<s>
A	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
is	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
of	O
individuals	O
who	O
connect	O
through	O
specific	O
social	O
media	O
,	O
potentially	O
crossing	O
geographical	O
and	O
political	O
boundaries	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
pursue	O
mutual	O
interests	O
or	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
pervasive	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
are	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
operating	O
under	O
social	O
networking	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Howard	O
Rheingold	O
discussed	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
in	O
his	O
book	O
,	O
The	O
Virtual	B-Architecture
Community	I-Architecture
,	O
published	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Technologies	O
cited	O
include	O
Usenet	B-Application
,	O
MUDs	B-Application
(	O
Multi-User	B-Application
Dungeon	I-Application
)	O
and	O
their	O
derivatives	O
MUSHes	B-Application
and	O
MOOs	B-Application
,	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Relay	I-Protocol
Chat	I-Protocol
(	O
IRC	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
chat	O
rooms	O
and	O
electronic	O
mailing	O
lists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rheingold	O
also	O
points	O
out	O
the	O
potential	O
benefits	O
for	O
personal	O
psychological	O
well-being	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
society	O
at	O
large	O
,	O
of	O
belonging	O
to	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
it	O
showed	O
that	O
job	O
engagement	O
positively	O
influences	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
of	O
practice	O
engagement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
all	O
encourage	O
interaction	O
,	O
sometimes	O
focusing	O
around	O
a	O
particular	O
interest	O
or	O
just	O
to	O
communicate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
do	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Community	O
members	O
are	O
allowed	O
to	O
interact	O
over	O
a	O
shared	O
passion	O
through	O
various	O
means	O
:	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
,	O
chat	O
rooms	O
,	O
social	O
networking	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
sites	O
,	O
or	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
are	O
usually	O
dispersed	O
geographically	O
,	O
and	O
therefore	O
are	O
not	O
communities	O
under	O
the	O
original	O
definition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
are	O
linked	O
geographically	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
known	O
as	O
community	B-Architecture
websites	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
if	O
one	O
considers	O
communities	O
to	O
simply	O
possess	O
boundaries	O
of	O
some	O
sort	O
between	O
their	O
members	O
and	O
non-members	O
,	O
then	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
is	O
certainly	O
a	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
resemble	O
real	O
life	O
communities	O
in	O
the	O
sense	O
that	O
they	O
both	O
provide	O
support	O
,	O
information	O
,	O
friendship	O
and	O
acceptance	O
between	O
strangers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Being	O
in	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
space	O
you	O
may	O
be	O
expected	O
to	O
feel	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
belonging	O
and	O
a	O
mutual	O
attachment	O
among	O
the	O
members	O
that	O
are	O
in	O
your	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
influential	O
part	O
about	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
is	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
communicate	O
through	O
several	O
media	O
platforms	O
or	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Now	O
that	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
exists	O
,	O
this	O
had	O
leveraged	O
out	O
the	O
things	O
we	O
once	O
did	O
prior	O
to	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
,	O
such	O
as	O
postal	O
services	O
,	O
fax	O
machines	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
speaking	O
on	O
the	O
telephone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
research	O
into	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
media-based	O
communities	O
was	O
concerned	O
with	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
reality	B-Application
,	O
whether	O
communities	O
actually	O
could	O
exist	O
through	O
the	O
media	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
place	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
research	O
into	O
the	O
social	O
sciences	O
definition	O
of	O
ontology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
are	O
used	O
for	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
social	O
and	O
professional	O
groups	O
;	O
interaction	O
between	O
community	O
members	O
vary	O
from	O
personal	O
to	O
purely	O
formal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	B-Application
experience	I-Application
is	O
the	O
ultimate	O
goal	O
for	O
the	O
program	O
or	O
software	O
used	O
by	O
an	O
internet	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
,	O
because	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
will	O
determine	O
the	O
software	O
's	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
for	O
social	O
media	O
pages	O
or	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
is	O
structured	O
around	O
the	O
users’	O
experience	O
and	O
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
online	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	B-Application
experience	I-Application
testing	O
is	O
utilized	O
to	O
reveal	O
something	O
about	O
the	O
personal	O
experience	O
of	O
the	O
human	O
being	O
using	O
a	O
product	O
or	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
it	O
comes	O
to	O
testing	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
in	O
a	O
software	O
interface	O
,	O
three	O
main	O
characteristics	O
are	O
needed	O
:	O
a	O
user	O
who	O
is	O
engaged	O
,	O
a	O
user	O
who	O
is	O
interacting	O
with	O
a	O
product	O
or	O
interface	O
,	O
and	O
defining	O
the	O
users’	O
experience	O
in	O
ways	O
that	O
are	O
and	O
observable	O
or	O
measurable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	B-Application
experience	I-Application
metrics	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
reliability	O
and	O
repeatability	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
consistent	O
set	O
of	O
measurements	O
to	O
result	O
in	O
comparable	O
outcomes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	B-Application
experience	I-Application
metrics	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
user	O
retention	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
consistent	O
set	O
of	O
measurements	O
to	O
collect	O
data	O
on	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
widespread	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
and	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
by	O
millions	O
of	O
diverse	O
users	O
for	O
socializing	O
is	O
a	O
phenomenon	O
that	O
raises	O
new	O
issues	O
for	O
researchers	O
and	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
vast	O
number	O
and	O
diversity	O
of	O
individuals	O
participating	O
in	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
worldwide	O
makes	O
it	O
a	O
challenge	O
to	O
test	O
usability	O
across	O
platforms	O
to	O
ensure	O
the	O
best	O
overall	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
well-established	O
measures	O
applied	O
to	O
the	O
usability	O
framework	O
for	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
are	O
speed	O
of	O
learning	O
,	O
productivity	O
,	O
user	O
satisfaction	O
,	O
how	O
much	O
people	O
remember	O
using	O
the	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
how	O
many	O
errors	O
they	O
make	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
human	O
computer	O
interactions	O
that	O
are	O
measured	O
during	O
a	O
usability	O
experience	O
test	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
individuals	O
rather	O
than	O
their	O
social	O
interactions	O
in	O
the	O
online	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
depend	O
on	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
usability	O
and	O
social	O
semiotics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dialogue	O
and	O
social	O
interactions	O
,	O
support	O
information	O
design	O
,	O
navigation	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
accessibility	O
are	O
integral	O
components	O
specific	O
to	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
grow	O
,	O
so	O
do	O
the	O
diversity	O
of	O
their	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	O
testing	O
in	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
can	O
ensure	O
users	O
are	O
communicating	O
effectively	O
through	O
social	O
and	O
semiotic	O
codes	O
and	O
maintenance	O
of	O
social	O
realities	O
and	O
identities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concerns	O
with	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
's	O
tendency	O
to	O
promote	O
less	O
socializing	O
include	O
:	O
verbal	O
aggression	O
and	O
inhibitions	O
,	O
promotion	O
of	O
suicide	O
and	O
issues	O
with	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
with	O
rare	O
or	O
debilitating	O
disorders	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
access	O
support	O
groups	O
in	O
their	O
physical	O
community	O
,	O
thus	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
act	O
as	O
primary	O
means	O
for	O
such	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
general	O
knowledge	O
that	O
one	O
participates	O
in	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
to	O
interact	O
with	O
society	O
and	O
develop	O
relationships	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
studies	O
have	O
indicated	O
that	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
can	O
provide	O
valuable	O
benefits	O
to	O
their	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Growing	O
amounts	O
of	O
presented	O
material	O
show	O
how	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
affect	O
the	O
health	O
of	O
their	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Networking	O
sites	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
medium	O
for	O
expression	O
and	O
discourse	O
about	O
issues	O
in	O
specific	O
user	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
book	O
The	O
Wealth	O
of	O
Networks	O
from	O
2006	O
,	O
Yochai	O
Benkler	O
suggests	O
that	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
would	O
"	O
come	O
to	O
represent	O
a	O
new	O
form	O
of	O
human	O
communal	O
existence	O
,	O
providing	O
new	O
scope	O
for	O
building	O
a	O
shared	O
experience	O
of	O
human	O
interaction	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Benkler	O
's	O
prediction	O
has	O
not	O
become	O
entirely	O
true	O
,	O
clearly	O
communications	O
and	O
social	O
relations	O
are	O
extremely	O
complex	O
within	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
MCI	B-Application
Communications	I-Application
released	O
the	O
"	O
Anthem	O
"	O
advertisement	O
,	O
heralding	O
the	O
internet	O
as	O
a	O
utopia	O
without	O
age	O
,	O
race	O
,	O
or	O
gender	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lisa	O
Nakamura	O
argues	O
in	O
chapter	O
16	O
of	O
her	O
2002	O
book	O
After/image	O
of	O
identity	O
:	O
Gender	O
,	O
Technology	O
,	O
and	O
Identity	O
Politics	O
,	O
that	O
technology	O
gives	O
us	O
iterations	O
of	O
our	O
age	O
,	O
race	O
and	O
gender	O
in	O
virtual	B-Application
spaces	I-Application
,	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
them	O
being	O
fully	O
extinguished	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
her	O
1995	O
book	O
Life	O
on	O
the	O
Screen	O
:	O
Identity	O
in	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
she	O
argues	O
that	O
discrimination	O
is	O
easier	O
in	O
reality	B-Application
as	O
it	O
is	O
easier	O
to	O
identify	O
as	O
face	O
value	O
,	O
what	O
is	O
contrary	O
to	O
your	O
norm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
explosive	O
diffusion	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
since	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
fostered	O
the	O
proliferation	O
of	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
social	O
networking	O
services	O
and	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
may	O
synthesize	O
Web	O
2.0	O
technologies	O
with	O
the	O
community	O
,	O
and	O
therefore	O
have	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
Community	O
2.0	O
,	O
although	O
strong	O
community	O
bonds	O
have	O
been	O
forged	O
online	O
since	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
on	O
timeshare	O
systems	O
like	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
and	O
later	O
on	O
Usenet	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
depend	O
upon	O
social	O
interaction	O
and	O
exchange	O
between	O
users	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
online	B-Application
message	I-Application
board	I-Application
is	O
a	O
forum	O
where	O
people	O
can	O
discuss	O
thoughts	O
or	O
ideas	O
on	O
various	O
topics	O
or	O
simply	O
express	O
an	O
idea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
in	O
spoken	O
conversations	O
,	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
do	O
not	O
usually	O
have	O
instantaneous	O
responses	O
;	O
users	O
actively	O
go	O
to	O
the	O
website	O
to	O
check	O
for	O
responses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anyone	O
can	O
register	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
an	O
online	B-Application
message	I-Application
board	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
the	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
,	O
even	O
if	O
or	O
when	O
they	O
choose	O
not	O
to	O
contribute	O
their	O
thoughts	O
and	O
ideas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
chat	O
rooms	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
in	O
practice	O
,	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
can	O
accommodate	O
an	O
almost	O
infinite	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Internet	B-Application
message	I-Application
boards	I-Application
,	O
users	O
at	O
their	O
computers	O
are	O
alone	O
,	O
which	O
might	O
contribute	O
to	O
their	O
willingness	O
to	O
reach	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
interest	O
in	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
and	O
forums	O
,	O
people	O
started	O
to	O
want	O
a	O
way	O
of	O
communicating	O
with	O
their	O
"	O
communities	O
"	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
downside	O
to	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
was	O
that	O
people	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
wait	O
until	O
another	O
user	O
replied	O
to	O
their	O
posting	O
,	O
which	O
,	O
with	O
people	O
all	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
in	O
different	O
time	O
frames	O
,	O
could	O
take	O
a	O
while	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
development	O
by	O
CompuServe	B-Protocol
CB	I-Protocol
hosted	O
forty	O
channels	O
in	O
which	O
users	O
could	O
talk	O
to	O
one	O
another	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chat	O
rooms	O
are	O
now	O
provided	O
by	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Relay	I-Protocol
Chat	I-Protocol
(	O
IRC	B-Protocol
)	O
and	O
other	O
individual	O
websites	O
such	O
as	O
Yahoo	O
,	O
MSN	O
,	O
and	O
AOL	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
usually	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
users	O
who	O
are	O
currently	O
in	O
the	O
room	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
people	O
can	O
see	O
who	O
is	O
in	O
their	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
"	O
simulated	O
reality	B-Application
"	O
attribute	O
makes	O
it	O
easy	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
form	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
,	O
because	O
chat	O
rooms	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
get	O
to	O
know	O
one	O
another	O
as	O
if	O
they	O
were	O
meeting	O
in	O
real	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
are	O
the	O
most	O
interactive	O
of	O
all	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
forms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
type	O
of	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
,	O
people	O
are	O
connected	O
by	O
living	O
as	O
an	O
avatar	B-Application
in	O
a	O
computer-based	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
avatar	B-Application
character	O
(	O
from	O
choosing	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
outfits	O
to	O
designing	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
house	O
)	O
and	O
control	O
their	O
character	O
's	O
life	O
and	O
interactions	O
with	O
other	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
3D	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
simply	O
gives	O
users	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
build	O
and	O
operate	O
a	O
fantasy	O
life	O
in	O
the	O
virtual	O
realm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
within	O
the	O
world	O
can	O
talk	O
to	O
one	O
another	O
and	O
have	O
almost	O
the	O
same	O
interactions	O
people	O
would	O
have	O
in	O
reality	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
type	O
of	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
allows	O
for	O
people	O
to	O
not	O
only	O
hold	O
conversations	O
with	O
others	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
to	O
engage	O
and	O
interact	O
with	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
avatars	B-Application
that	O
users	O
create	O
are	O
like	O
humans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
make	O
avatars	B-Application
like	O
themselves	O
,	O
or	O
take	O
on	O
an	O
entirely	O
different	O
personality	O
than	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
characters	O
interact	O
with	O
other	O
characters	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
get	O
to	O
know	O
one	O
another	O
through	O
text-based	O
talking	O
and	O
virtual	O
experience	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
having	O
avatars	B-Application
go	O
on	O
a	O
date	O
in	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
chat	O
room	O
may	O
give	O
real-time	O
conversations	O
,	O
but	O
people	O
can	O
only	O
talk	O
to	O
one	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
,	O
characters	O
can	O
do	O
activities	O
together	O
,	O
just	O
like	O
friends	O
could	O
do	O
in	O
reality	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Communities	O
in	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
are	O
most	O
similar	O
to	O
real-life	O
communities	O
because	O
the	O
characters	O
are	O
physically	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
place	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
users	O
who	O
are	O
operating	O
the	O
characters	O
are	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Whyville	O
,	O
you	O
use	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
's	O
simulation	O
aspect	O
to	O
experiment	O
and	O
learn	O
about	O
various	O
phenomena	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
use	O
for	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
has	O
been	O
in	O
business	O
communications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Benefits	O
from	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
technology	O
such	O
as	O
photo	O
realistic	O
avatars	B-Application
and	O
positional	O
sound	O
create	O
an	O
atmosphere	O
for	O
participants	O
that	O
provides	O
a	O
less	O
fatiguing	O
sense	O
of	O
presence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zoom	B-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
popular	O
platform	O
that	O
has	O
grown	O
over	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
companies	O
are	O
creating	O
business	O
based	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
including	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
business	O
based	O
worlds	O
have	O
stricter	O
controls	O
and	O
allow	O
functionality	O
such	O
as	O
muting	O
individual	O
participants	O
,	O
desktop	O
sharing	O
,	O
or	O
access	O
lists	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
highly	O
interactive	O
and	O
controlled	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
to	O
a	O
specific	O
business	O
or	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
based	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
also	O
may	O
provide	O
various	O
enterprise	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
Single	O
Sign	O
on	O
with	O
third	O
party	O
providers	O
,	O
or	O
Content	O
Encryption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Social	O
networking	O
services	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
prominent	O
type	O
of	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
are	O
all	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
one	O
can	O
upload	O
photos	O
and	O
videos	O
,	O
chat	O
,	O
make	O
friends	O
,	O
reconnect	O
with	O
old	O
ones	O
,	O
and	O
join	O
groups	O
or	O
causes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Participatory	O
culture	O
plays	O
a	O
large	O
role	O
in	O
online	O
and	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Howard	O
Rheingold	O
's	O
Virtual	B-Architecture
Community	I-Architecture
could	O
be	O
compared	O
with	O
Mark	O
Granovetter	O
's	O
ground-breaking	O
"	O
strength	O
of	O
weak	O
ties	O
"	O
article	O
published	O
twenty	O
years	O
earlier	O
in	O
the	O
American	O
Journal	O
of	O
Sociology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rheingold	O
translated	O
,	O
practiced	O
and	O
published	O
Granovetter	O
's	O
conjectures	O
about	O
strong	O
and	O
weak	O
ties	O
in	O
the	O
online	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indeed	O
,	O
in	O
his	O
revised	O
version	O
of	O
Virtual	B-Architecture
Community	I-Architecture
,	O
Rheingold	O
goes	O
so	O
far	O
to	O
say	O
that	O
had	O
he	O
read	O
Barry	O
Wellman	O
's	O
work	O
earlier	O
,	O
he	O
would	O
have	O
called	O
his	O
book	O
"	O
online	O
social	O
networks	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lipnack	O
&	O
Stamps	O
(	O
1997	O
)	O
and	O
Mowshowitz	O
(	O
1997	O
)	O
point	O
out	O
how	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
can	O
work	O
across	O
space	O
,	O
time	O
and	O
organizational	O
boundaries	O
;	O
Lipnack	O
&	O
Stamps	O
(	O
1997	O
)	O
mention	O
a	O
common	O
purpose	O
;	O
and	O
Lee	O
,	O
Eom	O
,	O
Jung	O
and	O
Kim	O
(	O
2004	O
)	O
introduce	O
"	O
desocialization	O
"	O
which	O
means	O
that	O
there	O
is	O
less	O
frequent	O
interaction	O
with	O
humans	O
in	O
traditional	O
settings	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Calhoun	O
(	O
1991	O
)	O
presents	O
a	O
dystopia	B-Application
argument	O
,	O
asserting	O
the	O
impersonality	O
of	O
virtual	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
believes	O
that	O
it	O
also	O
creates	O
different	O
personalities	O
in	O
people	O
which	O
can	O
cause	O
frictions	O
in	O
offline	O
and	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
and	O
groups	O
and	O
in	O
personal	O
contacts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recently	O
,	O
Mitch	O
Parsell	O
(	O
2008	O
)	O
has	O
suggested	O
that	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
,	O
particularly	O
those	O
that	O
leverage	O
Web	O
2.0	O
resources	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
pernicious	O
by	O
leading	O
to	O
attitude	O
polarization	O
,	O
increased	O
prejudices	O
and	O
enabling	O
sick	O
individuals	O
to	O
deliberately	O
indulge	O
in	O
their	O
diseases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
offer	O
the	O
advantage	O
of	O
instant	O
information	O
exchange	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
possible	O
in	O
a	O
real-life	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
also	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
thousands	O
of	O
specific	O
discussion	O
groups	O
where	O
they	O
can	O
form	O
specialized	O
relationships	O
and	O
access	O
information	O
in	O
such	O
categories	O
as	O
:	O
politics	O
,	O
technical	O
assistance	O
,	O
social	O
activities	O
,	O
health	O
(	O
see	O
above	O
)	O
and	O
recreational	O
pleasures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
provide	O
an	O
ideal	O
medium	O
for	O
these	O
types	O
of	O
relationships	O
because	O
information	O
can	O
easily	O
be	O
posted	O
and	O
response	O
times	O
can	O
be	O
very	O
fast	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Economically	O
,	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
commercially	O
successful	O
,	O
making	O
money	O
through	O
membership	O
fees	O
,	O
subscriptions	O
,	O
usage	O
fees	O
,	O
and	O
advertising	O
commission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
also	O
provide	O
the	O
advantage	O
of	O
disintermediation	O
in	O
commercial	O
transactions	O
,	O
which	O
eliminates	O
vendors	O
and	O
connects	O
buyers	O
directly	O
to	O
suppliers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
theory	O
,	O
online	O
identities	O
can	O
be	O
kept	O
anonymous	O
which	O
enables	O
people	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
for	O
fantasy	O
role	O
playing	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
's	O
use	O
of	O
avatars	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
professionals	O
urge	O
caution	O
with	O
users	O
who	O
use	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
because	O
predators	O
also	O
frequent	O
these	O
communities	O
looking	O
for	O
victims	O
who	O
are	O
vulnerable	O
to	O
online	O
identity	O
theft	O
or	O
online	O
predators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
issues	O
still	O
surrounding	O
bullying	O
on	O
internet	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
still	O
standing	O
issues	O
with	O
gender	O
and	O
race	O
on	O
the	O
online	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
