What is a community? How can you tell if you belong to a community? Are there different ways of belonging to a community? What communities do you belong to? Why?
usually I notice this because they start taking up a particular shape of space in my thoughts
I recognize that, yes. Thanks for that description.
I notice you don't mention any online groups (alt.poly, LJ) in your list of communities. Do you think online groups aren't or can't be communities? Or is it something about you, that you don't feel community-ish about online groups?
Why one stays in 'em, yeah. Kind of like why one stays in some relationships when they have difficulties. Why one might feel fascinated by communities that might not be the greatest thing for one. blah blah blah...
I notice you don't mention any online groups (alt.poly, LJ) in your list of communities. Do you think online groups aren't or can't be communities? Or is it something about you, that you don't feel community-ish about online groups?
Neither, actually. There are a lot of communities I could list but didn't; that list was in no way intended to be exhaustive, or even be anything other than a few examples of various sorts just off the top of my head at that moment.
If someone asked about on-line communities I was part of, I'd probably start by listing (semi-chronologically):
MUGgers and MERITSS people, particularly those who played Karnath (a game by Tom Arachtingi and Bill Seurer, lo these many years ago; I was Snark, and a few other characters, if anybody from that long ago ever happens to read this. While the interactive opportunities were minimal, they were not entirely lacking, so it counts, in my mind....)
I never really got to hang around the Mines of Moria bunch on Plato much, so that was a bunch I only caught the smallest glimpse of, but it was pretty tantalizing at the time....
FidoNet and the echoes thereof, also lo (almost) these many years ago; particularly the Feminism echo....
alt.polyamory
I recognize alt.callahans as a community, although I am just a lurker-in-the-rafters and an infrequent one at that; I went to alt.callahans before alt.poly existed, though, so these two should probably be swapped around
the WELL (I forget when I started on the WELL; I should go look it up. It was either late 80's or early 90's, and probably the latter....)
... and a few other places -- including the few, the proud, the absolutely barking mad Mob from 104, alt.well.fans.neil-gaiman *snrch*
Oh, and I used to be a very small-time member of alt.shoe.lesbians, back when....
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I recognize that, yes. Thanks for that description.
I notice you don't mention any online groups (alt.poly, LJ) in your list of communities. Do you think online groups aren't or can't be communities? Or is it something about you, that you don't feel community-ish about online groups?
Why one stays in 'em, yeah. Kind of like why one stays in some relationships when they have difficulties. Why one might feel fascinated by communities that might not be the greatest thing for one. blah blah blah...
no subject
Neither, actually. There are a lot of communities I could list but didn't; that list was in no way intended to be exhaustive, or even be anything other than a few examples of various sorts just off the top of my head at that moment.
If someone asked about on-line communities I was part of, I'd probably start by listing (semi-chronologically):
MUGgers and MERITSS people, particularly those who played Karnath (a game by Tom Arachtingi and Bill Seurer, lo these many years ago; I was Snark, and a few other characters, if anybody from that long ago ever happens to read this. While the interactive opportunities were minimal, they were not entirely lacking, so it counts, in my mind....)
I never really got to hang around the Mines of Moria bunch on Plato much, so that was a bunch I only caught the smallest glimpse of, but it was pretty tantalizing at the time....
FidoNet and the echoes thereof, also lo (almost) these many years ago; particularly the Feminism echo....
alt.polyamory
I recognize alt.callahans as a community, although I am just a lurker-in-the-rafters and an infrequent one at that; I went to alt.callahans before alt.poly existed, though, so these two should probably be swapped around
the WELL (I forget when I started on the WELL; I should go look it up. It was either late 80's or early 90's, and probably the latter....)
... and a few other places -- including the few, the proud, the absolutely barking mad Mob from 104, alt.well.fans.neil-gaiman *snrch*
Oh, and I used to be a very small-time member of alt.shoe.lesbians, back when....
And some more.'
no subject
I love this group...