UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA de SINALOA
BA in ELT STUDY GUIDE VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS Aims of the guide 0.1 Overview 0.2 Objectives 0.3 Structure 0.4 Content 0.5 Tasks & Activities 0.6 Reading & Resources 0.7 Study Planning
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Before you work through the text and activities in each distance unit, you should take time to look through the accompanying study guide. We have labeled this Unit Study Guide as Section 0. This is to emphasise it is an integral part of each unit - a lead-in to the numbered sections.
Aims of the Guide: • Get an overview of the subject structure and content • Become familiar with the objectives of the subject • Establish how the objectives are embodied in the different subject sections and in the assessment tasks • Get a better idea of what you are being asked to do before, during and after each unit of the subject • Get a better idea of what resources you will be using • Decide on what, for you, will be the key resources for the subject, using the annotated bibliography and you own investigations • Plan your time and study strategies on a weekly basis.
Content and Structure The Guide will usually have the following components: 1. Subject overview 2. Objectives 3. Topics and descriptions 4. Tasks and activities 5. Reading & Resources 6. Study planning information and suggestions
INTRODUCTION Overview Virtual communities consist of groups of people who have regular contact with one another in cyberspace. This article deals with virtual communities that have been formed by people with common interests, and virtual communities that do not have its origin in an existing organization.
Certain prerequisites have to be in place to access the cyberspace; it can not be too expensive, it has to be intellectually accessible and the user has to have time available. If these entrebarriers can be forced, the user can participate in almost any virtual community. This means that virtual communities are exposed to competition from other virtual communities at all times, especially since their exitbarriers are so low.
This fact makes it important for these communities to create a sense of community and identity, so that the members wont be so inclined to leave the virtual community. My survey has shown that a relatively large part of the respondents did not feel any commitment, or that their co-operation was important to the virtual community. My conclusion is that it can be difficult for virtual communities to create a feeling of community and identity.
One way for the virtual communities can be to try to activate their members. The survey has shown that those that were actively participating in the organization of the virtual community felt greater commitment and identity than the passive members. It is also important to give the active members support and acknowledgement. This serves both to keep members committed, and as a way to persuade new members to participate.
Research has shown that members had difficulties in recognizing the impact caused by their involvement in virtual communities. This can be due to the fact that virtual communities are relatively new phenomena, which makes it difficult to see the consequences.
Subject Objectives BY THE END OF THIS SUBJECT, YOU SHOULD: • be able to identify key characteristics of a virtual community • be able to list and explain the main components of a virtual community • be able to understand how such components interact to create an efficient virtual community • be able to analyze existing virtual communities