Community

A group of people who believe there is mutual benefit in communicating, playing, and/or working together, or at least in being part of an organization that believes there is.

Click for all examples of communities.

Unlike audiences, communities participate. They generate, content as well as consume it. They particpate and shape the experience.

There are also fluid relationships and roles between members. There might even be exclusive sub-sections, informally or formally (such as in a club).

For Social Networking, it is the users, not professionals, who are the writers and editors

The primary information in social networking sites, including articles, pictures, and sometimes sound and videos, are created and submitted by users of the site, instead of paid editors and writers as was the case in early 1999-2001 (now-called “Web 1.0” models). The content is real, relevant, recent, and raw. Content creators feel published, heard, and uncensored. Content creators, when younger people, actively experiment with their own identities.

Users also view the sites as communities to be nurtured. They rate content. They comment on content. They highlight other’s content. They sometimes form personal relationships with other members. They feel ownership of the site, often anonymously shaping it.

For Formal Learning: Community and Support

There are at least two different types of roles for formal learning programs. There are participants, and there are multiple people supporting the experience, including coaches/facilitators, and technical support, even sponsors and vendors.

Computer games have driven and modeled online virtual communities, and educational simulations will have to go even further.

Technologies that have to be considered for any good collaborative educational sim include, message board/forum, chat rooms, instant messaging, application sharing, calendaring tools, and other control tools for the facilitator, if present.

Inappropriately collaborating with fellow students is a form of cheating.

Belonging to a community to compare, share, collaborate, and brag is a game element.

See real person as hero, student, buddy, contributer, and/or advisary for the challenge of roles between the real world and a virtual world.