CommunitiesThe Evolution and Nature of Community Groups

Gillian Muessig | Founding President

World’s most popular provider of search marketing software

Cosmic cluster

Look for patterns in clusters

Single cell cluster

See the patterns?

Aspen tree cluster

Many tree tops; single root structure

Coral cluster

Endangered community

Fish cluster

School of fish

Bird cluster

Flock of herons

Human cluster

Human communities

Human cluster

Obama inauguration day 2009

Clusters ≠ Communities

Interest Groups

Interest Group

Girl Scouts

Brand “community” (group)

Harley Davidson

Gaming “community” (group)

World of Warcraft – Second Life - others

Industry Community

American Medical Association

Event Community

EmMeCon

Tech Corporate Community

SEOmoz Community

Political Community

Third Reich

Social Community Platforms

Anthropology of Communities

•Shared Values•Shared Goals•Shared Experience

It’s not about your product

Live trumps online

The nature of communities

Human communication learning

The nature of communities

Shared Values

Shared Goals

Shared Experience

People - Personas

Faster

Online communities “happen” faster

Reformation

Online communities are reforming global and local power relationships

Communities in context

Online communities operate in the context of the social & political worlds in which they are developed

Reformation

Online communities are not exempt from the rules and norms of the world

Rise of Global Network Governance

The rise of Global Network Governance is a process…

•Shaped by states, but not controlled by them•Shaped by corporations, individuals, non-governmental organizations, and other groups

Rise of Global Network Governance

So far, no entity trumps the others

•Realists claim the State holds the trump card•Marxists claim that it Capital is in the driver’s seat

Rise of Global Network Governance

History shows ultimately it is the People who are in charge and new connective technologies only increase their power and ability to organize collective action

“Panarchy: Governance in the Network Age” - Paul Hartzog

Rise of Global Network Governance

Perspective

Online communities are not the scourge of the earth

Perspective

They help isolated people to connect

Perspective

Social communities connect disparate cultures

Perspective

They support the grieving

Perspective

Enable us to share our interests

Perspective

And like fire, social communities require vigilance and care in handling

@SEOmom

www.seomoz.org/blog

gillian@seomoz.org

http://mz.cm/zD1ENt