Define Community

[Silverstein]

What is a community in your words?

What is different, if so, about an online community, in your very own words?

How do you shape the various communities around you?

Do you feel that you fit in well in any community or only those that you have spent time in? Example: Upon meeting those whom you've never met before, within an hour you all talk like you've known each other for months.

What one trait makes you special and unique in a crowd?


Please answer as honestly as possible.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

What is a community in your words?

I believe a community to be a place where people can gather, who honestly care about the well-being of those around them in every form, and share both a common interest and purpose.

What is different, if so, about an online community, in your very own words?

Well, I suppose many find online communities much easier to deal with at first, because unless you choose to share a photo, there's a certain level of anonymity which can serve to protect you from the cruel or vindictive. Also, posting on message boards makes it easier to formulate a thoughtful response, instead of getting carried away right off the bat.

How do you shape the various communities around you?

I always do my best to tell the truth to people, even if they don't respond well to it. I try and respect people in general, without sacrificing the truth or integrity of a given situation. This approach has created some enemies in my path, but I also have friends who respect me for not "kissing up" all the time.

Do you feel that you fit in well in any community...

Not any community, no. Due to my convictions, there's various hangouts where folks would probably despise me automatically, if only because I don't behave like some would rather I do.

Upon meeting those whom you've never met before, within an hour you all talk like you've known each other for months.

This rarely happens to me. More often than not, each friendship begins very slow, eventually growing into a sort of trust for each other. But it definitely takes time, because like most things in life, trust must be earned, in both respects.

What one trait makes you special and unique in a crowd?

The fact that I almost always speak my mind, even when I strongly disagree with others in the community. I don't back down to popular opinion very often.

 

[Silverstein]

Thanks, Moviefan! One free credit that you earn in the topic of communities is the fact that you always give valid, thoughtful answers. I respect that.

Anyways, excellent post.

 

[Bubonic]

Textbook definition, long but I feel like being helpful.

a review of over 90 definitions of community showed that two-thirds included social interaction, common connections, and location. Interaction and relationships within places, and commonalities in interests, beliefs, and behaviours are often mentioned. Community is "that combination of social units and systems which perform the major social functions having locality relevance". Galbraith suggested that community may be defined as "the combination and interrelationships of geographic, locational, and non-locational units, systems, and characteristics that provide relevance and growth to individuals, groups, and organizations". These definitions emphasize community as a place.

Other definitions emphasize the interaction of members. For example, a community is "a human system of more than two people in which the members interact personally over time, in which behaviour and activity are guided by collectively-evolved norms or collective decisions, and from which members may freely secede". In another definition, community is about making change: it is " a collection of people who have become aware of some problem or some broad goal. who have gone through a process of learning about themselves and about their environment and have formulated a group objective". An important direction of contemporary research on social relationships in community context is the concept of social capital.