Threats to Section 230 Should Unleash the Political Power of Community Professionals
b'
This week, Patrick and\\xa0Scott Moore\\xa0continue\\xa0their conversation commemorating three years of Community Signal, touching on a topic that\\u2019s important to the work of all community professionals but that doesn\\u2019t necessarily get a lot of attention: the laws and regulations that govern our work.
You\\u2019re probably familiar with GDPR and Section 230 of the Telecommunications Decency Act. And for those of us that are paid community professionals working for established companies, we likely have resources internally that help us address legal concerns. But Patrick also raises the point that many communities are small, run by volunteers, and have minimal tech and financial resources. Are the laws protecting community members also protecting communities and community professionals, regardless of their size or backing?
And let\\u2019s get real, it\\u2019s clear that not all of our government leaders are caught up on the online community landscape, or even on the internet itself. So how are we informing them and letting them know how these laws impact the communities we serve, for better or for worse?
Scott and Patrick also discuss:
- The other laws and regulations that impact the work we do
- The \\u201cright to be forgotten\\u201d and what it means for communities as a whole
- Patrick\\u2019s Community Signal dream guests for 2019
- Our collective responsibility to raise up community as a profession and Patrick\\u2019s promise to give a pep talk to anyone who needs one
Our Podcast is Made Possible By\\u2026
If you enjoy our show, please know that it\\u2019s only possible with the generous support of our sponsor:\\xa0Higher Logic.
Big Quotes
On being informed about the laws that impact our work:\\xa0\\u201cI really see [Section 230] as fundamental to the work we do and if it changed, the work we do would fundamentally change. How we moderate, how we protect people, what we allow for. It would change in a really negative and bad way. Understanding the laws that impact our work and how important they are is super important.\\u201d \\u2013@patrickokeefe
On making sure the tech you use doesn\\u2019t overpower your community:\\xa0\\u201cThere\\u2019s always a power in having your data and having it so that you can download it and move it wherever you want, whenever you want and not have that be tied to a contract. \\u2026 That\\u2019s always a question for me when I get pitched on platforms. Where\\u2019s my data? How can I remove it? In what format? You can\\u2019t answer those questions well, you can\\u2019t win me, period. We have to be smart about those things.\\u201d \\u2013@patrickokeefe
On pushing the industry forward:\\xa0\\u201cWe should advocate for those higher roles because each time one of us does that, each time someone insists that they get the director title instead of the community manager title because their job reflects it \\u2026 instead of just accepting that they can be community manager because, hey, the money\\u2019s good and I\\u2019m being paid like a director, it matters. \\u2026 Don\\u2019t sell yourself short, really believe in yourself and push yourself forward. If you need a pep talk, let me know. I\\u2019ll be happy to do it. \\u2026 I believe that this work is important and I think that it is partially on us to push it up and find those opportunities whenever we can.\\u201d \\u2013@patrickokeefe
About Scott Moore
Since 1995,\\xa0Scott Moore\\xa0has been helping organizations large and small build solid and successful connected communities and the teams that support those communities. He seeks opportunities to use his experience in online communities to help people help each other to make a positive change in their own lives and those around them. Scott has fostered and directed community at Digital Promise Global, Answers.com, Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, Communities.com, and Fujitsu. He has also consulted with non-profits to help with a variety of online community needs including Healthsparq, Diabetes Hands Foundation, and Edutopia.
Related Links
- Sponsor:\\xa0Higher Logic, the community platform for community managers
- Scott Moore on Twitter
- Scott Moore on LinkedIn
- Retaining Talented Community Pros and What Makes a Great Boss? (3 Years of Community Signal)
- Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act
- DMCA,\\xa0the SPEECH Act,\\xa0COPPA, and the\\xa0CAN-SPAM Act
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation
- GDPR\\xa0and\\xa0the Right to Be Forgotten
- California Passes Sweeping Law to Protect Online Privacy
- California\\u2019s Eraser Law
- Patrick references his Community Signal conversations with\\xa0Jason Falls,\\xa0Jay Rosen,\\xa0Bassey Etim,\\xa0Howard Rheingold, and\\xa0George Kelling
- Patrick\\u2019s dream guests for 2019 include\\xa0Jake Tapper,\\xa0Senator Ron Wyden, and\\xa0Amy Jo Kim
- [Note from Patrick:] Special thanks to\\xa0Carol,\\xa0Serena Snoad\\xa0and\\xa0Bill Johnston\\xa0for contributing to these last two episodes
Transcript
Your Thoughts
If you have any thoughts on this episode that you\\u2019d like to share, please leave me a comment,\\xa0send me an email\\xa0or a\\xa0tweet. If you enjoy the show, we would be so grateful if you spread the word and supported\\xa0Community Signal on Patreon.
'