Building a Community Site

Abstract

The ability for people to assemble in online communities has exploded over the past several years. There are online communities for nearly everything you can think of—from technology (think Drupal!), sports (e.g., fans of a soccer club), and entertainment (e.g., enthusiasts of a particular music genre), to food, nutrition, boating, flying, hiking, endangered animals, and thousands of other topics for which there are groups of people who gather in a virtual community to share ideas, ask questions, set up events, and connect. There are online communities focused around individual products, groups of products, and companies. There are also online communities sponsored by companies to help guide and direct those who purchase their goods and services. The opportunities are limitless; all it takes is two or more people and an idea to launch an online community.