1 existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name. 2 used in literary criticism of a text. 3 existing in the mind, especially as a product of the imagination. 4 created, simulated, or carried on by means of a computer or computer network.

Community

1 a group of people living in one place or having same religion, ethnic origin, profession, etc. 2 commune. 3 joint ownership. 4 colony, commonwealth, country, group, nation, society, or state. 5 a social state or condition. 6 a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society

What is community? What characteristics and qualities have to be present for a virtual community to exist? Is a chat room or a bulletin board system a community? These are all questions that are raised when the two words "virtual" and "community" are put together.

In his article, Spirit of Community Howard Rheingold- Meet Amitai Hzioni, Roger Scime condenses the characteristics that writers Amitai Etziioni, James Fishlan, and Evan Schwartz have asserted are necessary criteria for a community. They include shared interests, shared values, caring and nurturing discourse, and a moral voice.Rheingold also adds that, “virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the ‘Net when enough people carry on public discussions long enough, with sufficient human felling, to for webs of personal relationships in cyberspace.”

Others like Quentin Jones, professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, add other requirements, including a minimal level of interactivity. He states that community members must communicate in a back and forth manner with interactive, two-way information exchange. Later communications have to take into account previous communications and how the community members received them, thus forming meaningful and interactive conversations. This requirement automatically excludes email lists and database interactions from the "virtual community" category. Related to this criterion is Jones’ next requirement, a variety of communicators. In his work, Jones states that there must be more than two contributors before a community can be formed.

Another one of Jones’ criteria is a common public space where a significant portion of the community Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) occurs.Jones argues that cyber communities are, “social relationships forged in cyberspace through repeated contact with a specific boundary or place (e.g. a conference or chat line) that is symbolically delineated by topic of interest."

Characteristics of Virtual Communities:

• Shared interests
• Shared values
• Caring and nurturing discourse
• A moral voice
• Interactive information exchange that takes into account previous communications
• A common meeting place
• More than two communicators