Community Building On the Web

Chapter Two. PLACES: Bringing People Together

All communities need gathering places. Think of the corner pub, the office lunchroom, the neighborhood bookstore, the local hobby shop, the village church, that hip downtown music club—all places where people can gather into groups.

On the Web, a gathering place can be a mailing list, a discussion topic, a chat room, a multiplayer game, a virtual world, a web site, or some combination of these spaces. To build a successful community, you’ll want to set up gathering places that reinforce your purpose and meet the needs of your target audience. To accommodate growth, you’ll need to start small and let ...