Boyink! - Spring Forward on the Web

That said, is there a greater danger when your Web community is paralleled by a “real” community? The Web-based interaction is the one more prone to social disaster, and wouldn’t that leak over into the “real” interactions?  Full Post on Gadgetopia.com >>

The folks at Gadgetopia bring up a good question - will setting up an on-line community to parallel a “real” commmunity put the real one at risk?

From what I have seen, the risk is real but worth it.  It’s just a reality that with today’s over-worked and over-committed lifestyles, the available time to “build community” is rare to non-existent.  Online tools help that by making the community available 24x7. 

But with growth comes pain.  Any group (churches especially) implementing an online community tool needs to be ready for the inevitable clashes that will occur - I’ve seen a church discussion forum get used as a “weapon” by both sides of a couple going through a divorce, for example.  It wasn’t pretty.

But that same forum was also used by a person contemplating suicide.  It was the only way he felt comfortable reaching out for help.  He got help and is still alive because of it.

Risky? Sure.  Any relationship - online or off - comes with risk.  Worth it?  You bet.

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

1. Dean Peters on November 01, 2005

   I had this problem over at blogs4God

   Some persons, mostly Canadians, got all mad and decided to punish me personally by fragmenting the community on the whole.

2. Clay Clarkson on November 03, 2005

   I guess I question whether online community is, or even can be, truly “real.” If it is an extension of a “body and soul” existing community of real people, then its reality is in the physical group. Online, though, I think even people in fellowship can become something that they aren’t in reality. They say things they wouldn’t say because, I believe, the God-designed safeguards of P2P relationship are not there. However, if the real commuity is unified and loving, the online community probably will be, too. If it is not, then watch out. And if it is an entirely “virtual” online community, then what is “real” becomes a fluid and relative concept, and everything goes. It can be great fun, or fitfully frightening.

3. Michael Boyink (Author) on November 03, 2005

   You’re an old timer, Clay…;)

   My first thought is that for the generation growing up with the ‘net, community will just be that - community.  It will have both online and offline facets, and defining it from one perspective or the other will be meaningless.  Friends will be friends, some online, some offline, some both - but all thought of just as friends.

   Another thought - people participating in good online communities always want to meet face to face.  Gauranteed.  I’ve seen it in every online community I’ve been part of.  I myself have driven 14 hours one-way - more than once -  to spend a weekend with people I’d only met online.  I’ve read that video conferencing ends up costing companies more money, because as time goes on the people who use it to connect always end up travelling to meet face to face.  We’re human - and that desire is genetically encoded.

   The sad thing to me is that the Church is largely missing out in meeting folks online.  Online community cuts across the current church organizational structure and doesn’t “bring people in” to the existing building and programs.  And are those online people going to tithe?

   I’m proud to say I’ve been part of an excellent online community for a number of years.  I’ve seen this community support and encourage people through divorce, loss of family members and job changes.  I’ve seen donations of money being sent to a members ill family member.  I’ve seen the group come together and purchase a vehicle for another member.  I’ve seen the group celebrate marriages, anniversarys, new children, and new jobs.  In short, this community has been more of a “online church” than most churches are, and the funny thing is the community is centered around old Jeeps.

Back to Article