to publish another 4 more editions) and completely dropped out. That was over ten years ago.

That, like all first experiences of an important passion, left an indelible impression on me. For the first time in my life I connected with individuals from all around the world, and we accepted each other for our common interests and the pleasure of interchanging ideas. I didn’t realize it then, but this was more than just a neat way to communicate with distant peoples, this was the beginning of the future of human interaction- the infancy of a fully-realized world of interconnected minds.

I’m back to the world of blogging! This time with a vengance. Let’s hope the blogosphere is accomodating…

That’s the funny thing about the web, though. You can be assured they’ll be space for you. It’s just the matter of finding the space in your life for the web that gets tricky. I wonder what drives some people to become prolific bloggers? It’s not that hard to imagine, I suppose… the idea of conversation among all connected individuals sharing common interest, the unrestricted realm of ideas, the power of viral content, and the promise of recognition… or maybe people do it simply because they can. And by writing they discover worlds they never knew before… worlds within.

It’s something different for everyone, I’m sure. For me, what keeps bringing me back, is the potential of a presence on the web- the faint but steady hope that someday these writings will be worth something. Not a $ value, but the value of achievement, recognition, and influence. Part of me screams that this is no worthy motivation- this is a selfish and ultimately useless motivation. But the other part, one I can’t ignore, tells me to press on with desire and accomplish what I’ve been set here to accomplish. And the whole of me waffles… today I write, what for? Who cares. Today I’ll create the product of my desire. Today I act.

Hello, world.