1. Chapter 6 Communicating in Virtual Communities Online Communication

2. In this chapter, you will learn: A definition and some historical precedents for virtual communities; The qualities that contribute to a virtual community; The roles people play within these aggregates; How norms are formed and enforced; and Objections to the viability of virtual communities. Online Communication

3. virtual community: a shared understanding of inter- relatedness among participants in computer-mediated environments

4. Precedents for Virtual Communities Mediated channels such as newspapers helped inspire an imagined community among the citizenry of colonial America. In the mid-twentieth century, distribution networks called amateur press associations distributed self-published “zines.” Freenets, such as that in Cleveland, were among the first contemporary virtual communities. Online Communication

5. Distinguishing Commonality & Community gesellschaft: a collective based on proximity and circumstance gemeinschaft: a community based on strong identification with the group Online Communication

6. Qualities of Virtual Communities: What makes a community? Minimum level of interactivity Variety of communicators Common public space Minimum level of sustained membership Online Communication Jones, Q. (1997, December). Virtual-communities, virtual settlements & cyber-archaeology: A theoretical outline. Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, 3 (3) <http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/ issue3/jones.html.

7. Qualities of Virtual Communities: What attracts people to community? External factors Temporal structure Infrastructure of the computer system Purposes for CMC’s use Characteristics of the group and its members Online Communication Baym, N.K. (1998). The emergence of on-line community. In S.G. Jones (Ed.), Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting computer-mediated communication and community (pp. 35-68 0. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

8. Who’s Who in the Virtual Community Netizens Surfers Lurkers Privateers Newbies Online Communication

9. netiquette: Internet etiquette, a code of accepted behavior for a virtual community

10. Some Common Rules of Netiquette Respect others’ feelings, time, bandwidth, privacy, mistakes Adhere to real-life standards of behavior Know where you are Make yourself look good Share knowledge Help prevent flame wars Don’t abuse your power Online Communication

11. Netiquette emerges from within a given virtual community. When these norms are violated, members can sanction offenders by: harassing or silencing them, capturing their transmissions, or otherwise interfering with their ability to communicate. Netiquette

12. Online Communication Group Decision Support Systems: computer networking software that allows working groups to process more information, more quickly, with greater participation among its members

13. Critiques of the Community Metaphor Access that is required to participate is not available to all Cyberbalkanization refers to potential for increased fragmentation Exchange of information may not be sufficient to establish a community Online Communication

14. A Brief Review 1. What off-line precedents are there for virtual communities? 2. What roles do Internet users play in virtual communities? 3. What four qualities must be present for there to be a virtual community? 4. How are the norms of netiquette enforced? 5. What threatens the viability of the community metaphor? Online Communication