Blog Articles Cont.

(Lauren Clyne Post 3 of 3)

Blogs as Virtual Communities
This article explores the sociology of the virtual world, and sees where and how communities are created in cyberspace. Using a specific blog (Julie/Julia Project) this article explores concepts of community and how they can exist in a global venue like the internet. I think that its really fascinating that the internet can create a community that mirrors the characteristics of a community created in the real world. These cyber communities can thus be just as influential and meaningful to their members. I guess if I’m stranded on a desert island I’ll hope for the internet to join me so I at least can have some sense of belonging, but then again if I had the internet I’m sure I could find my way back to civilization.

Formation of Norms in a Blog Community
Using the Knitting Bloggers NetRing as its model this article explores the ideas of blogging norms. Within this particular online community there is a set of norms that all bloggers must abide by. Within the framework of this network a community has been created that seeks out and provides information in accordance with a certain code of conduct. I know in a lot of other virtual communities a hierarchy is essentially created because of norms and how well users abide by them-this distinguishes moderators from users from “newbies.”