" In this situation, ethical norms were upheld by the community. The LucasForums have rules that are posted in advance of joining; these rules are also enforced by both official and unofficial moderators. The society that is created in the LucasForums therefore has its ethical norms set by rules, official enforcement and unofficial societal enforcement. Experienced users -- members of that society -- are expected to understand and adhere to the ethical norms concerning communication among each other. It was found that this was the case. With new users, however, it was found that the community's ethical norms shifted depending on the community's perception of the new user. For those engaged in online communication, this distinction is a key lesson with respect to ethical communication. The ethics standards by which the communication will be conducted are variable for certain members, and both those members and the forum moderators...

The paper successfully identified and exploited one central ethical issue relevant to the online forum medium of interpersonal communication. That I was able to identify and show the differences in the application of ethical standards in this community shows that I have a mastery of the concepts that were presented in the course. Communications ethics can be difficult to ascertain, particularly in media where such ethics norms can be subject to continual change. Yet, ethical issues still exist. I feel that to the extent I and others are able to identify these issues, light can shed with regards to how to re-establish the ethical norms in a more constructive manner.