Comment by Chad Pursley on January 30, 2009 at 4:40pm

That seems fair.

Comment by Dean Lockett on January 30, 2009 at 8:36pm

Interesting - when I go fishing in my boat, I always make sure to wash the bottom of the boat after. The reason for this is so that if there is any bacteria or fungus, or whatever in the lake I was in, it won't be transferred to another lake that I go to. It could kill off a whole species and those of us that fish have seen it kill a whole lake which will take years to return to something worth going to. It kinda goes off the old theme of " don't *blank* where you eat and don't eat where you *blank* Makes sense to me - remove away JD!

Comment by Paul DeBettignies on January 30, 2009 at 8:41pm

Jason,

That sound you here is applause coming from me and many, many others.

Comment by John Sumser on January 30, 2009 at 11:55pm

Good fences make good neighbors. In the retail trade, one refers to the kinds of people you are describing as shoplifters.

Comment by Chad Sowash on January 31, 2009 at 9:29am

No question only people committed to this community should be allowed to interact. If the person seems only to be siphoning contacts into their network without appropriate RBC quid pro quo I say you lop off the parasites.

Comment by Irina Shamaeva on January 31, 2009 at 11:09am

I had been thinking along the lines of what Maren has posted. Different ning sites may cover different needs and angles of our recruiting lives, have different people post, and it would be great if networks were friendly to each other. While I understand that there might be competition in terms of where people spend their online time, I think it would be beneficial to all if recruiters were aware of their choices and spent the time at several sites, choosing the ones they like based on the content and their connections to members of every particular community.

I like RBC very much and I am a big fan of what JD is doing here. I especially admire his talent to facilitate personal connections between people in the industry and also his ability to generate new interesting content all the time. I suggested to JD that my new "Boolean Strings Network" site runs his logo and put it up soon after its creation, with Maren's help. You can see it here: http://booleanstrings.ning.com/

I ran into a case where a person said that she/he can't join my site without a permission from another ning site owner. This is not a practice that I would ever support.

JD, if you choose to let others know about my ning site I would be very grateful! The content on there is useful to many people in the industry and it would be great if they are aware of this source.

The practice of referring people to each others' sites seems very healthy to me.

Cheers,
Irina

Comment by Amitai Givertz on January 31, 2009 at 1:24pm

@John Sumser...Yes, good fences make good neighbors. They also make for walled gardens.

Comment by Slouch on January 31, 2009 at 3:12pm

Ami, I am not looking to build a walled garden here. I would think you could see that.

Comment by Amitai Givertz on January 31, 2009 at 11:19pm

Jason, let me clarify what I meant in reply to John.

There are number of issues here but let me talk to two of them...

The first is to do with everything that falls under the umbrella of "community." John is right, good fences make for good neighbors. Clearly, that concept supports your position -- our position -- that in every community there must be boundaries.

That the lines should be drawn is not the issue. That others either don't know where that line is or deliberately cross it is. I think we're are all agreed that nothing you have stated in your post is unfair, unreasonable or uncalled for.

So, as far I'm concerned, and as it relates to RecruitingBlogs.com in particular, if people need to be told what you would otherwise hope they'd know, so be it. I'm all for demarcation. I'm all for drawing the line. I'm all for sanctioning anti-social behavior.

To the second and broader issue, and to my walled garden counterpoint...

The ideal of an augmented social network seems increasingly difficult to realize when one has to make the distinction between "give and take" and "take, take, take" on the one hand, and competition versus collaboration on the other.

But, in an indirect way I guess, the silos that the Ning platform supports, typical of pretty much every "social network" -- walled gardens if you will -- perpetuates the type of behavior that leads some to suppose they're success is measured in the numbers who identify with them personally [friends] and/or their group [members].

That said, walled gardens are a fact of life online. They will not come down any more than we can separate the internet from the vested commercial interests that ensure its continuance. If that is the case, then good fences make for good neighbors, yes, but for walled gardens too.

Comment by Jim Canto on March 5, 2009 at 12:10am

ok.. I'm compelled to chime in...

First.. Ami.. the augmented social network link; brilliant. I'd not heard of that. However, it summarizes my vision for medXcentral (my Ning network for the medical industry for those who don't know.)

Second... Jason.... you know I'm a major fan. And, I'll tell you why; "freedom." It is a THE key concept for me in life. You've demonstrated that concept quite liberally here on RBC, and in doing so, have earned a degree of loyalty from me. I've not felt stifled here... to date.

Here's something to consider; Why do LinkedIn and Facebook allow an individual or company to create groups (which often promote a business, blog or other online community) without worry? Is it because they have so many members? Or, maybe that's how they earned so many members? I'm not suggesting you are wrong....I'm just suggesting the thought process.

In my opinion, you have been doing a lot of things very "right" (as in correct) here on RBC. Hence your success. It is also my opinion that the aforementioned SM giants do a lot of things "right" as well. I consider RBC to be an SM giant within the recruiting niche. And, I've often thought that it is that way because others have been able to "feed" off of RBC's success (a strategy I thought was deliberate on your part.) And, in doing so, contribute to RBC's overall success.

For me, as I've pondered the social architecture of medXcentral, it seems quite clear that to get the attention I want for the community, I need to let members have the attention they want (primarily self promotion) within the community. And, if that means I take the chance of losing some members, I'm betting I'll gain the recognition, and recommendation, of those who see the wisdom in "freedom."

In the end, I believe it is our jobs as community creators, or product/service innovators, to maintain our competitive edge by doing more things "right" than our competition. I believe that is accomplished by creating value from within, not by posting guards at the door (so to speak.)

Trust in the fact that water seeks it's own level and, if SM members are the "water" and freedom is "level"... well...that, in the end, is what they shall seek.

One last point before I close...

With respect to cleaning house on that which brings us down....oh man I can relate. But, consider the possibility that policing the competition to enforce mutual respect could create more stress than it relieves. I've always admired your ability to keep things simple (my perception.) That's why I made this particular point.

In closing, I recognize that I could be completely wrong about everything I've said. Who the heck knows what the "sweet spot" is in social media architecture? I don't. I'm just applying my gut instinct and moving forward. That's the beauty and wisdom of the Ning platform. Ning gave us all the ability to try it our way...for better or for worse.

You have my support in whatever decision you make. Just please let me know if every I cross the line. I never intend to harm...but I do intend to succeed.

Warm regards to all.

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