Part 1 - Introduction

In seeming contrast to the aspirations of early Internet idealists - the old school who came to the web via the MUD's and BBS's of the pre-Web Internet - online community development has dragged compared to other areas. The big early leaders, spurred no doubt by the huge glut of corporate dollars funneled in these directions, have been information and commerce (of course porn is a category unto itself).

But what about community? The Web is the first truly porous medium in that it allows communication to filter through in any direction. And yet you don't often see this fundamental asset capitalized on. Not that community has been ignored - it's one of those buzzwords that you hear dropping from the lips (and keyboards) of site producers everywhere. But too often, content producing sites like online publications chalk up community to a poll feature and a bulletin board section buried away somewhere. Usually, these communities fail because they can't generate a continuous and meaningful dialogue among or between readers.

It takes careful planning and stimulation to grow a real functioning community. Just offering people the opportunity to participate rarely serves to shake them out of the general torpor engendered by years of absorbing passive media like TV. Then there's also a certain paranoia factor - the "I don't want to get involved if it will come back to me somehow" attitude. These inhibitors can both be overcome with a little effort. Although the word "community" extends to much more, I will be focusing mainly on the Bulletin Board System (BBS) or forum model.