Rhyme and punishment: The creation and enforcement of conventions in an on-line participatory limerick genre

Abstract

Computers don't support conversation well, particularly asynchronous conversations among groups. Such conversations often lack coherence, tending towards drift, dissolution, or chaos. The object of this study - a conversation that repeatedly succeeds in producing coherent results - is a counterexample. Two features seem important: it is structured by the conventions of a well-known genre, and as it proceeds it develops new conventions. This paper analyzes the emergence and enforcement of the conversation's conventions over the course of a year, and examines the interplay between the conventions and the interface, concluding with suggestions on how to design systems which support more coherent conversation.