OtakuBoards as a Community?

[Sakura]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"]One of the units I'm doing this semester has had a particular topic that interested me. And that is online communities and their validities. As soon as I heard this brought up I thought about OB since I'm aware that we consider ourselves as a community. Since I've been pondering over it and discussing it in class, I decide to bring it forth to the populace of OtakuBoards to see everyone's opinions on the matter.

So the questions I'd like everyone's opinions on are:

[B]1.[/B] What do you think makes up a community (or makes a community a community)? (eg. is it common interest, geographical proximity, relational ties, etc.?)

[B]2.[/B] Do [I]you[/I] consider OtakuBoards as a community? If so, what are you reasons for this? If not, why not?

[B]3.[/B] Do you think online communities are valid? (I ask this because I know someone who thinks they aren't and that all who do are deluded)

That's about all I can think of for now, add to them if you can think of any, as will I. But I'd love to hear [I]everyone's[/I] personal opinions about this matter, so please post. Thanks ^^[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][quote name='Sakura][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]1.[/B] What do you think makes up a community (or makes a community a community)? (eg. is it common interest, geographical proximity, relational ties, etc.?)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] Well traditionally a community is usually considered to be a group of people living in a common location who interact with each other. Usually it's a similar interest or relation that results in the contact. However, the definition of the word community has evolved to mean individuals who share interests, regardless of their location or degree of interaction.[QUOTE=Sakura][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]2.[/B] Do [I]you[/I] consider OtakuBoards as a community? If so, what are you reasons for this? If not, why not?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]I haven't been around long enough to really say, however based on how long this site has been around I would tentatively state that it is. Usually if something isn't a community on some level... It just doesn't stick around.[QUOTE=Sakura][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]3.[/B] Do you think online communities are valid? (I ask this because I know someone who thinks they aren't and that all who do are deluded)[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]Why not? If you think about it, before the Internet and even in spite of it, other means of communication were used such as letters to keep in contact with people who shared similar interests. Online places like OtakuBoards are similar in that people are looking for contact with someone who has similar interests.

Oh and for that person who thinks those who do believe that a place like this could be a type of community are deluded? I have a question for them. Have they ever been a member of a place like this? I'll give their words more consideration if that's the case. If not... whack them upside the head and tell them to join and find out! :p[/FONT]

[Raiha]

[quote name='Sabrina'][FONT="Tahoma"] Well traditionally a community is usually considered to be a group of people living in a common location who interact with each other. Usually it's a similar interest or relation that results in the contact. [/FONT][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Oh good god can you IMAGINE a house that had any number of OBers in it at the same time?

I mean it's bad enough when I visit Shy. We usually end up walking his dog and talking about things normal people would avoid all together. What would it be like if all the women of Ob lived in a sorority style house or worse still...

...CO ED dorms. Of OB members. ....oh goodness.

Anyway I don't think all online communities deserve to be called communities, but some do. And OB counts. ...mostly.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Sakura;811668][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]1.[/B] What do you think makes up a community (or makes a community a community)? (eg. is it common interest, geographical proximity, relational ties, etc.?)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]I think Sabrina covered this already. Same area, like living in the same neighborhood or city, similar interests or something in common that all of them share, so there is something that ties them together.[quote name='Sakura'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]2.[/B] Do [I]you[/I] consider OtakuBoards as a community? If so, what are you reasons for this? If not, why not?[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]Why not? Restricting community to a narrow minded view that one has to physically be in the same location is rather short sighted. Not all places are a community per se, but many of them are or have the potential to be one. It has the same potential for people to gather over common interests and to communicate and for some that even moves into meeting in real life, just like one does in a regular community.

It also has the added advantage of letting you have a far more diverse community as location is no longer an issue. So potentially it can be very inclusive, even more so than a regular community.[quote name='Sakura'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]3.[/B] Do you think online communities are valid? (I ask this because I know someone who thinks they aren't and that all who do are deluded)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]I have just one thing to add to this or point to make. The question of validity is really more up to the people involved. You and I can think, oh it can't only be a real community, but if those who get together and talk and share ideas feel that way about it... then it matters not what we think. For them it has become a part of their online community and therefore it has some level of validity right there.

Oh and for the friend who thinks those who believe a place like OB is a community is deluded? *laughs* I'm sure Beth would laugh at that too because the era of thinking community is only at home, is long gone.

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Whenever these sorts of questions come up I always go back to the definition of the thing in question. Too often, people throw around arbitrary opinions without even paying attention to what the word they're using actually means. So, according to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, from Dictionary.com, a community is:[/color]

[quote][b]Community[/B]
1. Common possession or enjoyment; participation; as, a community of goods.
2. A body of people having common rights, privileges, or interests, or living in the same place under the same laws and regulations; as, a community of monks. Hence a number of animals living in a common home or with some apparent association of interests.
3. Society at large; a commonwealth or state; a body politic; the public, or people in general.[/quote][color=#4B0082]OtakuBoards fits within the second definition since people gather here to discuss common interests. Notice the two uses of the word "or" in there when it mentions living together as a condition for being a community?it's one qualifier but not required. So, yes, I do think it counts as a community.

Also, one of Dictionary.com's own definitions illustrates this well:[/color]

[quote]3. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually prec. by the): the business community; the community of scholars.[/quote][color=#4B0082]You often hear the word used to refer to the scientific community and other such groups of people who live across the entire world. As such, denying the validity of online communities is pretty stupid if you ask me.[/color]

[Sandy]

Incidentally, I've had a course about communities in my school, and what you have said about them are all true. A [I]true[/I] community goes deeper than just people living in the same area or appartment block. Although I live in a house with at least fifty other students, I don't really live in a community, since my interaction with my neighbors is limited to occasional greetings when meeting at the front door - I don't even know anybody by name. If there were common parties or happenings or events among the people living here, then this would be a sort of a community.

On the other hand, it doesn't require everybody doing something together to form a community, as [I]interaction[/I] and [I]common goals[/I] are the key words. The goal can be as simple as living a balanced life together or having people to talk to. Community workers (which is a job I could do on behalf of my education) work to encourage that interaction between the members of the community, and help them create common goals.

OB staff can be concidered some type of community workers as well, although we're probably more seen as police officers. ;D At least I wish OB's staff could develop more towards encouraging and by-standing than just keeping control, but on the other hand I think that's the direction we're headed anyway.

So to answer the second question, yes, I consider OB a sort of community. There's really no clear definition what is a true community, but I believe that once you are part of one, you know it. OB has a rag-tag group of members with varying interests and personalities and ages, but I think we hold together quite well. We certainly interact with each other here, and we have a common goal of taking care of our online home. So yeah.

The subject of online communities is tough. Obviously not all website or even message boards are communities. I don't think Facebook or MySpace are communities in themself, but there might very well be small communities of people inside those services. A chat isn't a community either, unless there are certain people gathering there at certain intervals. In my opinion, the longer some site has been up, the more likely it has formed into a community. If the userbase grows large, though, then there can be many smaller communities inside the site. Or that's what I think at least. I didn't read that from any schoolbook.