Rosieland Roundup 248 — Community journalism, AI Community Guidelines, Moderators can't protect communities

👋 Welcome back to the one newsletter you need to stay on top of the community industry.

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Always be shipping, always be sharing my thoughts and learning with y'all:

• A Guide to Community Discovery [Book!]
• Words [Community card]
• Community Knowledge Management as a Service [Article]
• Community kits from the lands we create [Article]
• Community Conversations [Community Card]

5 Brands Using AI Language In Their Community Guidelines | Jenny Weigle

Are you including AI as part of your guidelines or Code of Conducts? This is fast becoming the norm as more and more communities find ways to protect themselves from the negative aspects AI can bring to communities.

‘Fandom has toxified the world’: Watchmen author Alan Moore on superheroes, Comicsgate and Trump | Alan Moore, The Guardian

A critique of contemporary fandom, arguing it has become toxic and detrimental to society, particularly in politics. Alan Moore reflects on the evolution of fandom from a passionate community to one that often exhibits belligerence, particularly among older fans, and warns against the negative societal impacts of such attitudes.

Freedom and Joy through Commitment | Lais de Oliveria

Commitment brings joy and fulfillment, turning everyday compromises into meaningful connections. True freedom isn’t in endless choices but in aligning commitments with your authentic self. Embracing responsibility for what you hold dear deepens purpose and alleviates loneliness. Through commitment, we create lives rich in love, belonging, and lasting purpose.

“Anthropology Is a Way of Being” | Farah Hallaba, Maya Ober - Futuress

My work is increasingly edging towards anthropology and sociology, I feel there is so much to learn from these related disciplines.

Farah Hallaba, an activist and anthropologist, discusses her platform Anthropology Bel3Araby, which aims to make anthropology accessible to Arabic speakers through participatory research and community engagement. She emphasizes the importance of anthropology as a tool for activism and storytelling, particularly in addressing underrepresented topics such as Egyptian migration to the Gulf.

I am the infamous non-responder in our group chat. Does that make me a bad friend? | Louis Hanson, The Guardian

What can I say? The pains and challenges of building digital communities is hard! But we mustn't forget that actually it's very often all too overwhelming.

Care Doesn’t Scale | Steven Scrawls

A reflection on the limitations of scalable care, using the example of a social worker caring for four orphaned children. It emphasizes that while larger systems may aim to address widespread issues, true individual care cannot scale without losing its essence.

Steven grapples with the tension between small-scale, meaningful actions and the desire for broader impact, ultimately concluding that deep care for one person is the highest form of achievement in a world where care cannot be industrialized.

Why Moderators Can’t Protect Online Communities on Their Own | HBR

A debunk of common misconceptions about online toxicity, emphasizing that users often remain in harmful environments due to strong social bonds and the need for information and support.