A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. One of the most pervasive types of virtual community include
social networking services, which consist of various
online communities.
The term virtual community is attributed to the book of the same title by
Howard Rheingold, published in 1993. The book, which could be considered a social enquiry, putting the research in the social sciences, discussed his adventures on
The WELL and onward into a range of
computer-mediated communication and social groups, broadening it to information science. The technologies included
Usenet,
MUDs (Multi-User Dungeon) and their derivatives
MUSHes and
MOOs,
Internet Relay Chat (IRC),
chat rooms and
electronic mailing lists; the
World Wide Web as we know it today was not yet used by many people. Rheingold pointed out the potential benefits for personal psychological well-being, as well as for society at large, of belonging to such a group.
These virtual communities all encourage interaction, sometimes focusing around a particular interest, or sometimes just to communicate. Quality virtual communities do both. They allow users to interact over a shared passion, whether it be through message boards, chat rooms, social networking sites, or virtual worlds.
[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_community