The three questions... Ah, this should not be so difficult...
Q1: How do the criteria defining what it takes to be a member of online communities differ depending on the community?
To answer this I mean to look at the goals (if any) of online sites such as Facebook, Match.com, and Secondlife and see what drives the interaction of their members.
Q2: What limits should be placed on the term community and how are these limits linked to structure, frequency of communication and social capital in an online network?
This one is a doozy, but I hope that it will help clarify views on community that are left open in the previous question. It is also tied to Q3.
Q3: How do online communities replace real world communities and what are the repercussions of extended amounts of time and energy being focused on online communities? Do the effects vary depending on what being a part of a certain online community entails?
Okay, yes, that was 2 questions. But, they're related, so I hope it's okay, ne? Oh, I'd like to somehow tie in how feedback affects interactions in online communities, somehow, at some point in the future.
Yes, I am now done.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
Paper/Project Proposal
I want to explore how the internet has redefined the word community and discover the possible repercussions and benefits of investing in different types of online websites, with a compare and contrast between sites that are communities and those that are not.
To do this, I will put first together a definition of community by visiting several dissimilar sites that claim to be online communities. This definition will be measured against the definition of community before the widespread use of the Internet and then I will support my definition with examples and illustrations as to how and why some of these websites are (or can be) communities and how some aren’t. Because I have yet to determine all of my criteria for a community, I cannot give a solid list of websites that are and aren’t communities at this time. However, Facebook will probably be listed as a community, whereas Amazon won’t.
Then, I will break down websites that are not communities into two other types: those that can possibly become communities and those that cannot. I will show how there are sub-sections of certain non-communal websites that have broken off to form communities, then I will compare and contrast sites that promote online communities as I define it in order to show differences and similarities within the community definition as it pertains to different types of social interaction. For example, Match.com has quite dissimilar interactions than Fanfiction.net, (match.com promotes meeting in the real world where Fanfiction.net maintains a web based relationship) and so on.
After doing a compare and contrast between different sites that enable (or disable as the case may be) social capital, I will look at the possible benefits and risks associated with each in an attempt to show whether this online building of communities is beneficial or detrimental to a person in the long run. To do this, I will likely have to look at the opportunity cost of visiting particular sites and weigh them against real life interaction as well as involvement in other sites. For example, Jo spends all day playing World of Warcraft. Before getting this game she spent her days outside running track and chatting with friends using AIM. Is she better off now or before she got the game and why? How do the different types of interactions affect her? I will also look at how the amount of information being given and received from “online buddies” determines your social standing with one another via the internet and how this can be either a good or bad situation.
I expect that somewhere I will address the problem of internet addiction and when exactly it becomes a problem as well as how the specification of interests available on the internet makes it easier for people to communicate with others who have the same interests.
At some point I may also have to point out flaws in the attempt to define community because of how social perceptions vary, but that won’t be any time soon.
To do this, I will put first together a definition of community by visiting several dissimilar sites that claim to be online communities. This definition will be measured against the definition of community before the widespread use of the Internet and then I will support my definition with examples and illustrations as to how and why some of these websites are (or can be) communities and how some aren’t. Because I have yet to determine all of my criteria for a community, I cannot give a solid list of websites that are and aren’t communities at this time. However, Facebook will probably be listed as a community, whereas Amazon won’t.
Then, I will break down websites that are not communities into two other types: those that can possibly become communities and those that cannot. I will show how there are sub-sections of certain non-communal websites that have broken off to form communities, then I will compare and contrast sites that promote online communities as I define it in order to show differences and similarities within the community definition as it pertains to different types of social interaction. For example, Match.com has quite dissimilar interactions than Fanfiction.net, (match.com promotes meeting in the real world where Fanfiction.net maintains a web based relationship) and so on.
After doing a compare and contrast between different sites that enable (or disable as the case may be) social capital, I will look at the possible benefits and risks associated with each in an attempt to show whether this online building of communities is beneficial or detrimental to a person in the long run. To do this, I will likely have to look at the opportunity cost of visiting particular sites and weigh them against real life interaction as well as involvement in other sites. For example, Jo spends all day playing World of Warcraft. Before getting this game she spent her days outside running track and chatting with friends using AIM. Is she better off now or before she got the game and why? How do the different types of interactions affect her? I will also look at how the amount of information being given and received from “online buddies” determines your social standing with one another via the internet and how this can be either a good or bad situation.
I expect that somewhere I will address the problem of internet addiction and when exactly it becomes a problem as well as how the specification of interests available on the internet makes it easier for people to communicate with others who have the same interests.
At some point I may also have to point out flaws in the attempt to define community because of how social perceptions vary, but that won’t be any time soon.
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