User Comments

1. 

   3/23/09

   UncleBeau

   I like to print out myspace comments and tape them to peoples' doors, without ever actually meeting them in real life.

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   1. 

      3/23/09

      JamCan

      LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
2. 

   3/23/09

   robinj

   okay then not quite sure how to respond to that lol

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3. 

   3/23/09

   Anok

   I make a point to get to know my neighbors, even if it's just to say hello when you're out in the yard.
   
   However, after our recent hardship - I will say that online communities are very real. We received more help and generosity from "strangers" then we ever received from our friends and neighbors.
   
   That's what community is about to me - not just getting together, not just hanging out or chatting, but stepping up when the going gets tough, connecting, and helping others.
   
   I will say from the bottom of my heart, that at blogcatalog at least - I have a real sense of community with those whom I interact with regularly. Just because they're thousands of miles away doesn't matter one bit to me.

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4. 

   3/23/09

   Shiley

   All I have of "technology" is my computer, land line phone through our cable company, an old TV that we purchased a convertor box for. So, I don't really know much about it all.
   
   I'm from a big city and moved to a small town and I hated it. Because I dressed, talked, and acted different I was an outcast. I felt out of place and backward. I will take a city over small town any day. Then again I would take living in the country away from others to living in a city. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
   
   My neighbors aren't the kind ya want to hang with so I just want privacy.

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5. 

   3/23/09

   timethief

   I agree with the premise of the post you have written. Once again you have published a well written and insightful read. I left you a comment. Well done.

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6. 

   3/23/09

   robinj

   my point and occasionally I do have one is while online community can provide valuable support people 1000 miles away can check up on a neighbor or sweep snow of a sidewalk or look after your kids or take you out for a coffee....with towns crumbling and people trying to survive maybe reaching out and being there for each other in ways which help build these communities back up might not be a bad idea. If everyone is online and no one is out doing being active in their own local community how can such places survive
   And it doesnt just apply for small towns cities need people to care about each other too

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   1. 

      3/23/09

      Anok

      I regularly shovel the snow for an elderly neighbor of mine - and routinely have the neighborhood kids in my yard, my living room, or at my kitchen table. (Why are they always hungry? Doesn't anyone feed their kids? )
      
      I also make a habit of supporting local businesses (as in, I can walk to three businesses in under 60 seconds - several more are within reasonable walking distance)
      
      I value both types of communities.
7. 

   3/23/09

   robinj

   just a side note we had 15 cm of snow overnight so feel free to come and shovel it for me lol

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8. 

   3/23/09

   Ysabetwordsmith

   "How much do you really know about those on your friend list?"
   
   It varies. Some people I know slightly, others are among my very closest friends. Pretty much anyone who posts regularly on my blogs will eventually stick in my mind. I read all the comments and usually reply -- that's how we get good conversations.
   
   Also, I encourage people in my audience to network with each other. On Gaiatribe I do that with "Weekend Meet-n-Greet" posts. On The Wordsmith's Forge I do it with "Pimp-a-Friend" posts and links to cool entries on other people's blogs.
   
   "Have we become so obssessed with the cyber world and technology we are losing the sense of community in neighborhoods and society as a whole?"
   
   I think that community had diminished greatly before cyberspace became a viable replacement. I'd like to see more in the way of local community spirit. However, cyberfriendships can be very real and very valuable -- and they have different strong and weak points compared to facetime friendships. So ideally, both would be best.
   
   "I agree online communities have a place but I am not sure it is as a subsitute for involvement in the 'real' world or the community in which you live."
   
   That depends on your communities. If your local situation is physically dangerous or emotionally toxic, and you can find supportive friends online, then by all means use the online connection for your community. But it's better to have both, because friends in another state can't jumpstart your car or water your plants.

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9. 

   3/23/09

   Floormodel

   I don't collect friends on my online communities but I do make friends I consider real. But at the same time, I think it's important to kno the people who live around me so I meet my neighbors and we chitchat regularly. I have elderly couples on both sides so I do shovel their walks and keep our street drains free of clutter so they don't have to. I can't imagine living anywhere where I don't know the people who live around me, maybe it's because I was rasied in a close neighborhood myself.

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10. 

    3/23/09

    JamCan

    Okay I might be a "special" case but I don't think online life is entirely dumb. I've met billions of people thru online forums and chatting. Honestly. I travel all around North America and the Caribbean to meet them and have loved every single one. Guess I've been lucky.

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11. 

    3/23/09

    robinj

    I am not saying online life is dumb I met my partner through an online community so it would be kinda dumb for me to say that
    I think like Anok said we need a balance between the 2 and I dont think there is at the moment
    
    And JamCan I think you have been lucky
    
    I also agree with Yesbat maybe community living had been on the decline before cyber world
    
    there are arguments for all points brought up and thats the way the world will change is through open dialogue where views are shared.
    If you only look at one piece of the puzzle you will never see a bigger picture ~ grasshopper saying

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12. 

    3/23/09

    annz

    I think that online communities can be extremely helpful. I don't think they are a substitute for involvement in the real world, but there are cases where the "real world" - or the physically local - community does not work. I take issue with the idea that it must be one or the other - that if you are involved in communities online, it means that you are not involved in your local, physical community. In my experience, they can be quite complementary.
    
    I've found a lot of support and very deep, enduring relationships online. In general, these are in communities where people are unwilling to talk about the issues in person with people face-to-face, or communities where the shared issue is uncommon enough that you won't run into someone with the same problem in a small community. I think the non-geographic and even the anonymous nature of the Internet can really provide a type of support that people may not otherwise receive.
    
    That said, I also think relationships with people you know in real life are vital. I love my neighborhood (on a busy street in a big city). I talk with my neighbors whenever I see them - though being in Minnesota, we tend to not see each other during the cold winter months. We have an annual block party. We run into each other and chat on the street, at the local farmer's market, and at the neighborhood festival. I've cooked for neighbors that are having health problems or new babies, our next door neighbor often snow blows our driveway for us.
    
    I have to add, that in my experience, I don't find small towns to necessarily be any better community-wise than large cities. I lived in a small town as a high schooler, and the community was very closed and unwelcoming. My husband grew up in an even smaller town where his neighbor set his (my husband's) house on fire. I know my neighbors much better now that I'm in a big city.

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    1. 

       3/23/09

       robinj

       I think you are right the online communities often fill a gap in peoples lives
       and I guess I was lucky with my small town experiences
       the thing I am seeing through this discussion is most people agree there has to be a balance between the two
       and perhaps I am being proven wrong on some comments I made in my post but again I am happy to be proven wrong when it comes to something as important as this
13. 

    3/23/09

    rmaxwell142

    I tend to agree with you that online communities have become substitutions for real interaction with people. But they are nice for interacting with people who live far away and share the same interests. I definitely prefer real interaction though. I get tired of superficial relationships. But I also see the value of online relationships too.

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