OT: Survey about trust and participation in online communities

Hello there,

At the beginning of the month, I posted a message asking you to
participate in a web survey about trust and participation. If you have
filled out the survey, thank you!

If you have not had a chance to take the survey yet, I would
appreciate your reading the message below and I hope that you will
consider participating in my research.

My name is Sherida Ryan and I am a Ph.D. student in Adult Education
and Community Development at the University of Toronto. I am sending
this post to invite you to participate in a survey that explores trust
and participation in Usenet groups. This survey is part of my doctoral
research, supervised by Professor Jack Quarter.

Trust helps us to function in a complex world where we are often
dependent on other people for information and support. However, online
interaction can make the development of trust difficult. How do you
decide to trust someone you have never met, whose identity you can't
verify, in an environment that has few standards to guide behaviour?

By understanding how people come to trust each other online and by
exploring whether this affects their level of participation, I hope to
develop guidelines that will improve interaction and increase the
benefits that people get from being members of online groups.

The survey that I am inviting you to participate in should not take
more than 15 minutes to complete. I am looking for people who post as
well as people who only read messages. Your participation is voluntary
and can be terminated at any time. Your responses will remain
anonymous and all survey results will be grouped together for any
future publication or presentation. Each participant who completes the
survey may choose to enter a draw to win one of two $50.00 (CAD) gift
certificates from Amazon.ca

If you are interested in participating, please click on the URL below
to find out more about the survey. In order to access the survey, you
will be asked for your email address. Your email address remains
confidential, even from me, and is strictly for administrative
purposes. Providing this information will allow you, should you decide
to participate, to return to the survey and complete it at your
leisure.

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/surveys/surveyviewer2/index.php?surveyID=449I2

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me:


Thank you very much for your time and your help

Sherida Ryan
Ph.D. Candidate
OISE/UT, Adult Education and Community Development

 

Shouldn't you post a copy of your IRB approval in order to conduct the
survey?

 

Dear Sherida,

Subject: Why you can not "trust" posters on sci.med.vision.

Here is an example of it. It is not my post and never reflects
any of my views concerning the dynamic behavior of
the fundamental eye.

This screwed up person as invented the name "Odis",
a truly dishonest person.

If he has a "medical" background, his ethics are
truly bad.

I express the concept that you have a right to an
informed choice on PREVENTION. You may, or
may value this second-opinion method expressed by
Steve Leung at www.chinamyopia.org

One issue we all agree on it that PREVENTION must
be started BEFORE that first minus lens is applied.

I hope the person who "hijacked" my name would
be honest and identify himself for what his is.

But this should answer your question about "trust" on
sci.med.vision.

Otis S. Brown

www.myopiafree.com

+++++++++++++

Example of a false post:


Subject: SCIENTIFIC (not medical) proof


Dear Ms. Brainy,


It is important to understand that a person whose refractive
STATE is beginning to go DOWN DOES have a choice, providing
intervention begins AT the "threshold."


My nephew, Keith, began using the plus lens to prevent
stair-case myopia when he was in junior high school. His
strong will and determination allowed him to keep his distance
vision "clear" to this very day. That same determination
allowed him to complete the Ironman Triathlon, in Hawaii,
by the way. I am working on a theory that this particular
triathlon may ALSO prevent myopia, even in isolation.


His sister, Joy (my niece), however, was not quite so lucky.
She worked equally hard with the plus as her brother, but
still wound up in a significantly negative refractive STATE.


In fact, her driver's license has a few unusual restrictions as
a result of this. I usually do not speak of her, but am at
the point where I feel this may approach dishonesty, or
at least APPEAR that I am trying to hide something.


So I'm batting .500, as they say. The majority-opinion opto-
metrists claim that I cannot establish cause-
and-effect here, but it seems self-evident. I also do not
respect a degreed person who uses tricks and wizardry to
provide 20/20 (or better) vision for somebody in only ten
minutes with no regard to what effect this may have on them.


I invite you to review the opinion of a second-opinion
optometrist who has the resolve and the insight to put HIS OWN
children in plus lenses. Sadly, they have vision trouble and are
developing poor hand-eye coordination as a result, but his
conviction is not shaken, nor should it be:


www.chinesemyopia.com


Best,


Odis



xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Most people would detect an Internet fraud easily, but not always.
However, there usually will be someone who would alarm others to the
fraud.

For instance, I could easily sign up as "Dr. Brainy" and try to
mislead the readers. Will I succeed? Not likely. Somebody will
expose my ignorance and expose me. [of course I am not likely to do
this]

BTW, I noticed the "Odis" messages, didn't pay much attention the
first time, but then it became obvious that somebody was trying to
crush Otis. Big deal! I knew it was not Otis, but "Odis" tried to
make some points and I related to the contents rather than the name.
I am sure many others reacted similarly.

Generally, the Internet is open to all and anybody can post anythig.
Only naive fools believe everything they read on the Internet or in a
newspapers, or hear in school, on TV, in church, or anywhere.
Discretion and scrutiny are always required.