Virtual Communities

The virtual community is a living, breathing, thriving entity, the
same as any city on physical Earth. It has all the earmarkings of it.
I'm included in a society such as these. Consider this:

First, we had a person with a great idea for a place where people could
bond as citizens together while creating. That person, the community
founder, forms the base government (Community Manager). This person
opens it up and welcomes others to come; the land of milk and honey
awaits them! New citizens arrive; first just a few, and then in droves,
looking for the new homeland (members join). Soon there is talk of the
new community and as the population grows, the place is put on a map,
and the news flies like wildfire as potential citizens flock to it
(cool site status).

It doesn't take long before there are so many citizens that the founder
can no longer accommodate them all, alone. So the founder then hires
law enforcement and counselors (Assistant Managers) to help keep things
fair. These new hires deal with all walks of life that enter the
community; the town drunks and vandals (flamers and rule-breakers),
thieves (plageurists and copyright stealers), imposters (previously
banned members), predators (hackers, and flamers again), and then
there's the used car salesman (link posters).

To make sure everyone knows what they know, there's the reporters
(email tattlers) but all can rest assured that the gossipers will
thoroughly hash it over privately (on IM). Some of the reporters may
even write articles on whatever the report is, but most likely they'll
just report.

Not immune to the reporters and gossips, are the lovers; the true
ever-lasting loves, the gay couples, the dirty talkers and heavy
breathers, and also the love triangles and biangles, and even the
cheating and jealousy that's so easy to commit and hide. Nobody will
talk openly about them, so the reporters and gossips have job
security.

Anytime the community gathers in one place, there will be squabbles
over style, freedom of expression, and there will be great sensitivity
in general. Most of these squabbles are settled by the Elders and
Professors of the community; those who have learned, lived and loved
long enough to feel compassion and understanding for the upsets. They
share their wisdom, which is sucked up like a sponge by the eager teens
and novices that flock to it.

There are also the Dear Abby types, who counsel all with their personal
experience, and sometimes they may seem to 'gang up' on a young rebel.
These young rebels reveal parts of themselves that nobody else would
dare to, and they do it boldly and without shame. Some will shun them
for it, but most people learn to accept them for who they are, and few
will comment.

And, we can't forget the athletes; they crank out productive works like
water running from a faucet, and it's all worthy of an audience. There
are the religious order-ers, and sometimes they leave their mark with a
bit of worship.

There's the occasional daughter or grandchild that becomes the topic of
conversation and pride, and everyone enjoys them in the community
square. There's the tourists and voyers that come through, take a
look-see, and then move on, and then there's also the critics who never
contribute to the society, and nobody knows where they got their
expertise, but they'll tell everyone else what their problem is. You
cannot have a community without these important people; it's an
unwritten rule.

There's a place commonly known as Hell, and it can be found on a dusty
shelf or in a trash recepticle, only in real time.

And, there's even a library (file cabinet). Nourishment coming from the
grocery (message boards), where all can be fulfilled in one way or
another, and even find a place to mend our ills.

Without all of these components (and others that I lacked to mention),
the community would be nothing but a place to pass through, like a gas
station. Just enough to get you back on your way again and then left
behind and forgotten.

I like being a part of the community, and that I know most of the
folks, and that there are perfectly human goings on, making me all the
more 'normal' as I reside there. I like walking through the streets
(threads), finding new experiences and making new acquaintances and
life-long friends. I like that I can speak my mind, and that those who
care to comment will, and those who don't, simply won't. I like that
there is someone watching over the community for the benefit of all the
residents, tourists and transients alike. It's where I go when the
physical community I live in is slow, or when I need a pick-me-up. It's
where I go to find my entertainment, and reveal my sorrows and release
my contempt.

I'll bet even my dog would like it in a virtual community, and he's
pretty picky about who he lives with. But then, he has so much reality
to deal with as it is......