Building Online Communities

An 'online community' can be anything from a knitting club to a group of rocket scientists. The principle is the same. People can communicate with each other via email, bulletin boards, newsgroups, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) or mailing lists.

The advantages of such communication channels are enormous - which is why they are so poplar. They're free; you can join in where and when you want; they are truly international - so you are sharing ideas and drawing on expertise from all over the world; and despite any shortcomings, you can be sure that the other members will share your enthusiasms.




Occasionally there are disagreements, off-topic rants, and even flame wars. But all this is in the nature of 'communities', whether online or not. Young and Levin offer a user-friendly guide to those people who want to set up and run such online groups. How to set up technically; how to moderate discussion; how to promote your purpose without being too heavy-handed. It's another excellent manual in the Poor Richard series from Top Floor publishers, who specialise in these no-nonsense guides.

There are lists of free web resources on nearly very page and extensive Webographies- or whatever we decide to call them. They also finish off with case studies of community groups, one of which I belong to - the Computer Book Publishing (the Studio B list). I can confirm that everything they say about it is true. Despite any faults, it is full of professional writers and publishers, helping each other to fight for their rights, sharing their problems, and swopping information in a thoroughly altruistic fashion. That's that's a community at its best - and I look forward to reading the digest of messages every day.

Anybody with Net access can set up an online community - from badger preservation, through Tamla Motown , to sixteenth century fresco painting. There are lots of reasons for setting up a community. Some are run by businesses to communicate with their suppliers and customers; others are run by hobbyists to discuss sports, pets, politics, and peculiar personal habits.

And you don't have to be a techie or spend thousands of pounds. In fact, you probably already have the software you'll need. And if you don't, this book shows you where to get it.