Introduction

 
           Community plays an important role in the lives of most individuals, yet there is a growing tendency for people to become disconnected from traditional forms of community based around neighborhoods, family ties, and religious organizations. With this change, people are seeking new forms of community, including virtual communities to meet their social, religious, political, recreational, and business related needs. With the development of virtual communities through the Internet, more emphasis is being directed towards examining the concept of community, what it is, how it is built, and its implications.

Most researchers believe that community can exist via the Internet, but there are a few who disagree and think that computer mediated communication (CMC) does not provide all the necessary tools to create community, including geographic closeness and a common history. Others, like Evan Schwartz, are convinced that "for many people the choice seems to be between a very good simulation of community and no community at all: that choice makes virtual community look attractive indeed." Despite its limitations, Schwartz acknowledges that virtual community is a significant factor in many people's lives.

While accepting that not all CMC can be grouped under the heading “community ,” I agree with the majority of researchers and believe that it is possible to create and maintain community in cyberspace. In this site I have examined some of the questions and answers that virtual communities are raising.