Do you have problems communicating on-line?

As bloggers we all have a interest in developig better online communities, it is because of this I feel the following issue to be quite important.

One of my comrades, Jon recently wrote a post on his blog covering the issue of intergrating online communities. His post covered such issues as trolling and lurking but one of the most interesting topics he covered was that of communication disorders.

Communication disorders which show autistic-like qualities can result in some people have difficulty seeing other online community members as people and will just see them as text. Some will not see themselves as being part of the community and in someway detached from it.

Jon is currently doing some research on the issue of online communication disorders and would like to hear from anybody who has had any experiences relating to this. If you feel you can help please email Jon at [EMAIL=jonathan@jonathanbishop.org.uk]jonathan@jonathanbishop.org.uk[/EMAIL]

Jon's original post can be found at [URL=http://www.jonathanbishop.org.uk/weblog/display.aspx?Item=74]http://www.jonathanbishop.org.uk/weblog/display.aspx?Item=74[/URL]

That sounds really interesting, and yes, I do come across people who find themselves detached from it.

The site that you linked is down at the moment, but I'll just offer some view points on it.
I think 1. is true, in that how some people can do somethings online to hurt others, while usually with their characters, they cannot possibly react in the same way as well. It is probably due to them not seeing the person behind the written text?

And for 2. It may be a reality, if the community itself is very clique-ish. Like they ward themselves up against outsiders and people who want to join the community may find themselves octracised against. Or it may be because of their characters. Alot of teens who spend their time online, have a problem with self-confidence, and in real life, they find it hard to fit in or to talk to a group of people. It will not be surprising if that same lack of confidence translate online, leading them to feel detached.

This looks to be a very interesting thread. I have seen cases on my blog where contributung writers have trouble maintaining their "person" and "tense". 1st person, 2nd and even 3rd personetc. It is as though sometimes they are speaking to you and then they get detached and speak in the past or begin "speaking" as though they were a third party. Rather than say I they will say we.... makes me think that they are schizoid sometimes.