community

On the Internet, a community or online community is a virtual community of Internet users. The members of a virtual community usually have the same areas of interest, communicate via the Internet and contribute their knowledge, opinions and experience to the online community. Communication takes place via newsgroups, chats, discussion forums, mailing lists, weblogs or vlogs.

Online communities are online platforms in which community members can contribute. They may be information platforms where any member can post topics for discussion. In other communities, only selected community members can suggest topics, for example via a weblog or bulletin board system. The possibilities for community members are much more extensive than those for weblogs.

The virtual community conveys a sense of community and has added value for all community participants: they have a better exchange of experiences and receive more information on specific topics.

Social communities are a characteristic feature of social networks in Web 2.0. In addition to the many social forums, there are also corporate communities or business communities through which employees are integrated into business or production workflows. There are geographically oriented communities that address the local issues of cities or communities, demographically oriented communities that address social and demographic trends, and of course an infinite variety of communities for sports, religion, general hobbies, or travel.

Unlike online communities, offline communities are not virtual but real.