[MUD-Dev] UO rants

[Brad Wyble]

[Dave Rickey wrote]
>     I *really* hate that "virtual" in front of "community".  It's *not* a
> second class community.  It's not "not real".  A community is simply a
> common illusion in the first place, you can have towns of 20,000 that are
> tight-knit communities and densely packed 200-unit apartment complexes that
> *aren't*.  They have only an incidental connection with geography under any
> circumstances.
> 
>     If people act like they are members of a community, a community exists.
> Period.  Focusing on how "virtual communities" differ from "real
> communities" keeps us from really seeing what they have in common, and that
> they are in fact, both equally real.  Virtual vs. Real is a false dichotomy,
> in 20 years few will understand why anybody ever felt the need to
> differentiate "real life" and "online" relationships.
> 
> --Dave Rickey
> 

There are very real differences between face to face and "virtual
communities".  People behave very differently in the two circumstances and
I think it is a mistake to ignore that difference through nomenclature.  

I think the word "virtual" is a bad choice though, indicating an
artificial community of some kind.  Would you be happy with "online
communities"?

-Brad Wyble







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