The idea of community has been around forever, but it's only in the last ~100 years that we've really started to understand them. Before the internet a community was made of the people around you, but online, community is more about culture than locale.

Communities come together for any number of reasons. Broadly speaking it's a shared interest that underpins them all, but you can layer other factors on top of that, and start to see just how different communities can be.

See: Communities of Interest | Communities of Practice | Brand Communities or Brandoms | Communities of Play - my research focuses on inter-passive communities of play.

Think about a community you're involved in, and consider what the shared interest is.

Now ask yourself, are the members:

• Passive or active?

  • Consumers, producers, or a bit of both?

  • Involved for work or leisure?

  • Focused around a company or brand, or something more general?

  • Knowledgeable or experienced?

  • Part of a subculture or the majority social culture? How would your chosen community be different if you had answered differently?

Share your answers in the comments below and let's talk community!