7.1: a social netWORK community

As described in class and in the Haythorhwaite paper a community is made of a web of affect laden relationships. These relationships often overlap and in turn reinforce bonding between members. Communities require commitment, a set of shared values, and more or less a sense of shared culture. The SNA (social network analysis) can be used to look at the properties and characteristics of a community, by evaluating certain aspects of social capital: common ground, networking, and reciprocity.

I had a difficult time thinking of an interesting online community that I belonged to besides of course the typical facebook groups. After a little thoughr I realized that the company I did my internship with over the summer had an established online community which was accessible via their intranet which was called “The Box.” On The Box you could not only access your email and a wide range of company databases, but there were also many social networking features. Each employee had a profile with a picture, there were message boards, an inter-office instant messaging system, and place to post interesting news, pictures or personal updates. The social networking features definitely affected the physical workspace of the corporation. The virtual community helped expand social networks because many times people in different departments would never have the opportunity to interact so The Box often helped in establishing common ground and building relationships. Throughout the office people from various floor and departments could join the same softball team, express interest in a movie that just came out, even or plan next week’s meeting agendas. The online social networking available on the box reinforced the corporate culture and it assisted in company bonding. The concept of reciprocity was also evident on “The Box.” For example when an individual employee would start a message thread or an initiative on a message board it was often followed up with numerous comments and responses. There was always mutual feedback and exchange of ideas, sometimes the comments were all praise but others also contained constructive criticism. It was a very open and free environment where anyone in the corporation, from the CEO to the janitor could access and immediately feel like their opinions, ideas, and shared information was valued and seen. The virtual CMC environment had an effect; because, it helped create relationships through networking that were later furthered in reality by establishing common ground and reciprocity online.

Because this particular site is password protected I cannot post a direct link to The Box, however here is a link to the company: http://wilsonmiller.com/

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