Boyink! - Spring Forward on the Web

In the online world, there is no need to be neighborly, hospitable, or generous—not just because you can’t be held accountable, but because it is not possible. The “community” is not physically held together, and the mode of interaction precludes acts of meaningful self-denial.
Full Chuck Colson Article >>

Spoken by someone who has obviously never been part of an active online community.  I’m not sure exactly what “meaningful self-denial” is, but certainly members of an online community can be “neighborly, hospitable, and generous”. 

In fact, I’ll cut and paste some actual examples from an online community that I’m part of - the Early CJ5 site, a place where owners of old Jeeps hang out.  These are from actual posts, with names and email addresses left out.

Neighborly/Hospitable:
hi guys, just brought home my first early 5 , a 68 cj-5 w/ the v-6 yeah i’m a noob to the early jeeps and this jeep is a basket case. the guy started to restore the jeep and gave up. so i got a new tub, and a rolling chassie. get ready for some ???
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Sounds Great! Got any pics?? Also fill out your profile so everyone knows you arent a stanger.
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Welcome from central Florida. Yeah, let us know where you’re at. You got questions, here’s where you’ll get your answers.
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Welcome from Oklahoma. I will help with what I can!!
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Allright! Another basket case. Welcome from Florida. I just started my resto too.
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Generous:
I need some help moving the forum around.

I’m on dialup here and won’t be back in my office until Monday.

I’d like to do the big move for the page this week while I have time to tinker and get stuff straightened out.

So right now I need to download the tables from this forum and reupload them into the Nuke database. That’s not going to happen with dial up!!!!

Anybody able to help a brother out?
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I got Cable at home, but that is about it, i could set it up to load all night.
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Sent you a PM. I’d be glad to help if I can. Don’t know Nuke, but I can SQL like the wind.
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I’ve worked with postnuke before, am good with linux and on a cable modem. Even done some SQL, but I’m no Bob. Let me know if I can help.
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I could go all day posting more examples - members of this community show their generosity in many ways - donating time, talents, giving away hard-to-find Jeep parts, passing on leads for work, advice on home-buying, retiring, becoming a new father, and so much more - even donating money to help buy a plane ticket for one member to attend a trail ride.

Sorry Mr. Colson, on this issue you are dead wrong, and quite possibly showing your age - online communities can be all that and more.  The modern church better figure out how to both use online communities and appeal to people for whom these communities are the primary way to interact.

Comments are closed, but you can read the comments other people left.

1. sparky on January 01, 2004

   Glad you’ve Early CJ-5.com to use as good examples Mike!

2. Dave J. on January 05, 2004

   I think this article suffers from lack of details and definitions, and Chuck’s dependance on one book as a source.

   The kernel of truth to ponder is at the end: “only a real community—one based on shared space, not just interests—can teach us how to live with people who are different from us.”

   Sure, you can help out a fellow with a CJ-5, but what about others with IH trucks or AMC Hornets?  Isn’t the CJ5 group more of a ‘club’ than a ‘community’?

   (And how do we geeks get a socialologist to get involved in this discussion?)

3. Michael Boyink (Author) on January 05, 2004

   Websters Definition of Community is:
   1 : a unified body of individuals: as a : STATE, COMMONWEALTH b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself <the problems of a large community> c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society <a community of retired persons> e : a group linked by a common policy f : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests <the international community> g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society <the academic community>

   Personally, I think the internet has redefined community, adding “cyberspace” where Websters talks about “particular area”, or Chucks notion of shared space.  This is one of the key points I think Chuck isn’t seeing - that geographical bounds can be overcome on the ‘net.

   I think less about the definition of community than the benefits - and the CJ5 board has trancended just being able to talk and help out around issues directly related to Jeeps.  I mentioned a few of the discussions we’ve had that weren’t directly Jeep-related - fatherhood, relationships with parents, alchohol additions, home buying, tool buying, ideas for Mens Ministries at church, etc.
   
   So yes, others with “IH trucks or AMC Hornets” could find community.  We have at least one or two active members that don’t happen to own an Early CJ5 or CJ6, so it can be done.

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