eCommunities

This module was really exciting for me because it emphasizes how technology is allowing people to be more connected, rather than disconnected. That we are able to use the internet to find people that are sharing our experiences is a wonderful thing. The video on empathy emphasized this, how having compassion for each other builds connection with others and as it said "We show solidarity with our compassion."

I started using meetup.com after I had my daughter. Most of my friends didn't have kids yet and they were sick of me talking about diapers, vaccinations and preschools, so I found a group for other working moms. I did only meet with them once and the group ended up dying off, mostly because it takes quite a bit of effort to keep an online group going and one person had taken charge and just couldn't do it alone. I had a good experience, but did find it fascinating to see people's profiles and activities online and then meet them in person. Online most people seemed very extroverted and fun, but in person were more reserved. I don't know if that is because people who are more introverted are more likely to use the internet to find activities and other people to connect with, or just because the social pressures are greater in person, so people hold back more.

The video from Chris Anderson was really exciting and another one I could relate to, as I have used the internet to learn about photography and share photos with others. I have learned a great deal that I could not have learned from books alone. Photography classes can be expensive and time consuming, so I have been able to nurture a hobby on my own time. His point about "crowd accelerated innovation" was really fascinating, that cyberspace is a new ecosystem that will have everyone from doubters to innovators that will force new ideas or creations, be it dance, photography or other endeavors, to evolve and improve. I also really like the term he used to describe this: "Sparking off of each other." The image of a spark traveling from person to person is very powerful, and a good illustration of how each person can use that spark to create a fire, or let it die out.

Jamie Heywood's video and website are another really amazing example of people finding others that they can relate to online. When a person is suffering, from a medical issue, an emotional issue, or even more pragmatic things like a financial issue, finding communities where it is acceptable to talk about those things openly is very healing. Besides that, it is a great way to share information in a safe space where people can reveal a little more about themselves with less chance of judgement than if they tried to talk to friends or family members that have not experienced that issue.

Just yesterday afternoon I saw a really great example of how this can be used in a public administration setting. ASU's staff council had a women come do a presentation, which was broadcast live on the internet, about the Affordable Care Act. She does this on her own time to educate people about what they are entitled to and what resources are available to them.  She has a web site with a 30 minute presentation. This is something that public administrators could be doing much more of. There are many things we would like to educate people about and as more and more people have access to the internet it would be silly not to take advantage of being able to offer resources to people who are searching for them at any time of the day.

I can see how a space, such as Second Life could be used to target communities and give a space for people to come together without leaving their homes. My first experience with Second Life was for this assignment and I have to say I was surprised at my reaction to it. I consider myself to be open to new ideas and technologies and not easily intimidated by them, but this experience was very intimidating for me. I think it was partly because it was happening in real time, rather than being like other blog communities or yahoo groups, where I could read and look around before I jumped in. Also, knowing the other avatars I saw were controlled by actual people made me nervous.  When they got too close to me I got scared, as though I were in a dark parking lot and someone were following me. It was very odd. As I started to explore and enter different places I didn't know what the rules were or the protocol. I could see that others were chatting, they obviously knew each other.  I wondered if they had met in person or in Second Life. I had a bit of a difficult time controlling the movement of my avatar and kept walking into things and then I was embarrassed that someone would see me, which was funny because I didn't think I would care about that. In the end, I am intrigued by it, and I would be interested in exploring the ability to use it for a new way to do conference calls or create forums to educate people on public policy issues, but I would feel like I need to spend a lot more time there to be comfortable. I don't know that learning to function in that world at this point would be the best focus for my attention and I can see there would likely be a lot of resistance from people who are less interested in cyberspace than I am.