Research

Ok, I am officially a mess. I haven't had the Internet at home for over a week, I can't work, I can't check my e-mails, i actually feel i can't communicate with people I need as easily. e.g. MSN, Emails, Facebook etc. I can't believe exactly how much we are dependant on the Internet.

Anyway so I'm in class and writing in my blog...

As we know my group has been struggling in focusing on a topic to write about. Nigel's help was to research and then come up with focus piont. I dnt no about others but I found that really hard because thats just not my way of working. I prefere to have a question and go into researching and exploreing around it, or maybe that's just the way I been used to working through all my other degree courses.

However i did try... I read and made notes of Howard Rhiegold's book 'The Virtual Community' and David Bell ' Introduction to Cyberculture' which was very good, learnt alot and I personally think now we should look at Online Life vs Real Life.
Im actually really stressing because there's just not one way to define the term 'community'. Each writer in the books have different opinions, and I don't no how to start.

By talking to some friends and family about there thoughs on the subject, I actually got some similar responses. I asked them questions like: Do you think we can form a 'community' online? and wheather they thought Facebook or Myspace for example were a form of a community? Most answered saying that, 'a community is very complex, it takes dedication and is an on going thing e.g. all community members attend meatings once a week to discuss issue they all are interested in and have in common. These communities usually have a large membership, over 100 people and all share a goal. Actally I even got from my father that 'a community is people from one country, a nation who share culture and traditions' this actually reminded me of something I read from David Bells book who I believe says something similar. I will research again and add it in the wiki if it's relevant. Also I got that, 'a community can not be online... because there is too many people in a community to get together at one place and one time and talk about whatever their issue is' I think this is was very interesting and I should ask for more people opinions.