Comments on: online communities…are they real?

By: Annette Piper

Annette Piper — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:23:55 +0000

I live in a fairly remote area in rural Australia and my online communities are a must for my sanity! (And I like that they don’t see me in my pjs!!!)

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:07:57 +0000

Thanks, Ambajam! I will go check out your blog now…find me on Twittermoms so we can follow each other on Twitter!

By: Ambajam

Ambajam — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:06:17 +0000

What a great post and you are so right on!:) So glad I found your blog through Twittermoms. :) Please stop by and say hello.

I would love it if you’d consider subscribing to my feed. :)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ambajam

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:04:00 +0000

Hi Mary! I can’t wait to talk to you too…and you’ve mentioned yet another perk: the fact that the really good virtual relationships almost always transfer to the real world in some way!

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:59:56 +0000

Great post! I’ve been contemplating the online community for quite a bit now, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the benefits are being attached to this virtual world far outweigh the cons. Can’t wait to talk to you for “real” on the phone, by the way!

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:59:00 +0000

Thanks, Deb…it’s so true – unless you’re dealing with a spam machine. And if you can’t figure that out within about 20 seconds, you’re in trouble!

By: --Deb

--Deb — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:54:56 +0000

First, love the new look.

Second, I’ve been doing the online socialization thing since about 1987 and have learned one, vital thing.

People are people, no matter whether you’re talking to them in person, on the phone, or via the internet. Many–most of them, even–are basically good people. Some are fantastic people. Some are just terrible excuses for human beings. But, like any group–they’re everywhere.

The trick, in virtual reality as well as the real kind of reality, is to find the people you want to socialize WITH. Once you do, you’re set!

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:14:18 +0000

You see, this is what I love about blogging – Laurel, Ron and Lisa – came up with some astoundingly good points!

Ron – You are so right about people using the anonymity of being online to say things they never would – our community has it’s own vehicle for this -
it’s called E-Mail. And even though folks will see each other, they do communicate online in ways they never would in public. LOL!

Thanks you three for these excellent additions.

By: Laurel

Laurel — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:05:15 +0000

Enjoyed reading this and I agree both make me feel connected. But you need to have both.

By: Ron Miller

Ron Miller — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:55:23 +0000

Nice post, Julie and good points. The big difference in the online world is the chance to leave anonymous comments and I think people often say things online, they might never say in a face to face to context. I’ve heard about two writers in the past week who have literally had their lives threatened online for what they wrote (and what they wrote was not all that controversial). I don’t think that would happen in Twitter or Facebook necessarily because you can control your community, but here in your blog with open comments, people can and will communicate and sometimes unfortunately it’s not always pleasant.