Glossary
- API:
-
Application programming interface
- CMC:
-
Computer-mediated communication
- MUD:
-
Multiple-user domain/a multiplayer, real-time, virtual world
- SoC:
-
Sense of community
Definition
Online communities (also referred to as virtual communities), like their offline counterparts, can be characterized as groups of people who share similar backgrounds, values, or interests and meet regularly. However, the unique characteristic of an online community is that its members form and maintain their relationships via computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies such as online discussion boards, web blogs, and social media (For consistency, we will use “online communities” throughout this entry instead of using other synonyms.).
An online community can be exclusively “virtual” when members only meet via the Internet or may include both online and face-to-face interactions. Members can interact with each...
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Gruzd, A. (2018). Online Communities. In: Alhajj, R., Rokne, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7131-2_81
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