Online Communities: All for One and One for All

Computer mediated communication requires three things, a host, a computer, and an internet connection. Computer mediated communication is exactly as its name prescribes; communication that is influenced by technology. We can typically find the greatest amount of computer mediated communication in the midst of an online community and vice versa. An online community, like a present day figurative community is an important factor for interaction, for without a community there would be none. Similarly, lack of community equates a lack of communication. I will simply define an online community as a group of hosts that takes part in communicating, interacting and sharing information in order to advance that status of their group. In my own opinion, I feel the proprietary purpose of online communities resides in their ability to create a folksonomy rather than to facilitate a conversation or to entertain. So while AIM, e-mail, and online gaming are all valid examples of online communities, I feel that they fall short of their true potential.

Blogging is a new form of computer mediated technology which ranges from live online journals to weekly updates. If we simplify blogs to the past, they are simply diaries which are not kept private by lock and key, but rather through community in that our membership to community A gives us direct representation. It gives us status which derives credibility. If I am a member of community A, I can read blogs from community A and likewise, interact with blogs from other communities. Blogging communities are large in number and vary in the content they provide. For example blogger.com, livejournal.com, and xanga.com are all online communities that offer similar, but different results. As its name says, blogger.com is meant for blogs, plain and simple. On the other hand, live journal is a little less structured and focuses more on telling people about your day, why anyone would want to, I do not know. Perhaps it is voyeurism? Similarly, Xanga .com allows you to post pictures and write about past experiences. To me blogger.com is more formal whereas live journal and Xanga are less prescribed. However it is necessary to consider each blog site as only part of the total population, that each blog contributes its share to the well being of that group and serving the greater good.

So how exactly do blogs get noticed and spread through out online communities. Through tagging of course! Unlike Wikipedia which seems to be representative of a formal folksonomy, blogging achieves the same results in a similar manner. At the end of each blog there is a line for tags, the more tags you use, the greater your chance of being cited or recognized, even I would be satisfied if someone created a link to my blog. A blog that concerns online communities will probably have tags ranging from online community, information, computer mediated communication, and groups etc. So, if a person is searching for information about those exact subjects, your blog will show up on his or her search screen. I recently discovered Google blog search, which allows a person to find blogs on any subject just by typing in a keyword such as apple or candy. Needless to say, I am stupefied that I actually found blogs about candy. But that just goes to show that communities of blogs also serve the function of a folksonomy, that it classifies information and makes it easily accessible; essentially written by the people or web 2.0. Still it is undoubtedly important to keep in mind the credibility of the blog that you are reading; who is or isn’t paying attention to it.

According to Wikipedia (2007), online communities serve as a platform for online interaction by means of the Internet (par. 2). Online communities consist of both strong and weak ties, but it is the idea of belonging and forging relationships that leads scholars to believe that online communities facilitate relationships and the strengthening of the group (“Virtual Community”, 2007). Different group memberships require varying levels of participation which are established themselves in the form of an unwritten social code governing each community (“Virtual Community”, 2007). Therefore, “new communication technologies can both draw people together into cohesive communities of interest and further atomize them as they retreat deeper into tribalism” (Fernback & Thompson, 1995, par. 18). Let’s examine tribalism. Tribalism can take on many different forms ranging from simulated group membership to actual group membership. Tribalism concerns itself with the group rather than the individual. So those groups with an abundance of strong ties often disenfranchise those without the opportunity to become a part of that group. Here it is important to note that the ideal of tribalism has diminished in the western world, their presence has not (“Tribalism”, 2007). Nevertheless it seems to me that despite this emerging class system and steadfast concept of the group, blogging communities still have their sights on the advancement of the group and sharing of information rather than country club exclusiveness.

The kind of blogging I take part in currently lends itself to a community where I do not have a lot of strong ties. No one has linked to my blog or commented outside of class. So I would say my blog has little influence in the public sphere. It would take much more of an effort on my part to be recognized despite the fact that week after week I work hard to present an effective, meaningful and interesting blog. Other than my grade, blogging leaves me with no direct feeling of accomplishment. While I am writing as if others are reading, how do I know they are? Implied influence does not always lead to actual scrutiny on the behalf of others. But the effects of blogs such as Where is Raed, and Baghdad Burning have been far reaching in their effects. While this blog may be in the same domain as Where is Raed it does not receive the same kind of publicity mainly because it is not prurient to present culture. Rather, relative to their influence, the aforementioned blogs are groundbreaking, characteristic of strong ties because these individuals are playing an active role in collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating information. Blogging is an online community that prides itself in its ability to enact social change. Individuals in networks with many links are capable of having far reaching effects, which can only be enacted through the presence of a group. Without a group you are nobody, all it takes is one node or one sensory neuron to fire to cause a domino effect in the minds and opinions of seemingly distant others.

References

* Much of this blog came directly from the mind of Jacob Perrello. Retrieved March
19, 2007.

1) Fernback, J. & Thompson, B. (1995). Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure?
Retrieved March 19, 2007 from http://www.rheingold.com/texts/techpolitix/
VCcivil.html

2) Tribalism. (2007, March 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved
21:38, March 19, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Tribalism&oldid=114869455

3) Virtual community. (2007, March 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved 21:37, March 19, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Virtual_community&oldid=115921446