Online Communities #IAB260

Welcome all, this blog post will be focused on the discussion around online communities, the characteristics of an online community, and where they might occur.

[1]

What is an online community?

To be quite clear an online community is a group of people that are communicating with each other. The difference between an online community and social networks is generally the interest that draws the user in, also known as a hobby for example games, cooking, etc. As the community expands more communication and collaboration occurs which require specific tools to ensure a good user experience. The rise of Web 2.0 has enabled online communities to grow rapidly and this is due to the amount of interactive tools available, for example discussion boards (forums), reviews, messaging systems, and the ability to create lists of interests or friends [2].

 

What characteristics do they have?

There are four main characteristics that danah boyd has mentioned[3], that I believe are consistent throughout the various online communities.

1. Profiles:
   Each online community provides its users with an option to create/register a profile. The user then has the ability to tweak their profile to allow certain privacy restrictions (E.g. Public, Private, and Semi-Public). As the user begins to interact with the community, overtime their profile becomes an identity which can be used to portray their personality, professionalism or just the fact they are another anonymous user.
2. Friends List:
   Participants of an online community will have opportunities to find and connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds. It’s this key feature that allows users to interact with their peers. It provides users with a way to connect and share with each others content, thus creating value in the connection and a reason to share information to the intended audience.
3. Tools for public communication
   The interactive tools that we see today that have been shaped by and for the online communities we all use. The following interactive tools are some examples of the key functionality that have provided the backbone for the growth of these online communities:
   •  commenting and messaging systems
   • chat rooms
   • discussion boards
   • file sharing

   Without these essential tools, the online communities we see today would surely not be as functional, beneficial or entertaining. With these available features the users are able to provide the final characteristic, content.

4. Content
   By definition content is described as:

   “Relevant, compelling, timely and valued knowledge and/or entertainment.” – David Erickson[4]

   With that in mind, online communities are able to provide a vast array of ranging topics including content on all different kinds of levels. In summary content can be seen as text related information, videos, images etc.

 

Where do they occur?

So where can a someone like yourself find an online community? Here’s a list of the few communities that I use:

Facebook – Within my Facebook profile I am connected with several communities, two for work, one for shoe selling/buying/sharing with over 9.7k members, and University groups.

YouTube – As an enthusiast of health and fitness, YouTube has a large fitness community with various accounts to provide content and different ways to approach training/nutrition.

Google+ – A community has been establish on G+ for students of Social Technologies (IAB260), which is great for keeping up to date with the lecturers/tutors and also peers.

In summary, if you’re looking to expand your knowledge of a certain topic, or maybe just looking to connect with others who share similar interests, an online community is a great place to start. Online communities provide users with a place to connect, share but most of all be heard. You have the option to create your own identity and share what really matters to you and that is what makes online communities so engaging. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or constructive feedback please leave a comment at the bottom.

 

So what online communities are you apart of?