Community

Here's my entry for Community:

About.com is a self-described clearinghouse for "practical advice and solutions for every day life." Included in this vast website is a fairly extensive section devoted to American history. Here there is an impressive amount of historical information and interpretation available for free. The only drawbacks are its frenzied layout and unsightly advertisements, but after an hour or so surveying the pages these problems are easily overlooked. The "American History" section is entertaining and generally informative, especially for its focus on community interchange, which is attractive to anyone interested in history.

The "American History" section's most evident gesture towards community is its digital forum, which is mainly oriented towards amateur (or "armchair") historians. The forum's moderator invites every user to "post [their] views" and to "look for guidance on the questions and issues that matter to [them]." Such a broadly worded invitation is designed to comfort those without historical knowledge, and embolden those who are already comfortable discussing history. This is indicative in the types of people who post to the forum: history students and history enthusiasts.

Though the forum is not geared toward the professional historian, many of the digital "discussions" are interesting, if nothing else then to get a notion of how the amateur historian analyses and interprets the past. This is not to say that these discussions are wholly amateurish or uninformed, in fact many of the discussion threads are quite in-depth and insightful. For example, one member queried the community about the historical definition of the "laws of entail" in the context of America's founding. The response was perceptive and came from several political viewpoints, which greatly informed the question and left me more educated about the subject.

Among the 6,640 posts (as of this writing) since 1998, there are a diverse and extensive range of topics: general interest, trivia, informal chat, student questions/dialog, "publication" worthy announcements, and polls concerning American history. The discussions run the gamut between cordial and argumentative. They are temporally inclusive, running from pre-Columbian to the modern period, which makes for a broad range of dialogue. The questions asked can be uninspired ("what is your favorite era?") or elaborate (legal definition of "laws of entail" in a historical context). Many use the forum to publicize recently published books, historical research and writing services, or new and interesting historiographical theories. Principally the forum serves as an outlet for personal opinions about major events and personalities in the history of the United States.

Digital forums in general aim to foster a sense of community among their members. The About.com American History forum, I believe, succeeds in this aim for several reasons. One, the discussions are conversational and mainly informative. There is some digression from the topic, but this is customary in physical communities as well. Two, its membership comprises a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and educational backgrounds. Such diverse people coming together for a common purpose allows multiple perspectives of thought, greatly enhancing the sense of community. Three, many of its members seem to know regular posters on more than an ephemeral level. Though there are far more weak ties, there is evidence of strong personal bonds among the membership. Four, members seem to understand the advantages of reciprocity and mutual benefit when communicating. Those who ask questions also provide answers or insights freely. Put together, these dynamics leave me to conclude that online communities are indeed "real" communities.