remember: all virtual communities are networks, but not all networks are virtual communities!

as i've said before, i am definitely not the most tech-savvy person out there. from reading other people's blogs, i've gotten the same feeling from everybody else: i was pretty intimidated when i first began taking this paper, and worried it would be a bit dull. but those preconceptions have been completely unfounded... the content of the paper has been really interesting, which is kind of minimising how hard i find it to deal with the tech language.

so, the main thing i took from week 2's lectures and readings was the idea of users, networks and structures. in short, the architecture of the internet itself. the topic made me think of just how prevalent the internet - specifically virtual communities - are in my life personally. i have a facebook, a myspace, AND a bebo. and that's not even unusual, especially for gen y. i don't use them all the time or anything, but just by signing up, joining a few groups and posting a bit of info about me i have made myself a virtual community member. these online communities form when people participate - as we learned, the fundamental component of the net is people rather than the technology itself. the technology is simply used by individuals, who in turn create the communities. in saying that, online identity is pretty fluid. people can reveal as much about themselves as they choose, or even remain anonymous. but even an anonymous user is a participant in an online community.

'be here now' (miles) pointed out that "there's a huge difference between the world of online services before and after the invention of the web and of browsers that let us navigate it effectively... the advances in underlying functionality have been used to generate new applications of IT...". i was interested to learn about the first emoticon being sent, used to convey expression. it shows early attempts at forming social cohesion, an important factor in online communities, which begin when emotional bonds link individuals together. blogs, and blogging communities such as the one being simulated for our paper, are an example of how the internet and it's uses have evolved.

the berry piece we read also pointed out that, due to the unrestrictive nature of the internet, users see the internet as a vast public sphere. during our seminar time on thursday, my group discussed copyright issues. there was the expected talk about illegal p2p music downloading, but i was thinking more about intellectual property copyright. because i have written my opinions here in this blog today, in a so-called public space, does that mean it's ok for somebody else to claim my ideas (however yawn worthy they are) as their own? i'd like to think not, but is that legally accurate? also hearing about a research project in the states using facebook profiles made me rethink the amount of information, or the content of information, i post about myself on my social network profiles. while i do know of the dangers of posting too much info about myself on the internet, i don't think that ignorance is bliss in this case. whether i'm informed or not, i don't really want my social network profiles being used for research projects without my consent. so this in itself poses the problem: if the internet is a public space, is anything posted online off limits? by simply posting, does that imply my consent?

well i'm done now. cyas all in class.