Online Communities

The Internet is a social as well as technical phenomenon and at its current stage of development, people are still hungry to learn more about effective methods for "communicating" over the net. The design tools available to web developers are the enabling technologies, and the impact of one upon the other is the territory of this book. The purpose of the book is to set up a framework for discussions on social and technical issues of online communities. Designing usability and supporting sociability lays a solid foundation on which online communities can grow and thrive. Intended for both students and computer professionals, the book addresses the development of new online communities as well as the improvement of existing ones. It is divided into two parts - Getting Acquainted with Online Communities and Developing Online Communities - along with a preface and a concluding chapter which explores the future of online communities. For sample chapters and other resources, please check out the web site for the book at www.ifsm.umbc.edu/onlinecommunities.