On line communities

Communities area large part of our lives…if not the most vital and important aspect. A community as defined by the dictionary.com is “a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists”. Though communities have for a majority of history been perceived as a physical place of inhabitance, with the ever changing and expanding usages of the internet, the way communities are viewed has changed.

In the article we read for our on line class they looked into three main aspects of commuities, place, interest and communion. Interest is the most important quality to an on line community. People join the group based on their interest of the ideals of the group. Whether it is a shared hobbies, information or just overall random information these on line groups are becoming a very popular way of communication.

Since joining my Pittsburgh Steelers yahoo group I know it has become important to my love for the Steelers. Seeing other fans share my ideas such as the recent injury woes for the Steelers. With our top 2 running backs out with injury, they debated who the Steelers should get to help maintain a consist running game. This is a very important topic based on the success of the team and possibility of a playoff run.

On line communities are becoming a popular way for Computer Mediated Communication. It allows people to overcome distance and even shyness to share ideas and common interests. Computer Mediated communication is a very cheap and convenient way to achieve these goals. It has, in my opinion, improved the quality of life for many people.