Virtual Community

The concept of community, to a large extend, gives rise to a good feeling.

In reality, the sophistication and complexity of our modern life, in metropolitan cities, in a society where crime rate is high, rampant destruction of nature or environment or human life, the concept of community seems like a dream or fantasy.

With a great contrast between the notion of community and that of current reality, does it mean that we the human being is moving further away from the hidden aspiration of a quality society or community?

Whether we believe the Good will trump, or the Evil, we cannot be ignorant of the creation of virtual communities taking shape, evolving and emerging at a fast rate in the Internet or Cyberspace.

The advance in Information Technology has helped this new phenomena to take place daily - i.e. Virtual Community. This has far reaching implications and potentials, with emerging and evolving characteristics and development as discussed below :

1.0) Start with a theme / objective

2.0) Membership

An effective virtual community organiser will find ways to expand membership rapidly. In this borderless world, with the help of IT, this is not an impossible task. Members come for a common interest, or shared vision. Whether it is a compelling shared vision that results in effective action to create and make things truly desired by all members happen, will still need to depend on a few other factors.

3.0) Growing membership is still not a Community

Even with growing membership, it is far from the concept of community, but a club or association. Most of us have experience being a member of an organisation - most of the time rather passive membership. Like receiving bulletins, circular, attending annual general meeting, occasional functions or gatherings. With physical constraints like location and distance and busy schedule, the opportunity for interaction is limited.

4.0) Virtual Community is taking shape in Cyberspace.

But the landscape has changed in the case of Virtual community in cyberspace. Facilities are available for member to voice ideas, opinions like in electronic forum / convention, bulletin boards etc. The voice of an individual can be heard. This also satisfies a part of the features of community concept, in term of active participation by members. This has much implications in the ways things or life is being managed now :a) the traditional role of community leader, chairman of organisation, president of club, politician etc. needs changing, b) members are taking up more and more personal leadership that may influence the collective outcome, c) a dynamic interaction will become a force collectively.

5.0) Commercial Entities - New roles & Paradigm

Traditional commercial organisation, using the Intenet for creation of their own homepage, promoting their products or services may not have appreciated a new market force, which to a large extent, is in the hands of the community members, who are also their potential customers. A visionary commercial entity will join these growing virtual communities, humbly recognising the fact that it is only a part of the community. It is only through their best of quality products and services that can win the hearts and minds of the communities members. The members have the choice, options to view, give critiques on the required products and services from various vendors, and eventually decide what they want. When a matured virtual community is developed with loyal members, there will be less chance these members will visit the individual homepage of commercial organisations, even if they have their customer service corner.

Virtual Community - A new Force

With the above described development going on daily, virtual community will become a new force that cannot be ignored by anyone : individual, family, organisation, government or societies. When there is an active participation of a virtual community, with synergy created among different virtual communities, collective intelligence is unleashed - towards a true Global Community or otherwise, depends very much on each and every one of us, on how we want to contribute and shape the eventual outcome.

End.