Online Communities and Web 2.0

As virtual communities become more and more prevalent we find ourselves asking certain questions.  How does the way we represent ourselves online affect the way we represent ourselves in real world communities?  How are real world communities being changed and shaped in reaction to their online counterparts?  Are relationships and interactions in a virtual community as real and meaningful as those of the real world?  By addressing these questions we have determined that the way we define, understand and maintain communities is changing.  At the core of the internet’s evolution to Web 2.0 lies the instinctual human element of community. By definition a community is a group of interacting people in a common location. Individuals belonging to a community value the presence of one another. Community members contribute value that benefits the overall group. The internet and especially Web 2.0 has made the location requirement of a community less relevant. Online communities can be local, national, and global.  In this project we have each examined different online communities and their inherent issues in order to gain a greater understanding of the effect that virtual communities have on our world.