Choose an online community and conduct a netnographic study. Collect data on the three traits of community, and conduct an analysis of status, if it
exists- What roles are there in the community, and if you participate, which role do you play? (page 181
If you are not a part of an online community, here’s a potential list of online communities from which to choose: Wikipedia: List of Virtual Communities
with more than 1 million users (Links to an external site-)Links to an external site-
Identify the traits of the community:
Consciousness of Kind (p- 171) – that is, the purpose of the community, “birds of a feather” notion; the language and terms used, recognizable
identity, etc-
Shared rituals and traditions (p- 171 ) – such as collective actions, doing things together, “Iivetweeting” events, shared hashtags, etc-
Moral responsibility (p- 172) – sense of obligation to one another, coming to other members’ defense, banding together in coordinated fashions, etc-
Status (p- 176) – can you identify any users that have status? How is it exhibited? Who has status, and how is it granted?
Roles (pp 177-178) – what roles are obvious in the community that you noticed? If you participate, what role do you play?
What are the rewards and costs (social exchange theory) to being a member of this community? What reciprocity is expected, if any?
Do your best to analyze each of these five parts with a response addressing the concept, and number your responses correspondingly. I would
expect each of the 5 parts would be answered in about 50-150 words (to academic and professional standards)-
Here’s an interesting research article (it’s short!) that can help with your analysis as part of your “toolbox”: Five Heuristics for Designing and
Evaluating Web-based Communities (Links to an external site-)Links to an external site-