Many Shades of Community

Thanks for linking to the wiki study. The big takeaways, from our perspective:

--The wiki world is a great open lab on emergent (ad hoc) organization -- i.e., how people actually organize to work, not how they are told to work.

--The lab shows how wiki communities can rally to solve some of the most vexing, complex problems. That's where the passion comes in. :)

--Businesses are just beginning to understand the commercial possibilities. Companies like Intuit and Amazon have already begun experimenting with external wikis, and the recent acquisition of Wikitravel and World66 was a real eye-opener in the world of e-commerce.

I have been frequenting avsforum.com for several years. It is arguably the best site on the internet to connect with Home Theater enthusiasts. The platform of choice is forum software which although a bit klunky, works but I believe could be improved upon (especially the attrocious color scheme). What makes this place special is the wealth of knowledge and support you will get for Home Theater pre / post purchases. I like to point out this site because just like MySpace it's not the technology but the users that make for the best destination

Jane Austen fanatics:

http://www.pemberley.com

I'll second the reference to AVSForum.com, which I found very educational when I was in to DIY home electronics.

On a different topic, I'd suggest Houseblogs.net. In full disclosure I operate the site, but I think it's a legitimately unique example of a blog-centric site that facilitates community among home improvement enthusiasts.

I had never heard of Avsforum.com. Sounds handy.

Have a look at www.favorville.com. The largest user base is in Toronto but the site is starting to take off in other cities as well.

Heather,

What's your take on Ning.com? It allows anyone to easily create social networks of all kinds of interest like the ones you mentioned.

It's backed by Marc Andreessen, of Netscape fame.

Mario.

I get so frustrated (jealous) regarding the success of other social networks; it doesn't seem fair. I mean, they're pulling from a population comfortable with technology, use it actively etc. My community comprises a segment that is *least* likely to use technology much less to comment/participate or anything like that. And forget them blogging. My field is fashion manufacturing -not sales, that's everywhere. I concentrate on helping producers (small DIY domestic apparel manufacturers). I mean, mine is the *only* site on the internet! No competition is not good! It's embarrassing. The apparel industry is so backward (it's no wonder clothes fit like crap), until 5 years ago, it was not at all unusual for companies (many suppliers) to not even have a fax machine so forget a computer and an internet connection. And people think fashion is progressive? I don't think so. Our industry is so fragmented; building a community often feels hopeless. I've tried to augment that by adding a forum but I still remain disappointed with the level of participation.

Sorry for venting; as I said, I envy the success of other social networks. Their population base is motivated yet mine can't see the benefits to even get online in the first place. Just one reason apparel is in the tubes (imo).

Hey Mario,

I actually haven't visited Ning. I think that my collegue Rob Hof knows them better than I do, but I will take a look.

Hi Kathleen,

Sounds like you're way ahead of your time--like a century. It's fascinating that adding a forum didn't work. And interesting, because I would have thought that manufacturing would rely on online at least somewhat since everything is so far flung. Sooo....it sounds like you need a group to help talk about your group! I don't mean to sound flip. It actually sounds like a great idea, to create a community for this group. Maybe they will catch up with you soon!