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Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be taking a detailed look into the phenomenon that is known as the Online Community; what it is, and what the Good, the Bad and the Ugly sides of it are. I shall also be looking at the trends and what its implications are for Global and Local Societies and Industries.

In Part 1, I took a look at the premise behind Online Communities, and what the inherent need was that created these Virtual Societies.

This week, I’ll be looking at the Good Side of Online Communities, and what benefits these Online Communes have brought to the society. .

The Good…!

The thing about Online Communities is that they are a true reflection of the way the human psychology develops and unfolds. The basis of the existence of online communities, and their subsequent evolution and popularity stems from the fact that when people carry out online discussions with sufficient human feeling, they tend to bond and to create webs of interpersonal relationships and networks. These simulations of actual physical human bonding have similar emotional effects, and therefore most members of communities are often likely to have a high amount of emotional attachment with the community that they have become part of. At its core, the basic human need of belonging, and being able to fit into a particular group of people is answered, as to a certain extent is the need for companionship.

The above mentioned companionship aspect is mostly how the social networking communities position themselves. They utilize arguably one of the greatest gifts of technology to humanity: the ability to make huge geographical distances seem insignificant. Through technology, people have the ability to be in touch with friends and loved ones from any part of the world, both conveniently and cheaply. This aspect not only answers the companionship desires of many of the communities’ users, but also gives the users an added ability of creating a network within their own area of interest or profession.

The network created has the effect of becoming a clique at times, or a community within a community; but within professional circles, it can be a great boon to meet people with whom one can work or whose skills one can utilize. Business networking is an essential part of rising in one’s career, and online communities can help the users to that aspect.

The networking, both social and otherwise, also has an added advantage of allowing for an exchange of ideas and information; and the increase in awareness of the people around the world for each other’s culture. As we mentioned earlier, this can lead to empathy and character development, and as one is exposed to new positives, personal development can take place. It can allow the users to see the world as the way it was suppose to be, as one, and to be able to see out of the boxes that each of them find themselves in. Most importantly, in a world divided by fear, misunderstanding, hatred, creeds and a general lack of awareness, online communities could ushers in a great feeling of much needed camaraderie.

Online communities can also offer an anonymity factor to the users of the websites, and this can have its share of advantages. In an information highway where every corner leads to personal information being stored and possibly divulged, anonymity in terms of sharing opinions and ideas can be a massive benefit. Some time ago, an American Government Agency did whatever it could do to obtain data regarding items searched from Google, but was refused. With such precedents in mind, many users worry about their rights of privacy being under threat, and the ability to be anonymous can certainly help in this respect.

From the media, news and opinion perspective, Online communities can be a huge factor in terms of gauging public opinion regarding certain topics. Forum discussions and online surveys are often huge and apt indicators. Advertising and marketing effectiveness, level of awareness regarding brands and even actually advertising via word of mouth can easily be accomplished using Blogs and online communities. In fact, many FMCGs and marketing companies have a separate internet monitoring department for separate brands, which not only monitor online communities for information and insight regarding the products, but also look to spread information and word of mouth about their brands.

More recently, a trend has developed which sees Telecom Brands target online communities and Yahoo! Mail for their advertising. Coffee houses such as Kahva are advertised on Facebook, while other eateries such as Make Your Own Burger have their own community on Facebook. Musicians and bands too have jumped on the community bandwagon, and are using sites such as Facebook for marketing, sharing information and having a collective forum for fans. Metal Sienen, which was introduced to Netxpress Online readers here, is another example of the beneficial use of Online Communities.

In the first part of this series, I touched upon online communities being used for Open Source development, and this is another area where the virtual communities can provide to be important. If utilized properly, they can be a huge source of education, learning, research and development. Imagine a complete connection of all the medical institutes in the world, where all information would be available by just a click, and where a doctor or a medical student could easily talk to a peer an ocean away about a problem that he is facing. Science and technology, and most importantly education can be huge winners with online communities. Oracle’s think.com project is a prime example. Universities all over the world can be connected to help in the development of a network where ideas and information are richly explored, developed and utilized. Creativity could reach its zenith if all the world’s best minds and the best developing minds could share their thinking. And why stop there? Culture, art, music and history could be huge users of online communities. Imagine all the museums of the world connected, or the Louvre accessible to Pakistani’s through our country’s e-gateway. The opportunities could be limitless.

In the next part of this continuing series, I will be taking a look at the Bad and the Ugly side of Online Communities, and how there needs to be a balance in order to fully utilize the opportunities that Online Communities lend to us.

Till then, stay safe and beLIEve.

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