|Personas

PrimaryPersonas:Endusers

Courtney

Bio:Courtney,29,isaparalegalinCharlotte,N.C.She’sengagedtoherhighschoolsweetheart.She’sabuddingoenophile.

Technicalsavvy:CourtneylovesherSamsungGalaxy,andusesitmostlytoplaygamesandwatchYouTubevideos.She’sawhizatExcelandsearchingWestlaw.

Communityrole:Courtneylikestocommentaboutpoliticseverynowandagain,andshedoesn’tmindthatthingsonherlocalnewspapersitegetalittlespicy.She’sreportedracistpostsinthepast.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Tohaveachancetoengagewiththereporterswhowritethenews

storiesshecommentson.She’dcommentmoreoftenifitwasclearthenewsorganizationwasreading.

• Forhercommentstobehighlighted.Sheputseffortintoherwriting—andshe’sgotatalentforit—andshe’sdismayedthatnooneseemstohavenoticed.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Howignoredtheyseemtobe.Noattention;second-ratesoftware.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Anopportunityforherthoughtstogetalittlebitofattention.Withjustalittleencouragement,she’dwritemore—andshe’dbeavaluablevoiceinadiscussionheavilypopulatedbypeoplewhoaredemographicallydifferentfromher.

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Alice

Bio:Aliceisa34-year-olddivorcedsinglemotherwhojustmovedfromChicagotoPhoenixwithherteenageson.Herjobasawaitresstakesupmostofhertime,butshelovesherweeklybowlingleague.

Technicalsavvy:Alice’sonlycomputerisacrankyDellsheboughtin2011.ShelovesheriPod,butitdoesn’thaveenoughmemoryformusicandapps,soshestickstomusic.

Communityrole:Alicereadscommentsonherlocalnewssitetoseewhatrealpeoplethinkaboutlocalshopsandrestaurants.Shelikelywon’teverparticipate.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Tomoreeasilyfindpeoplewhohadsomethingtosayaboutatopic.• Forthesystemtolearnherpreferencessoshecouldeasilyfindthe

comment-writersshemostlikestoread.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Allthefightingaboutpolitics.• Howslowtheyaretoload.Allofthoseweighed-downpagesare

liabletomakehercomputerstartsputtering.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Sheloveslearningmoreabouthernewhome,butcommentsectionscanbesounreliableandunwieldy.Helphergettothegoodstuff—andletherknowwhennewgoodstuffisposted—andshe’llcomebackoverandoveragain.

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Edie

Bio:Edieisaregularcommenteronamajormediasite’sadvicecolumn.She’s55,married,andworkspart-timeasabanktellerinAnnArbor,Mich.Sheenjoysquilting,photography,andpamperingherpoodle.

Technicalsavvy:EdieknowsherwayaroundherMacBook,butwouldhavetoGooglehowtoclearherbrowsercookies.

Communityrole:FellowcommentersseeEdieasaleader,althoughsometrytotrollhertoreduceherstandinginthecommunity.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Easeofuse.Ediereactswithfrustrationwhenthesite’scommenting

systemperformspoorly,althoughshe’squicktosympathizewhencommunitymanagersapologize.

• User-friendliness.Ediewishesshecouldbenotifiedwhenpeoplerespondtohercommentsandwishesthatshecouldbettercuratethethreadsshereads.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Off-topicconversation.Edielikestodispenseadvicetothepeople

whowritetotheadvicecolumnist.She’sannoyedwhenfellowcommentersdiscussothermatters.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Stability.Andasimplewaytoreadandgiveadvicewithnodistractions.

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Selena

Bio:Selenaisa19-year-oldsophomoreatFloridaStateUniversity,majoringineconomics.Intheirsparetime,sheandhergirlfriendplayinanUltimateFrisbeeleague.

Technicalsavvy:Selena’siPhoneandiPadfitseamlesslyintoherlife.She’lltryanyapponce,butsheabandonsitifthere’snoinstantvalue.

Communityrole:Selenalivesonsocialmedia.She’sonSnapchatandInstagramatleast10timesaday,andshe’sgotaTumblrsheupdatedreligiouslyforthreemonthsbeforegettingboredwithit.Shereadscommentsonnewssites,butshethinkswritingthemisforoldpeople.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Ifshefeltthattheconversationonnewssiteswasdirectedather—

youngerpeopleappearedtobeparticipating,youthfulvoicesweren’tdrownedoutbyolderfolks—shemightjumpin.

• Shelikestobeinformedabouttheworld,andconnectingwithothersinterestedinthenewsappealstoherintheory.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• They’rerepetitive,andtheyseemlikethey’renotmeantforher.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Heranswerwouldbe“nothing.”ButifCoralcouldmakecommunityspacesonnewssitesrelevanttoherthroughaconnectiontosocialmediaoradrasticchangeintone,shemightparticipate.

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Larry

Bio:Larryisaregularcommenteronthepoliticspagesofalocalnewssite.He’sa68-year-oldwidower,retiredfromhisjobasanaccountant.HelivesinBethesda,Md.Heenjoysagooddelisandwich.

Technicalsavvy:Larry’sgrandkidssetuphiscomputer.Hegoestotwowebsites:hislocalnewspaperandAOL,tocheckhisemail.HeonlyGoogleswithsupervision.

Communityrole:Larryisaretireewhospendsthehoursbetweenmealsgrousingaboutpoliticsonline.Heloudlyrebuffstrolls.He’softenrepetitive,especiallyinhiscriticismofthemayor.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Larryfeelsmarginalized,sotheopportunitytospeakinaplace

wherehisvoicemattersisimportanttohim.• AUIthatmakestaskslikemanaginghisreplieseasier.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Change.He’susedtothesitethewayitis,andheloudlydecriesso-

calledimprovements.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Forittoleavehimalone.Buthealsowishesthathecouldsparwiththepeoplehe’susedtowithouttroublefromtrollsandoutsiders.

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|Personas

PrimaryPersonas:Newsroom

Mark

Bio:Markistopeditoratalargenewsorganization.He’s59yearsoldandsingle.HelivesinWashington,D.C.,andreadsinhissparetime.

Technicalsavvy:Anexpertuserofdigitaltechnology.Looksatcommunitystrategyfroma50,000-footview.

Communityrole:Decideswhethernewsroomsstaffcommunityspaces.Readscomments;doesn’tparticipateinthem.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Civility:Opinionsareexpressedthoughtfullyanddisagreements

managedpolitely.• Personalstories:Anopportunitytoforgebetterconnectionswith

readers.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Cacophony:He’stiredofseeingsquabblesonhispages.• Siloing:Commentspacesarehardonresourcesandoften

disconnectedfrommaincontent.

WhattheywantfromCoral:Toolstomakemanagingspacesmoreefficientandeffective,socostscanbelower,tieswithreaderscanbestrengthened,andthereisn’tsuchadisconnectinqualitybetweenhissitesarticlesanditscomments.

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Kerry

Bio:KerryisacommunitymanageratamajornewssiteinChicago.She’s27withasteadyboyfriend.Sheenjoysrunningandcycling.

Technicalsavvy:Expertuser:CMSes,comments,moderation.Cantalkcodingwithdevelopers,butdoesn’twritecodeherself.

Communityrole:Monitorscommunities,deletingcommentsandemailingcommenters.Participatesrarely,andneverwithherphotoasheravatar,duetopastracialandgenderharassment.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• On-topicconversationthatproceedswithminimalstrife.• Ascalablewaytocommunicatediscussionrulestousers.• Notificationswhenathreadisovertakenbytrollsorspamandquick

actionstobringitundercontrol,moveit,orshutitdown.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Discord.Emailstoandfromtrollsandsquabblingusersareaconstant

drainonhertime.• Harassment.She’sexperienceditfirst-hand,andshefeelspowerless

tokeepusersfromenduringit.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Reliablesoftwarethat’seasyforuserstounderstandandthathelpsthemfindandhighlightthemostthoughtfulcontributions.

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Dev

Bio:DevisadigitalproduceratasmallnewssiteinNewOrleans.Hemanagessocialmediaandcomments,andpinch-hitsonthehomepage.He’s22andsingle;heenjoyshikingandvideogames—sometimessimultaneously.

Technicalsavvy:ThisisDev’sfirstjoboutofcollege.HeknowssomeJavascript,whichmakeshimthemosttechnologicallyadeptpersoninhisnewsroom.

Communityrole:Atmost,Devhasahalf-houradaytomanagecomments.HeusuallylooksattheabusequeueonLivefyrethreetimesadayanddeletesanythingthatviolatesthediscussionpolicy.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Simplicity.Abouthalfthepeopleinhisnewsroomwouldrespondto

commentsiffindingthegoodoneswaseasy.• Morevoices.Commentthreadsonhissitearepopulatedbyvery

talkativeregularswhocanscareawaynewpeople.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Histechnology.BecausehissitehasaclunkyCMSandnomoneyfor

development,hecan’taddfeatures.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Awaytoconnecthissite’sgrowingsocialmediaaudienceintocommenting.Thesoftwaremustbeeasytoinstall—becauseDevwillbeinstallingitbyhimself.

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Margaret

Bio:Margaretisareporteratamid-sizenewsorganizationinPortland,Oregon.She’s32andmarriedwithtwochildren.Sheenjoystheoccasionalconcertandherspinclass.

Technicalsavvy:Margaretreportsonbusinessandtechnology,soshe’savoracioustesterofwebsitesandapps.

Communityrole:She’sattackedregularlyincommentsonherstoriesandinherTwittermentions,sosheisn’teagertoparticipateincommentsandwouldpushbackifshewasaskedtodoso.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Shewouldneedtoseeseriouschangeinthetenorofcomments

toeventhinkaboutparticipating.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Shedistruststhem.Sheusessocialmediatopromotestoriesand

engagewithfriends,butshenevertalkswithreaders.

Whatthey’dliketoseefromCoral:She’sneverheardofCoral,andifshehad,she’dthinkitwasawasteoftimeonalostcause.

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Sidney

Bio:Sidney,66,isarespectedseniorcorrespondentatamajornewssiteinLondon.Heandhiswifehavetwogrownsons.Hisgardenishisrefuge,andhemakesameanCaesarsalad.

Technicalsavvy:SidneyhasmasteredhisBlackBerryandhisnewsroom’sByzantineCMS,buthe’sresistedrepeatedrequestsatworktojoinsocialmedia.

Communityrole:Sidneyshrugshisshouldersatthecommentsleftunderhisstories,whichhesometimesreads,butpreferstoignore.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Value.He’sheardhiscolleaguestalkoccasionallyaboutthe

interestingthingsthey’veseenincomments,buthewouldn’tknowhowtofindagoodcomment.

• Novelty.Notallsociety’sillsarethePM’sfault,youknow.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Theycheapenhisjournalism.

Whatthey’dliketoseefromCoral:Evidencethatreading,muchlesshighlighting,muchlessparticipatingin,commentsisworthhistimeandattention.Heenjoysinteractingwithreadersatevents,butwon’twadeintoapiefightonline.

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|Personas

PrimaryPersonas:Technologyteam

Salma

Bio:SalmaistheCTOatamajornewsorganization.She’s40andmarriedwithonechildandlivesinScarsdale,N.Y.Shelikestotinkerwithantiquecars.

Technicalsavvy:Expert.Salmawasasystemsarchitectfor10yearsbeforeshemoveduptomanagement.Sheholdsamaster’sdegreeandanMBA.

Communityrole:Decideswhethercommunityspacesgettechresources.She’sreadcommentsonhersite,butshe’sneverparticipatedincommentthreads.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Efficiency.Thevendorsystemherorganizationusesisexpensive,and

itstillrequiresatleasttwoFTEstomanage.• Businessvalue.Commentsareblackholerevenue-wise.Shewould

bemoresupportiveofthemiftheyconnectedtothesite’sbusinessgoals.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• It’salotofmoneytospendtoletreadersgripeateachother.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Ameanstomakecommentinglessofadrainonresourcesandmoreofabenefiteditorially,technologicallyortothebottomline.She’sskeptical,butwillingtoinvestresourcesifshecanvisualizethepossibleresults.

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Trevor

Bio:Trevor,33,isafull-stackdeveloperinamajornewsroominDenver.Heandhisgirlfriendhaveadaughter,andthethreeofthemspendtheirweekendsontoursofthenationalparks.

Technicalsavvy:Expert.Trevorhasbuiltsomesystemsinhisnewsroomandmanagessomefromvendors.Heseestrade-offsineitherapproach.

Communityrole:Readscommentswhilemanaginghiscompany’svendor-suppliedsystem.He’soccasionallywrittencommentstoapologizeforatechnicalglitch.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Self-sufficiency.Trevorhasworkedwithtwocommentsystems,and

he’swishedthateachrequiredlessofhistimetotroubleshoot.• Flexibility.Oh,thetimesthatTrevorhaswishedhecouldjustbuilda

plugintoprovideabitoffunctionalitythathiscolleagueswanted.Buthishandshavebeentied.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Howmuchtheyallinevitablyclashwithhisnewsroom’sCMS.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Aflexible,scalablesystemthatcouldmanageloadfrompopulararticles,allowdevstobuildtheirownfeatures,andmergeseamlesslyintoexistingdatabases.Hewisheshecouldsayyestomoreinternalfeaturerequests.

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Graham

Bio:Graham,50,isthesoledeveloperforaclusterofcommunitynewspapersheadquarteredinSantaFe.Heandhiswifehavethreedaughters.Hespendshisfreetimepaintingandwoodcarving.

Technicalsavvy:Grahamisaself-taughtITjack-of-all-trades.He’slearnedtheinsandoutsofservermaintenance,althoughhesometimesneedstocallatechnicalsupportcontractorforhelp.

Communityrole:Grahamdoesn’tparticipateincomments,andherarelyreadsthem.Heensuresthathiscompany’svendor-suppliedsystemisrunning.Whenitdoesn’tworkproperly,heemailsthevendor.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Self-sufficiency.Grahamdoesn’thavetimetotinkerwithindividual

bitsofsoftware,soheneedsasolutionthatrequiresminimalsetupandoversight.Regularmaintenanceisadeal-breaker.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Anytimetheypullhisattentionawayfrommoreimportantthings,like

maintaininghiscompany’sprintpublishingsystems.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Afreesystemtomanagecomments?SoundsOK.Butifallofthisopen-sourcebusinessmeansthatthesoftwarewillbeunnecessarilyneedy,GrahamwillpushtostickwithDisqus.

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Lorraine

Bio:Lorraine,31,runsacompanythatprovidessoftwareasaservice(SaaS)tosmallnewsorganizations.She’ssingle,andshelivesonastretchoflandnearEugene,Oregon,whereshehousesaclutchoflovableshelterdogsandonedisaffectedrooster.

Technicalsavvy:Expert.Lorrainebuiltherbusinesssingle-handedly,startingaftersheleftajobasadevopsdeveloperforamajorretailer.Shenowhastwoemployees,bothofwhomlooktoherasamentor.

Communityrole:Lorrainehostssoftwarethatpowerscommunities.She’salsoananonymouscontributortoapopularentertainmentsite’scommentssection.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Simplicity.WhenLorraine’scustomersarehappy,she’shappy.• Flexibility.Lorraineiseagertobeabletocustomizecommunity

softwareeasilyforhercustomers.• Detaileddocumentation.She’dunderlinethatseveraltimes.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Bloatedsystems,inflexibletechnology,outdatedschemas,clunky

databases.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Softwarethat’swell-documented,butsointuitivethatthedocumentationisrarelynecessary.

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|Personas

Newsroombusiness

George

Bio:George,61,isthepublisherofamajornewsorganizationinLosAngeles.Heandhiswifespendtheirfreetimeontheirsailboat.

Technicalsavvy:Georgeownsmanydevicessohecantesthisorganization’sapps,buthemostlyuseshisiPhone,hisdesktopcomputer,andhisKindleforreading.

Communityrole:Georgedoesn’tparticipateinthecommunitiesonhissite,buthereadsreviewsonAmazon,Yelp,andTripAdvisorreligiously.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Valuablecontent.Georgehasheardhisstafftalkaboutthe

importanceofdigitalcommunities,buteverytimehereadscommentsonhissite,he’sdismayedbytheirugliness.

• Abusinesscase.Advertiserswon’tgonearcomments;connectionstoloyaltyandsubscriptionsstillhaven’tbeenproven.Whyshouldwekeepthesethingsiftheyjustmakeuslookbad?

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Alltheacrimony.Whydoweletpeoplescribbleonourpages?

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Georgeisn’tabouttoshutdowndigitalcomments,buthismindwouldbemoreopentocommittingresourcestothespaceifhecouldseevalueinthem—oratleastthehintofvaluetocome.

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Vanessa

Bio:Vanessa,66,isthepublisherofasmallnewsorganizationinIowaCity.She’sawidow,andshespendshersparetimeonhermotorcycle.

Technicalsavvy:Vanessasetuphercomputerandhomeelectronics,butshe’snotaregularuserofapps.SheusesheriPhoneforcallsandemail.

Communityrole:Vanessajustclosedthecommunityonhernewssite.Shemonitoreditcarefully—sheevenparticipatedherselfoccasionally—butshecouldn’tjustifytheworkthatwentintokeepingitrunning.Thequalityofconversationwasjusttoolow.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Simplicity.Shedoesn’twanttobeencumberedbyvendordeals,but

shealsowon’tabideabaduserexperience.• Civility.Hersiteonlygetsafewdozencommentsaday,andamajority

ofthemwerespamandvitriol.Sheheardfromreadersthattheywouldn’tcommentonhersitebecauseitwastoonasty.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Theymadenofinancialsense.Tryastheymight,herteamcouldn’t

findawaytomakethemmakemoney.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Adetritus-freewaytoinvitereaderswithastorytotellorsomethingthoughtfultosaytocontributetohersite.Andameanstostrengthenrelationshipswiththoseuserssotheycanbeaskedtobuyasubscriptionorbeshoppedtoadvertisers.

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|Personas

SecondaryPersonas

Brad

Bio:Bradisa33-year-oldleadorganizerataMinneapolisnonprofitthataimstocombatclimatechange.He’smarriedwiththreechildren.Inhissparetime,hevolunteersathischurchandplayssoccer.

Technicalsavvy:BradisaddictedtohisiPhoneandhasalaptopthatheusesforwork.He’saskilleduseroftechnology,butnotanearlyadopter.

Communityrole:Bradseesdigitalcommunitiesasameanstoanend—andtheendisgettinghismessageout.Ifhe’swritingonline,he’swritingon-message,unlesshe’spostingpicturesofhiskidsonFacebook.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Toconnectwithuserswhosharehisinterestsand,mostimportantly,

arereceptivetohismessage.• Tomeasuretheimpactofhiscontributions:howmanypeoplehave

seenthem,howmanyhaveresponded,and,ideally,howhecouldbettershapehismessagetobetterconnecttootherusers.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Newssiterulesagainstsolicitingdonationsorotherwisespurring

fellowcommunitymemberstojoinhismovement.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:AmixtureofGoogleAnalytics,Chartbeat,andCRMtools.Hewantstohoneinonhisaudience,understandhowtobestreachit,andfirmuprelationshipstobringinadditionalmoneyorsupporttothecausehe’sdevotedhislifeto.

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Vladimir

Bio:Vladimir,48,worksinathree-programmeroperationinMoscowtothat’sbeencontractedtodistributeanti-Westernpropagandathroughnewssitecommentsections.He’sdivorcedwithonechild,andgolfsinhissparetime.

Technicalsavvy:Vladimirhasnevermetacodinglanguagehecouldn’tmaster.HefreelancesforatopU.S.-basedonlineretailsite,whichdoesn’tknowabouthisotherwork.

Communityrole:Vladimirdoesn’tparticipatehimself,buthisbotsfloodsitesinEuropeandtheU.S.withthousandsofmessagesaday.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Tomosteffectivelyspreadhisemployers’message,ideallyusing

automatedsystemstohelppropelitfurtherthanhecan.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Softwarethatdisableshisbots’abilitytopostmessages.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Nottomakehisjobharderbyputtingupresistance.Ideally,he’dlikeCoraltohaveweakdefensesagainstspamandnotpenalizeaccountslinkedwithrepeatedspammyposts.

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Nin212

Bio:YouwillneverknowmoreaboutNin212thanhisscreennameandhisavatar.Heseemstobepoweredentirelybyrage.

Technicalsavvy:It’sunclear,butheeasilymakesanewemailaddresseachtimeoneofhiscommentingaccountsisbanned.

Communityrole:Nin212isadeftbully.Hefindsweakspotsandexploitsthem.Heknowsasite’sdiscussionpolicywellenoughtostaywithintheletterofthelawandsquawksloudlyoveremail—alwaysCCingthepublisher—ifhebelieveshisrighttofreespeechisbeinginfringed.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Togetattentionby,andderivepowerfrom,insultingothers.• Tosilencedissentbyrepeatinghisopinionsasoftenaspossibleinas

manyforumsashecan.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Anyattemptstokeephimfromgettingwhathewants.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Nottointerferewithhisexploits.

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TheViper

Bio:TheViperisa15-year-oldhacker/highschoolstudentwholiveswithhisparentsinSantaCruz,California.Inhissparetime,hecodesmalware.HewantstobeDeadpoolwhenhegrowsup.

Technicalsavvy:TheViperdoesn’tknowasmuchashethinkshedoes,butwhatheknowscanbringdownencryptednetworks.

Communityrole:He’sapurveyorofdirtyjokesanddirtierpicturesonRedditand4Chan.HealsopostsartisticshotsofflowersonInstagram.Hedoesnotconnectthesetwopersonas.

Whatthey’dlikeincommunityspaces:• Toboastofhisaccomplishmentswithhisfriendsonsiteshelikes.• Tocausemayhemonsiteshedoesn’tlike.Orjustforsport.

Whattheydislikeincommunityspaces:• Boredom.

Whatthey’dlikefromCoral:Heheardaboutthissoftwareandwantedtoseeforhimselfhowsecureitis.Hehopesitputsupatleastabitofafight.

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