I got an email today from the president of our local community association (the “CA”). She wants to know if people would be interested in a us having a community email list or bulletin board where people could offer things (and services?) for sale. I’ve sometimes wished we had such a thing, but I was an administrator for a number of such lists and boards over several decades. I hope she goes through with it, but I thought she should have some idea what she might be getting into. So I started a quick little reply which grew into something HA thought might make a good column.
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There have been times when I wished we had a local mail list or web site where we could post “for sale” or “wanted” notices. Just, please, nothing to do with Facebook or Instagram. I would occasionally use such a list, I’m sure.
That said…
From the late 1980’s until 2020 I hosted and ran a few online discussion groups. While it was a good experience overall, and I don’t want to throw shade on the idea, I was surprised at some of the things that happened.
I had people trying to join the lists who didn’t belong so that they could exploit the members of the list. For example, pharmaceutical sales reps who knew some of my lists’ members were mostly physicians to whom they wished to advertise. Real estate sales agents were another problem group. So you need to give some thought in advance to who can be on (and post to) the list. Only CA members? Only paid CA members? Only people who live here? (And how do you define “here” and verify it?)
We had trolls: people who would post offensive things just to see how big a reaction they could get from other list members. My lists’ members were all ostensibly mature adults, but for some people the trolling gene is particularly dominant.
The opposite of trolls: there are always people who will take offense at seemingly innocuous things. “Anyone who would buy or sell THAT is clearly a Nazi/MAGA/libtard/communist/fascist sympathizer!!!!!”
No matter how many disclaimers you make, you will at least occasionally have people trying to draw you in to their personal disputes, particularly when merchandise doesn’t (or is perceived not to) match up with its description.
If you don’t moderate (so you let anyone post to the list without prior review) things will often quickly go down a path of petty bickering, usually about politics. If you do review all postings, you’ll find people get hurt and sulky about your decision not to let them post, for example, their collection of vintage Hustler magazines. (“But you let Mary post her Ms. collection… I thought we had free speech in this country!!!“) Plus the task of previewing posts can, itself, be time consuming.
Are you going to let people advertise purely commercial goods and services?
And don’t forget you’ll potentially be cannibalizing future rummage sale merchandise :).
Perhaps this would be a small enough list, or CA folks are all respectful enough, that none of this would happen. But that’s what I though about my lists, too.
So, again, it’s not a reason to not do it, and it certainly wasn’t a nightmare (or I wouldn’t have kept at it for so long), but it did lower my overall assessment of humanity and I eventually burned out. And forewarned is forearmed.
Thanks for all you do, Madam President…
—2p