I never really got involved in virtual communities until I started graduate school at Dominican in 2007 and also started working at my current job at Train Signal. Before that, I was always at the edge of the circle, as Nessbaum-Beach put it “lurking,” reading and paying attention but not actively participating. But all that changed with Library school and my job at a tech company. This is when I started to participate in discussions on blogs, instead of just reading the comments; posting questions and answers in forums, instead of scanning for information; and making friends with complete strangers, instead of hiding in the shadows.

What I was surprised to find, is how fun and exciting it can be to be a part of a virtual community. I was always interested in the conversation, but for whatever reason (fear? lack of knowledge?) I never participated. Once I got involved in the consumer phase and started enjoying being a commenter on my favorite sites and blogs, I began contributing, although I’m still not sure how confident I am in this area. I guess it just takes time for everyone to get comfortable with the whole idea; some people only need a minute before diving head first, while others (like me) are more hesitant and uncertain.

Image from Virtual Communities

How will virtual communities impact libraries and the field of information science?

This is something I tried to keep in mind while reading through the resources on this topic. We know that virtual communities will continue to play an important role in libraries. What our goal should be now is to figure out how to foster that community atmosphere and turn it into something positive and beneficial for libraries. I liked Nessbaum-Beach’s tips on creating a healthy online community, such as:

• “Have the philosophy that everyone is a leader.”
• “Community organizers should view their role as part of the community, not feel they own it.”
• “Ranking should be made on the value of the contribution, not the number of times you post.”

These are just a few of the practical pointers from her post, but I think they can make a positive difference for libraries that need help developing their own virtual communities.