AUSTIN - When people talk about building communities online, it's not as simple as cut and dry as building condos. Largely because the fate of online communities is shaped by the people in it. And that's a good news/bad news proposition.

Two of the sessions I attended at SXSW Interactive Sunday afternoon dealt specifically with online communities - how to manage them, and how they can give new life to something you've created.

One of the few ares where newspapers are starting to give in to the "wisdom of the crowd" is in creating API's. Short for "application programing interface," API's are used to build applications based around specific information like maps, financial records or legislative votes.

API's with that information is made open source, meaning any developer that gets their hands on it can turn it into something.

In the panel "Developing API's and the Changing Face of News," developers from news organizations like the New York Times, National Public Radio, The Guardian and companies like Daylife.

The New York Times has built API's with legislative voting records, best seller lists data, and archives of the paper's stories running back to 1981.

What business, if any, do newspapers have building programs while the rest of their house burns?

API's in a way are a democratic way of accessing information. John Donovan, founder of Daylife, said giving that information (and power) over to the public can lead to things that developers may have never imagined.
An example is Doodlebuzz, which create typographical maps of what is in the news.

As Simon Willson of the Guardian, explained, API's can give new life to all the data and raw information reporters collect when working on stories.

But the unintended consequences of opening the doors to the public can run good and bad.

The most obvious example of going open is website comments. It's the quick and easy path to openness, or as Micah Schaffer of YouTube said, "It's the lowest barrier to entry."

Schaffer was on the panel for "From Flickr and Beyond: Lessons in Community Management," which included people from Flickr, Etsy, MetaFilter and Current TV.

If there is something PressHerald.com has in common with the rest of these sites is that they all get hammered by trolls at some point.

Operating an online community means letting conversation flow, responding to people's questions and trying to not get in the way, said Mario Anima of Current TV. But it also means drawing a line in the sand, and when it's crossed, acting immediately.

Still, some of the most difficult decisions come when commenters take on the website itself, targeting its policies and content.

"You don't want to dismiss everyone as crackpots," Schaffer said. "But it's hard when the crackpots are really loud and persistent."

Jessamyn West, of MetaFilter, said one of the most important things a website can do is have very clear terms of service and let members know what won't be allowed. And when the comments hit the fan, be prepared to defend yourself, and make sure your arguements make sense.

Schaffer said the web presents amazing opportunities for people to build communities along shared interests and shared beliefs. If a site's owner really believes in allowing a community to grow, sometimes that means being hands off as website changes over time.

Stil, with all the new tools available online to give context to life and make new connections, West had a point that's always good to keep in mind:
"MetaFilter doesn't want to replace your in-person community with an online community," she said. "If you're not getting what you need (on MetaFilter) it's because there is more" in the outside world.

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