This site does qualify as a virtual community because there are forums for the users to discuss any topics they want and respond to other user's posts. They have the same interest because they have become members on the site. As a potential "third place" this site is a neutral, public space and it allows members to get their opinions in, in a conversational manner that is playful. It seems like the elders of the site would just be site moderators. There is a forum for users to leave their feedback and support and I imagine this is where users could leave complaints because next to specific forums and comments I could not find a specific button to report individual posts and comments. The site makes money through advertising because it promotes movies and TV shows.
I did not have any interaction with other users because while I did read some of the forums I found them confusing to navigate through and thought that the organization when looking at posts and comments was difficult to follow. This is the only reason, if they were better organized than I would have been more inclined and wanting to interact with other users.
Hey Caitlin! I totally agree that this site qualifies as a virtual community. I pointed out the same points and the fact there is a nice button that says community clearly points out that some form of community exists.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, the forums were unnecessarily confusing. Something more akin to a more "traditional" forum would have been best. Despite that complaint, there IS still a lot of interaction going on which is public, so I guess the format of the forum doesn't make HSX any less or more of a community -- as long as people are still using it.
ReplyDeleteTrue! Format "contributes" to community but isn't always the "determinant" of community.
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