h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I work for a company that provides software and resources for communities that use the Net, so I have analysed the nature of those communities, and drawn some conclusions which I'd like to put up here for discussion:

The definition of "community" in this environment is probably slightly different from the traditional idea. Here, a community is a group of individuals and\or organisations which share a common interest or a common need.

It is further possible to make a distinction between two types of Net community. One is a community that has gone online; the other is an online community. Many existing communities decide that they can improve their activities by using the Net as a communication tool. These communities come to the Net with well-formed ideas of what they require, and frequently start with a web site, later adding message board and chat facilities. Typically, they will have someone, or a committee "in charge", and have members from a localised geographic or social environment.

On the other hand, it is possible to provide an Internet gateway or portal that attracts poeple who have never previously met - they form an online community. Here the development of the site is less structured, more evolutionary, and the "management" tends to be more democratic (or totally absent!). Here, the driving force is not that of meeting an already-known need, but rather that of exploration of possibilities. Such communities are generally geographically diverse.

Sure, there are shades of grey between the two, and as communities mature, they may change from one type to the other but they are (at any moment in time) readily recognisable.

SO ... what about your views?

I think that communities help the global community to think out of the box. The community on the internet enables the introvert to express their interesting feeling openly using an interesting persona that people like to talk to. I think it helps some people see that there are people who think differently and that they have a valid opinion worth reading. Because you cannot intimidate an individual they give you their honest opinion not just what you want them to say but what they actually believe. In with all this are the many other messages that make up the bulk of the community which is random meaningless chit chat and helps fulfill the natural requirement for social interaction in an increasingly impersonal world.