How to Know when You're Obsessed with an Online Community

For years I had absolutely no respect for a person that spends the majority of their day in front of a computer. As a native of North Carolina and a resident of a coastal town, I'm used to being outdoors and being productive. However, about six months ago my life changed. Before the college basketball season began, I joined InsideCarolina.com, a website devoted to the Carolina Tar Heel faithful. What started out as an every other day visit to the message board has now turned into a pattern of daily abuse that is going require nothing short of a twelve step program.

Think about why you visit.

Most people that visit message boards are reaching out for the advice of other, more anonymous people. A message board or online community offers visitors the chance to discuss, seek help, or befriend someone that shares similar opinions on a variety of things. For instance, I am an avid Tar Heel fan and I also hate the Duke Blue Devils. Everyone on this board shares a similar interest and it's nice for me to bond with people who remind me of myself. The healthy way to visit a message board is to get advice or health. When it becomes your social life, then you may have a problem.

Think about how often you visit.

This is the key component to whether or not you need help with your message board addiction. Most members of an online community will visit once a day, when things are slow during work hours or at night before bedtime, but that should be all. If you're keeping the window to the message board open all day long, and you're constantly refreshing the screen to see if someone has replied to a thread you started then you're obsessed. (Can you tell I've been like this before?!)

Consider what you know about the online community.
For instance, how familiar are you with the people that often visit the message board? If you're familiar with the different posters and their true identity then you could be in trouble. You should never compromise your real identity for that of a screenname or poster name because you're more comfortable behind a keyboard than in front of someone. I truly believe that this could lead to some type of social anxiety disorder because you're not prepared to have conversations with people in real life. Also, do you know the different personalities of the regular posters in the forum? Are you familiar with the language used? Do you get excited when your "post count" is on the rise? For instance, at Inside Carolina as your post count rises your "status" does as well.

Consider a life without the message board.
Life should be organized into different priorities such as religion, family, friends, career, etc. You should not pass up time with your wife or children for the chance to type with anonymous posters on the computer. If you find yourself easily distracted at work or home because you're constantly refreshing the screen at your favorite forum, then maybe you should put some type of a block on that website. It's natural for people to feel more comfortable behind the computer screen, but it should not run your life.