"What is an ``Online Community"?
Online communities are groups of people who share an interest in a
certain topic and come together, either in real time discussions
online or in the form of posted messages to a bulletin board, to
discuss their interest. If a web site offers discussion topics to its
key audiences, the participants find their way to the discussion group
by means of a search engine or referral by someone in the community.
If the messages are current and the discussion is lively, newcomers
will begin to join in and expand the community of interest. Over a
period of time, an active and well-managed discussion group can result
in business referrals, free education for participants, business
promotion and an expanded business network.
Online Community Formats
``Communities" typically take one of two forms: a message/bulletin
board or a live ``real time" chat room.
Message Board. The message forum or message board is similar to a
bulletin board. Anyone can start a message ``thread" by submitting a
question or observation, and anyone can answer by simply posting a
reply to any other message. All who access the message board can see
all the messages and all the replies. A big benefit of this format is
that people can participate any time of the day or night, from home,
the office or the road, using only their browser. Another benefit is
that people posting messages don't have to be fast typists. It is
also low cost and requires little time to maintain, once established.
Live Chat. Live discussions or ``real time" chat rooms are more
dynamic and can be a little intimidating to people not yet familiar
with the technology. Most discussions are ``keyboard" based, meaning
you type your comment as you watch others' comments scroll by on the
screen. Some chat rooms and software permit audio discussion and live
video pictures of participants as well, for example, Microsoft's
NetMeeting [ http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/ ] and White Pine's
CU-SeeMe [ www.cuworld.com ] --two of the most popular business
meeting applications. Participants log on to a predetermined location
in order to have their meeting.
Another community format you may encounter is a 3-D virtual
environment in which various participants are represented on the
screen by ``avatars"--personalized animated graphic images -- which
you actually move around in the screen environment in real time.
Avatars can take humanoid forms, or may be animals, abstract shapes or
just about anything you choose. Three interesting examples of 3-D
interactive environments are The Palace [ www.palace.com ], Blaxuun [
http://www.blaxxun.com/en/products/contact/ ] and Active Worlds [
www.activeworlds.com ]. 3-D communities like these can provide
realistic private meeting rooms where your participants can ``see"
each other, which opens opportunities for:
? Online promotion and branding. Develop a visual setting like your
offices, and conduct social meetings or focus groups conducive to
meaningful discussions about your firm, your services, or other
interests.
? Online sales center. Give your clients an opportunity to browse your
packaged products and interact in real time with your own
``salespeople" about your services.
? Online client care center. Provide your support staff and clients
an informal place to nurture client relationships and get first-hand
feedback from your clients about what they need.
? Online teamwork. Create virtual project centers where your
professionals from anywhere in the world can solve problems and
develop problem-solving skills.
? Online training. Create virtual classrooms where your professionals
can interact with other participants and gain CPE from accredited
instructors--without leaving the office or incurring travel expenses!"
| Source: http://www.users.cloud9.net/~kvivian/html/feature__communities_part_1.html
|
Additional links:
"Launching an Online Community"
http://www.morebusiness.com/getting_started/website/d922730111.brc
"Habbo Hotel" - a fun online interactive chat space disguised as a 5-star hotel
http://www.habbohotel.com
Search terms:
"what is an online community"
://www.google.com/search?q="what+is+an+online+community"
I hope that helps!
Best regards,
jackburton-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
