Before we get into looking at the three communities stated above I think it is important to define what online communities actually are. An online community is described as a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual (Wikipedia, 2011). This simply means that without members online communities would not be able to function. In our society today, online communities have become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life (Wikipedia, 2011).
Reference:
Wikipedia. (2011). Online communities. Retrieved 11th May, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_community
Below are the links to the three online communities that I will be discussing throughout the remainder of the post:
http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
http://twitter.com/
Facebook:
Millions of people around the world use Facebook each day to keep up with their friends, upload photos, share links and videos and to learn more about the people tht they meet (Facebook, 2011).
The main purpose of Facebook is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected (Facebook, 2011).
Facebook enables its users to connect and share with the people in their lives.
This site is very interactive as each user can send and receive messages as well as instant messaging others who are online at the same time as them. Facebook users contribute their thoughts, feelings, interests and opinions by posting them on their profile page. They do this by writing current statuses, posting videos and links, uploading photos, ‘liking’ other pages and joining groups. The users can also create their own groups and events as well as play games!
People contribute to the Facebook world as it is an effective, fast and fun way of communicating with friends and family. It allows the user to remain engaged in the lives of others no matter where in the world they are. Facebook users are usually seeking attention and responses to their posts. Most users also seek out the friends that they make in person on Facebook. This allows the people to get to know each other better and stay in contact. This is often the case with those who travel overseas. User’s often find the people that they meet overseas on Facebook so that they have an effective way of keeping in touch when they return home. Information that is shared on Facebook is definitly reciprocol as when a message is sent a reply is generated because in most cases this is what is expected.
A topic that was recently discussed by a large majority of Facebook users was the royal wedding. Leading up to the wedding and on the wedding day itself many users posted their thoughts about the excitement of it all. Some people even went as far as creating their own pages about the wedding where others could post their thoughts. Below are two links to pages that were created in honour of the wedding, one to discuss the wedding itself and the other to discuss Kate’s dress.
In regards to security, Facebook allows the user to determine how secure they want to make their profile (Facebook, 2011). Some users make their profile available to all users whereas others only allow their friends to see their profile. This could be seen as an ethical issue as a lot of people don’t realise how much of their personal information they are giving away when they make their profile public. Also, because of the nature of the way Facebook is set up users don’t have to give proof of identity which makes it easy for people to create fake profiles. Lastly, another issue to be considered is that photos are most always uploaded without the permission of those who feature in them.
Reference:
Facebook. (2011). Facebook. Retrieved 12th May, 2011 from http://www.facebook.com/
Reference:
Facebook. (2011). Facebook. Retrieved 12th May, 2011 from http://www.facebook.com/
MySpace:
MySpace is a social entertainment network that is powered by the enthusiasm of fans. It is aimed towards Generation Y as it drives social interaction by providing a highly personalised experience around entertainment (MySpace, 2011). It is used to connect people to music, celebrities, TV, movies, and different games (MySpace, 2011). MySpace is also the home of MySpace Music. This allows viewers to freely stream audio and video content. Here is a youtube link which shows you how to set up a MySpace account: MySpace is very interactive users have the ability to share different applications, links, information and games with other people
(MySpace, 2011)
. Users can communicate on MySpace by using MySpaceIM. This allows the user to make video or voice calls, and also to use instant chat. People contribute to the site by sharing thoughts, pictures and videos as well as creating a MySpace blog. A MySpace blog allows people to share different stories, write about current events or be creative through the use of poems or songs. Users choose to put all this effort into their MySpace accounts as they are really passionate about what the site has to offer and who they can communicate with.
MySpace is also a great way to get in contact with old friends from school or work. This can be done by sending private messages or using MySpaceIM. People often become addicted to their MySpace account as they feel the need to constantly check what their friends are up to, what different celebrities are saying, and what new songs are available. It is clear that the information shared on MySpace is reciprocal as communication between users is most often back and forth.
As previously mentioned, music is a popular topic of discussion on MySpace. Last year MySpace brought out a new MySpace events and calendar platform. One of the users wrote about it and here is what he said:
“Here’s a ray of product sunshine in an otherwise overcast MySpace world. Tonight they are launching a new MySpace events and calendar platform that integrates technology from MySpace Music, iLike, Social Plan and Facebook Connect (told you). It includes new tools for Artists to add concert events and allows users to add those events, share them, and even purchase tickets right from MySpace. It’s an elegant weaving of products that plays to a core strength of MySpace – music, and a huge database of event information – around 1 million concert events in 2010 alone.”
In relation to ethical issues to do with privacy, MySpace has ensured a privacy policy that is used when sharing of personal identification information (MySpace, 2011). Members voluntarily provide this information when the register but as MySpace is a general audience website it does not collect any personal information from users under the age of 13 (MySpace, 2011). There is also the option of having higher privacy for your account which only lets people who have requested to be friends have access to personal information. The MySpace website also offers a variety of safety tips for its members. Some of the safety guidelines when using MySpace are as follows:
• As the profile and forums are public places, the user shouldn’t post anything that they don’t want the world to know. This includes numbers, address or their whereabouts.
• It is important for the user to remember that people aren’t always who they say they are. So be careful about adding strangers to friends list.
• Members need to think twice before posting a comment or adding a photo. When there is a photo of other people, users should ensure that those people are comfortable with them posting a picture on a worldwide site.
Reference:
MySpace. (2011). About us. Retrieved 12th May, 2011 from http://www.myspace.com/
Twitter:
The purpose of this website is to connect people to a real-time information network. Twitter allows it's users to write 'tweets' (comments) to express their thoughts or stories and share them with the Twitter world (Twitter, 2011). It also allows people to write tweets on other people’s Twitter pages. This network is run in a similar way to Facebook. Photos, videos and other media content can also be shared on someone’s Twitter page (Twitter, 2011). This youtube video demonstrates how placing tweets and sharing content can be done:
Twitter offers a number of services that help to contribute to efficiency of business, it also allows users to contact people around the world and is able to be accessed at anytime.
Businesses can use Twitter to quickly share information with people interested in their products and services, gather real-time market intelligence and feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and influential people.
Twitter is based in San Francisco, but is used in almost every country around the world. It also comes in a variety of different languages. As this social network can be accessed almost everywhere, it makes it an extremely interactive site.
It is interactive in the way that users can add people that they know, communicate with them via tweets, and see what their friends are getting up to. Twitter is inspired everyday
by stories of people using Twitter to help make the world a better place. The information shared is reciprocal as users communicate by commenting on other peoples tweets.
At Twitter, they value the online security of their users. The companies team of independent security researchers volunteer their time to help spot potential issues and solve them in order to keep Twitter safe for everyone.
Reference:
Twitter. (2011). Twitter is the best way to discover whats new in your world. Retrieved 11th May, 2011 from http://twitter.com/about
These three online communities have a number of benefits over the traditional geographic community. For one, the community is not limited by location. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, as long as you have access to internet then you can be part of these online communities 24/7. Secondly, online communities can provide and store large amounts of information. Unlike verbal conversations, online discussion is lasting and can be revisited.
Online communities also allow people who struggle to interact with people in person to interact with them and express themselves online. Lastly, online communities allow people who are interested in the same things to connect and get to know each other through online conversations without actually meeting!
While there are many benefits of online communities, they also have their weaknesses when it comes to comparing them with traditional communities.
While there are many benefits of online communities, they also have their weaknesses when it comes to comparing them with traditional communities.
All three of these online communities lack face to face interaction between people. Whilst they may able to talk via video and instant messaging its never quite the same as talking to someone in person. Because there are no visual cues (such as facial expressions and gestures) there is also a risk of miscommunication. Lastly the online conversations that take place in these communities are slower than verbal conversation.
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