Community Building Strategies

            
            Virtual communities function similarly to offline communities.  Of course, there are new challenges and possibilities for virtual communities that are not encountered in traditional community building.  In her book, Community Building on the Web, author Amy Jo Kim organizes the characteristics of successful and sustainable virtual communities design strategies described below.  These strategies act as the foundation and structure on which community can be built.      

             Ultima Online is a fantasy role playing game created by Origin Systems.  This virtual game would boasts a community of 1000's of players world wide.  Ultima Online makes use of all of Kim's suggestions and it is an excellent example of a successful and sustainable virtual communities

            According to Origin Systems,  "Ultima Online is the Internet’s premiere virtual world. It’s a role-playing game you access through a Web connection. You choose your own virtual life and immerse yourself into the mystical, medieval world of Britannia, where you have an unprecedented degree of freedom to shape your own destiny. You actually become a part of the epic saga that unfolds on a daily basis."

            For more information on Multi-User Dungeons (MUD), like Ultima Online, read Multi-User Dungeons and Alternate Identities a chapter from Howard Rheingold's book The Virtual Community.

1.  Create a plan and articulate your purpose

            Kim’s first strategy begins with a clear plan.  She suggests that a community planner start by defining and articulating their purpose.  Ask some basic questions. Why am I building this community?  What needs will it fulfill?  Who will take part in this community?

            As a community grows it can change in unexpected ways as the needs of the members shift and mature.  A successful community will help to fill these changing needs and will keep its members coming back.  Clarifying the goals of the community while allowing room for growth is crucial.  As a basic rule, members will actively take part in a community that fills a need or desire that cannot or is not met somewhere else.  There are a variety of different types of communities, geographic, demographic, topical, or activity based, just to name a few.  While appearing very different on the outside they all maintain their member base by understanding and meeting the needs of their members.

            The gaming company Origin Systems, created the Ultima Online website originally as a marketing tool involved in launching the online fantasy game.  Overtime, Origin Systems felt that the site needed to be reevaluated and updated to better serve their customers.  When the goals and needs of Origin Systems and their consumers changed the site was redesigned.  A new community focus was added to the site. The community section of the Ultima Online website now includes the latest gaming news, a calendar of upcoming real-time events in the game, links to player run organizations called guilds, newsletters, and information on upcoming luncheons where players come together in "real life" to meet in person and socialize.

2.  Build Flexible and extensible gathering places

            Secondly, Kim states that virtual communities need flexible, extensible gathering places.  Offline, as well as online communities, require places where members can get together to talk, exchange ideas, and socialize.  While offline gathering places include locations such as the local sports arena, church or coffee shop, online communities exist in virtual spaces like chat rooms, virtual worlds, websites, and message boards.

            Gathering places are the locations at which people get to know each other.  Each type of gathering space has its advantages and limitations.  For example, using a message board or newsgroup gathering place is useful for encouraging a sense of place and history while fostering in-depth conversations.  On the other hand, chat rooms provide live real-time interactions allowing people to hold live events and  participate in instant communication.

            Ultima Online takes advantage of a combination of online gathering places. To connect its large community of players, message board systems give members the opportunity to post questions and information about the gaming news and online events.  While playing the game characters interact within a multiplayer game world.  Characters can view each other and can also chat through an Internet Relay Chat type system, allowing them through a simple code system to whisper, yell, or just talk to those around them.
 

            Above on the left is a map of the Ultima Online world, Britannia, showing its various towns and islands.  Within each of the towns there are establishments including, shops, libraries, theaters, castles, and taverns.  On the right is a aerial screen-shot of two players in a castle.

3.  Create meaningful member profiles             Creating meaningful and evolving member profiles is also key to developing community.  Establishing a personal and unique identity is more difficult through online interactions than through face-to-face situations.  Online interactions rarely allow the communicating parties to see each other’s gestures or facial expressions or hear the subtle voice inflections that are an integral part of communication.  That is where member profiles come in.  Member profiles help to fill in this information gap and allow individuals some sense of who the other people that they are interacting with are.  Profiles tend to contain information that members have to say about themselves, for example, their name or interests.  Profiles can be used to show community involvement by displaying an individual's contributions or length of community  membership.  Member profiles can range from simple, fact based information lists to dynamic and highly detailed profiles of a member’s online identity.	TUR Member Profile Character name: Amairgin  E-mail address: N/A  ICQ: N/A  Other characters: Ebber Finn and Mog Roith  Profile added: 05-10-2000  Profile last updated/changed: 05-10-2000 A true romantic (or so I'm told), born in the mines of minoc I learned to mine at an early age, the only profitable skill I still have. I eventually learned the art of the sword and devoted a great deal of time to slaying the monsters of northern Britannia then one day (out of the blue) a man approached and offered an opportunity to live out my golden years in a setting quite fitting an Irishman like myself.....behind the bar of the dragons roost tavern. Nowadays I enjoy servin drinks to the locals and chasin the ladies. As always, at yer service Amairgin, tur innkeeper
Ultima Online allows players to gain insight into each other’s characters by providing complex and evolving personal profiles.  These profiles reveal the character’s status in the game, their tendencies, their belongings, as well as their levels of strength, dexterity, and intelligence. A visual representation, or avatar, of the character displays the character's profession, reputation, and skill level.             Avatars are useful in creating online personas.  They give a member the tools to invent a visual representation of who they are or their character is.  Ultima Online gives members the opportunity to choose their avatar’s clothing, sex, hair and skin color.  Members also chose a home location, a city or area that their avatar calls home.  Together the profile of personal information, the physical appearance, and the home location give the character a sense of history and identity that is available for other players to view.  Some players choose to share information about their lives outside of the online community through expanded personal profiles and web pages accessible through Ultima Online’s home page.
The Glorious Lady EJA THORIS Little Red Hen Info includes logins with this character before: Feb 27 2002 6:23PM Strength: 83  Dexterity: 42 Intelligence: 100  Skill Total: 700 Stat Total: 225  Gender: Female Short Term Murder Count: 0  (Note: Murderer's reputation and coloring is determined by several means in addition to short term count)	Guild    The UnRuled SKILLS Grandmaster: Archery 100  Grandmaster: Tactics 100  Evaluating Intelligence 94.4  Meditation 92.7  Anatomy 81.5  Resisting Spells 73.3  Wrestling 58.1

            Above are two member profiles of Ultima Online players.  The first profile, for Amairgin, is from the The Unruled guild homepage, which is linked to the Ultima Online site.  The second profile, for Deja Thoris, is located under the community section of the Ultima Online homepage.
 

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