When Do You Have a Community?

I watched a great video today, and it reminded me of the UCF. If you don’t know what the UCF is, well, don’t worry, we’re just a group of people that are online friends. We’re a community if you will. In fact, the idea that online friends care enough to remind me about taking my blood pressure medicine is amazing. Thank you, you’re all awesome. Check out Gary Vaynerchuk’s take on online communities. (The video isn’t embeddable, so you have to click through to his site)

12 thoughts on “When Do You Have a Community?”

  1. 1. I do not Twitter or Plurk or any of those things. I really have become addicted to this online stuff and recently reconnected with an old college friend because I had signed up for Facebook and promptly forgot to do anything with it. (She and her husband found me.)

    I just can’t, for the life of me, imagine that anyone cares about the fact that I found a restroom to use where they didn’t shoot me for not buying anything.

    2. I really want to watch the video but I’m outside and a little sidewalk cafe right now and even though it’s a relatively quiet neighborhood, I couldn’t hear a thing he was saying. I’ll try at home with headphones.

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  2. Not only do I not twitter, but I don’t text message either.

    I think he makes some excellent, wonderful points, first and foremost is you shouldn’t assume no one is reading because no one is commenting.

    I know my friend Susan reads my blog even though she never comments. And for years I wrote assuming that only my friends were reading, and this was a way to keep the update on me and things I find interesting. And really, that’s all a blog should intend to be. You (the writing) writing about things you find interesting. If someone finds you and likes what you’re doing, great! But even if your best-friend is the only one reading, and she won’t comment, that doesn’t mean a blog is not worth keeping.

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  3. I don’t twitter, but I do IM with my sister, and strangely enough, we’ve “talked” more since she got on IM than we had in the previous 10 years. Technology does not have to be isolating.

    And yes, I think the UCF is a community, and a mighty fine one, at that. Not to get all mushy, stalky and weird, but I genuinely care about you guys, and talk about you with my Smart Man like I would any other friend.

    One thing I’ve noticed is that since I started using RSS feeds for the UCF blogosphere, I don’t comment as much as I used to. I need to fix that…

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  4. OK,

    I watched it. Yeah, sure, I agree. And yeah, I do feel a personal connection and a real sense of community. (A while back when Tania got busy and dropped of the face of the earth, I emailed Jim to ask if he had her number or email because I was worried.{I have her email now}) I commented over on Gary’s site that I already knew I was part of a community when I got a prank call while live-blogging a pizza delivery, but that if I hadn’t, that would have clinched it.

    GF has gotten used to me talking about what you guys are up to. She reads my blog regularly and visits you guys sporadically but intends to remain a confirmed lurker.

    Oh, and about texting, I tell people to feel free to text me but not to expect a return text. I don’t know how and since I can’t type worth %#@& on a phone, I have no intention of learning.

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  5. I’ll second Michelle when she says you shouldn’t assume no one is reading because no one is commenting. There are blogs I read regularly where I have never commented, like Cocktail Party Physics. I read it because I enjoy Jennifer Ouellette’s writing about all things science mixed in with personal stuff. Even on blogs where I do comment fairly frequently, sometimes I just don’t have anything to say.

    And you bet the UCF is a community. I enjoy the interaction among us, and we do interact, including real life when it’s possible. I loved seeing tania on Jeopardy, have enjoyed the cinnimon-eating videos, Anne’s travels (and now MWTs travels), etc.

    It’s actaully led me to decide to do a blog myself. Just gotta finishing getting it set up. Maybe this weekend.

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  6. I don’t twitter either… i tend to fall behind with you guys because of course, i sleep when you are all up and blogging…(darn midnight shift).
    But I do know that my day isn’t complete if i don’t “check” up on you guys..even if it is just for a moment before I head off to bed….kind of like a bedtime story.

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  7. Of course we’re a community. I just have a job that occasionally interferes with what I’d rather be doing – spending “time” with you guys.

    And making sure that Shawn has taken his meds.

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  8. I saw Shawn when he was off his meds once Tania. For the love of all we hold dear don’t ever let him go off them again!

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  9. I don’t twitter either. I tried Pownce but had nothing to say in that format… didn’t get it.

    Yes, we are a community, and I am very grateful for it. I consider you all my friends, different but as dear as my face to face friends.

    Janiece, I agree on the RSS feed issue. I have everyone in my feed reader, but I mostly use that for hyperbusy days, and on normal days I try to take the time to visit blogs in person so I can comment.

    I also agree with what the video guy had to say about community size. I actually enjoy the size of our community – although I’m all for inclusiveness and varied interests. I know Scalzi’s community is so huge that to him, we’re just words on a page and he’s able to only be close to and respond to a tiny percentage of his commenters and forum participants.

    Thanks, Shawn, for bringing this up – and for continuing to take your medicine. 😉

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