Communities in Cyberspace (Paperback)

by Marc A. Smith (Author) "Since 1993, computer networks have grabbed enormous public attention..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Big Sky Telegraph, Jervay Place (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Editors Smith and Kollock have gathered contributors with a variety of viewpoints to examine both the "legitimacy" of community in cyberspace and to question how it operates. While the authors do conclude that communities in cyberspace are real communities, they explore the sometimes surprising ways in which cybercommunities differ from their geographically based counterparts.

There are four primary issues probed here: the question of online identity in an environment where individuals cannot be seen; the question of social order and control in what is, at least on the surface, a largely anarchic environment; the structure and dynamics of online communities; and the cybercommunity as a foundation for collective action.

There's much here to provoke long discussions both online and off, such as the argument that the screen doesn't eliminate the consideration of racial identity so much as it allows for the development of nonvisual criteria for people to judge (or misjudge) the races of others. This book was compiled to be used in the college classroom, although it's not jargon laden or difficult to read. It will appeal to anyone who is professionally or individually involved with virtual communities. --Elizabeth Lewis

Review
'I would recommend that people who intend to read just one book on the topic choose this one. This volume is exceptionally well-edited. Almost every chapter is easy to read.This volume provided me with an enjoyable, informative, and provocative reading ex --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (February 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415191408
• ISBN-13: 978-0415191401
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #667,120 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good resource for writers and academics, January 20, 2001

By A Customer

This book covers four main areas in regards to online communities: identity, social order and control, community structure and dynamics, and collective action.

Like many other texts on community, this book tends to focus on older technologies, i.e. Usenet, and MUDs/MOOs. That said, it contains a lot of good analysis done in these areas, and can provide good background for writing about online community. Note that the articles tend to be from the perspective of sociology. The strongest articles, in my opinion, were chapter 2, "Identity and deception in the virtual community," chapter 7, "Virtual communities as communities: Net surfers don't ride alone," and chapter 10, "The promise and peril of social action in cyberspace."

If you are interested in building a community or just in the ideas of online communities, this is probably not the best book for you -- it's pretty academic. Check out Jenny Preece's _Online Communities: Designing Usability, Supporting Sociability_ as an alternative.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good one for researchers, July 11, 2001

By	Raquel da Cunha Recuero "rasca" (Pelotas, RS Brazil) - See all my reviews

Very good articles above important aspects of virtual communities like identity, gender, sociability and other stuff written by people that really knows about the subject, famous researchers. If you are a researcher, you'll love it.

11 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lost in (cyber)space?, March 17, 2000

By	Joe (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

I was introduced to this book because my enlightened sociology prof used it as a text for our discussions of sociology and cyberspace.

Some intellectually stimulating articles, like Jodi O'Brien's discussion of gender. It was very stimulating . . . However, the book was far too focused on issues relating to North America and the West generally. What about the rest of the world?

Some sections were extremely dull. This is exciting stuff, why must people pervert it into intellectual cheeseburgers?