[...] is a community? Jeremiah Owyang defines community online as: An online community is: Where a group of people with similar goals or interests connect and [...]

[...] must be given to Mat Morrison for the community definition. He posted it in the comments of one of Jeremiah Owyang’s old blog posts. Posted in Community, Social media | Tags: Community, Kitchen Sink, Social media « What is [...]

[...] similar goals or interests connect and exchange information using web tools.” Jeremiah K. Owyang, Web-Strategist [...]

I wanted to share the following presentation on why on-line communities are needed by organisations to drive prosperity and growth. I thought it might be of interest.

http://www.slideshare.net/sparkbouy/social-software-for-prosperity-and-growth

All the best
Chris

[...] tomamos una definición de comunidad, término que por cierto no para de evolucionar a la hora de definirlo, como aquel sitio donde un [...]

[...] Defining the term: “Online Community”   [...]

[...] Defining the term: “Online Community” [...]

[...] Defining the term: “Online Community” [...]

[...] Defining the term: “Online Community” [...]

[...] Defining the term: “Online Community” [...]

[...] If you contribute something that I end up using the report, I’ll cite you in the research report as a source. (I did this for Shel Israel on my recent post on online communities, who helped me sort out my definition of online communities) [...]

[...] Het rapport is geschreven door Jeremiah Owyang, een schrijver wiens blog ik graag volg. Op zijn site lees je ook wat meer over het rapport zelf. Duidelijk is dat Owyang actief zijn lezers heeft geraadpleegd tijdens het schrijven van dit rapport. Zo komt de definitie van een online community (”An online community is an interactive group of people joined together by a common interest“) bijna rechtstreeks uit een post op zijn blog. [...]

[...] business strategy or seen as core. These community managers (and their bossess bosses boss) can learn a little from our beefy friends at Orange County Chopper. That in mind, consider these five [...]

1) Boundaries (not everyone can join)

2) A sense of common purpose (together we achieve more than we do alone – the macro/meta level)

3) Reciprocity (you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours — one-to-one relationships – the micro level) This also underpins Douglas Rushkoff’s idea of “social currency” – http://www.rushkoff.com/columns/social_currency.html – and to some extent, Christopher Allen’s point: http://www.lifewithalacrity.com/2004/03/the_dunbar_numb.html

4) Rules (and penalties)

5) Self-determination (community cannot be imposed)

Now, I feel sure I nicked these from somewhere, and a quick glance at my del.icio.us suggests that I nicked it from:

http://www.smithweaversmith.com/WhatWeKnow.htm

It’s an interesting topic.
I wrote an essay about defining “online community” a little over six months ago. I’ve emailed it to you to check out.

There have been a lot of approaches over the past few years to define “online community” (aka “virtual community”) and a popular conclusion is that it is undefinable.

If one must INSIST on using the word “community” and then defining it, I think it is important to take McMillan & Chavis’s definition for a “sense of community” into account. If members of a community do not have this “sense of community”, then how can it be a community?

Here is a link to that McMillan & Chavis paper: http://www.spokane.wsu.edu/academic/design/content/documents/McMillanChavis.pdf
The link to that was found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_community#Primary_theoretical_foundation:_McMillan_and_Chavis
(though I don’t totally agree with the wikipedia article’s approach to the topic).

I look forward to seeing your progress on reaching a definition!

this is such an interesting discussion going on and it hits the nail on the head what I have been thinking about for a long time.

Jake, your last entry was very interesting and helpful. However, I believe that this description already goes into the direction of a social network. This is where people really connect and develop deeper relationships. A community generally bounds people of a certain interest. A community is the overall term and it can provide the technological functionality to create a social network.

These days people are using with the following terms:
* Online Communities
* Social Networks
* Community Platforms
* Groups

Any ideas how to clearly differentiate these..?

[...] Increased frequency of participation in discussion like this one [...]

My primary online communities are IRC and/or email based, with the web being pretty much an information source.

1. Context
2. Person doing the defining

As much as I hate to say it, it seems as though there’s a bit of the Supreme Court porn decision going on – “I don’t how to define it, but I know it when I see it”.

On top of that, there’s a definition (which can likely be somewhat broad), and application (which can be different in the eye of the various beholders). I think Ray nailed it above with a couple of points:

* External catalyst
* Self-Awareness
* Shared Experience

That said, I’d still have to say that time is a crucial component. (Not necessarily a LONG amount of time, just SOME amount of time)

People can make *connections* to groups/people, this happens all the time. Sticking with Ray’s point about a subway queue, an external catalyst (say of an extended delay) can *connect* people… but only after a period of time does that connection turn into something deeper, more significant – a *community*.