Communities are groups of people who interact with one another (either directly or indirectly, intentionally or not) in order to accomplish something. These groups can also be understood as Social Networks, although the latter term emphasizes the ways people within communities connect in order to interact, and the overlapping patterns of interactions which each of us has, depending upon which communities we belong to.
In chapter four of We Media, “Rules of Participation,” the authors suggest that people who participate in online communities (or social networks) do so in order to fulfill certain needs, which may include (among others):
- Building status or reputation
- Creating connections with other people (”networking”)
- Making sense or building understanding
- Informing and being informed
- Entertaining others and being entertained
- Creating
For today’s class, take the first few minutes to identify two communities/social networks you are part of. (If possible, choose one offline community and one online community.) In an entry on your individual weblog (post it right now; you can always go back and edit it later) briefly tell us about your communities and what needs the communities help you to fulfill. In other words, what do you get out of being part of that community?
Tell us also about things like membership, rules for participation, and so on. What does it mean to be a member of your community?
After you have had a few minutes to think (and write) your initial thoughts, we will discuss what people have come up with, then connect these ideas to We Media.
Your final entry on this issue for your individual weblog should be at least two substantial paragraphs in length.
