Comments on: Five Reasons to Join an Online Community

By: Kayte

Kayte — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:53:43 +0000

hello!

I’ve been surprised to discover that it is HARD to find a site that can do the following:

“How to find the right online community for me”
or
“How to find the right online forum for me”

It seems to be impossible for me to find anything like this and I am very interested in why this is. I want to join a forum and I have been on one in the past. But without stating a specific topic, it seems hard to find a forum suited to me.

Does anyone here have any suggestions to sites that I might look into, or a forum that they recommend?

thanks
K

By: Maiken Jepsen

Maiken Jepsen — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:50:31 +0000

I really like your article.

I enjoy social networking.. you meet so many interesting people and get open up to new things you would never have known if you didn’t.

It does work! I found your article via Facebook!

While we are talking about social networks why don’t you join me on twitter. I will follow you back!

Maiken

By: Andra Tania

Andra Tania — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:37:28 +0000

You nicely outlined all the benefits of joining an internet community, and I agree with you, but I also feel that we are loosing touch with the human interaction due to an extensive use of such online communities. Keep writing.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:00:53 +0000

Not a bad read at all, I’m all for online communities! Glad I’m not the only one who thinks social networks are the way of the future. Sure, there are security issues to keep in mind, but a well developed community is always a good additio to the web.

By: Anna Reno

Anna Reno — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:37:50 +0000

I agree a lot with all of them. I would add the “Free” argument to a bigger category: Convenience.
Instead of talking on the phone, I use MSN, yahoo, etc.
Instead of wasting my time and money driving to school, I use the university’s forums and database for the help I need.
If I have a question about something, I post it on a forum, and someone will help me.
They are all valid points, but list is long.

By: Nora

Nora — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:51:05 +0000

I relate to some of the reasons you’ve described, nonetheless, for me the greatest virtue of an online community is availability. With our busy and fast-paced lifestyles, being able to share, learn and speak up whenever we want to proves that an online community will always cater to our needs.

Thank you for reminding us how worthy online communities are. Finally, it comes down to choosing one wisely.

By: Iasmina

Iasmina — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:58:16 +0000

This is an excellent article. I would even dare to say that you could be described as an exceptional IT journalist.:) You brought solid arguments and as a result you managed to convince me, the so “anti-communities” person, that it really is a great deal of useful things which these communities have to offer.
Well done ‘Tzu!

By: Adina

Adina — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:12:37 +0000

I personally am not part of an online community, at least not one that is useful to me, but this is because i dread the thought of having N accounts on N different sites and i often forget the username or the password and i don’t trust my browser to remember it for security reasons…
But other than that, i agree that online communities are useful. Often when i search smth on the internet, i find the answers in different forums, posted because of people like me who had questions. I think the fact that nowadays you can find anything on the internet is due mostly to online communities.

By: Shlootz

Shlootz — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:09:25 +0000

As far as I am concerned online communities have helped me improve in so many ways, not only professional but also personal. The kind of help you get from these “living, breathing, ever-growing entities” is priceless, and the cool thing, as Radu pointed out, it’s free. All you have to do is know what you want and then rest assured that what you are looking for is out there.

Thank you Radu for the excellent article!

Best wishes,
Shlootz

By: Prasanth

Prasanth — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:35:52 +0000

Of course, online communities are very good platform for sharing information, but an active community which sticks to the topic is very hard to find. Often these communities are flooded with mails from spammers, so it does need strict moderation.

If you take some hundred communities, you will find only a few of them actively discussing relevant topics.

Regards,
Prasanth S

By: AleX

AleX — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:59:09 +0000

this is so good i love it u are the best i want more and more

By: Max

Max — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:53:14 +0000

I would have to agree with Christiana above. However, one should try to protect his or her own privacy while being member of an on-line community. Depending on the type of the community, one can do everything, from writing his daily thoughts to showing to the rest of the world pictures of him and his family. There are only few people nowadays whose name would not come out on a regular google search. and as for me, this is kind of troubling.

I myself, would prefer to be part of the community but as much anonymously as possible and only for knowledge reasons.

By: Cristiana

Cristiana — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:52:43 +0000

Although some of the online communities are useless, others are a great source of knowledge, as you said, and today people need to know how to search for some information or whom to ask to tell ‘em where to look or how to do it. And online communities help people to find the right people just by clicking a button! It can’t be easier than that!

By: arlechinu

arlechinu — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:10:00 +0000

Very insightful article, nicely done! Looking forward to more articles from you :)

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:34:59 +0000

It’s a shame you had to stick to just 5 ideas, I’m sure you could write a lot more about this. Anyway, you’ve picked out the “essential” aspects and solid arguments. Good job!