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INTRODUCTION:
The need for human beings to congregate into social groups has
been well documented throughout history. The earliest recorded records of
human civilization document the collective social functioning of individuals
gathering about a common interest, need or goal. Common interest continues
to draw individuals into groups and communities with diverse expressions.
While the earlier groups rallied around elements of survival such as
agriculture, military, politics and religion, today’s groups tend to be more
interest and leisure oriented. Regardless of specific interest, cause or
need, individuals seek out communities as a means of affiliating with others
of similar interest, acquiring or sharing knowledge, affirmation of belief,
and social support.
Far from the brick and mortar gathering halls of church groups and
social clubs, the introduction of the internet has added a new dimension of
social intercourse in which participants congregate in a virtual environment
and interact electronically. From hieroglyphic stone tablets of the distant
past to flirtatious rendezvous in online chat rooms in the present, the
definition of community has evolved to embrace the intangible, yet no less
functional, web based community.
The author of this study is a competitive Natural Bodybuilder,
webmaster and fitness writer; therefore, this study focuses on current
online communities in the interest of Bodybuilding, and specifically,
Natural Bodybuilding.
This study will examine the history and proliferation of web based
communities and the difference between Bodybuilding, and Natural
Bodybuilding communities. In addition, the history of web based communities,
and that of Bodybuilding, will be reviewed in order to better understand not
only the need for separate communities, but a systematic means of
implementation.
METHOD:
Data for this study is derived primarily from three sources: (1)
the writer’s personal experience as a webmaster, Natural Bodybuilder, and
participant in online communities, (2) information shared by other
webmasters who utilize web based communities as a means of promotion, (3)
review of literature both hardbound and virtual in the fields of online
communication and web based communities.
Weighed consideration is given to the depth of an authors
experience as it relates to online communities and documentation of the
same. Conclusions are derived from the writer’s personal experience and
interpretations of the literature.
FINDINGS:
Natural Bodybuilders represent a small segment of the overall
Bodybuilding community. As such, the specific interest of Natural
Bodybuilders is of little concern to the large online communities that cater
to the media driven public perception of Bodybuilders. This study is perhaps
an epitaph to the failure of a specific interest group to support its ideals
and maintain its distinctive identity. It may also serve as a guide to those
sufficiently inclined, in the creation of functional and sustainable web
based communities regardless of ones interest or agenda.
Not all web based communities are successful with many being dysfunctional
at best. Unanswered threads and deleted post clutter the internet like
litter in a vacant playground. To avoid the pitfalls of misuse and neglect,
relevant literature and practical application will be analyzed to determine
conditions conducive to creating and maintaining a successful and viable
community. With the conclusion of this study, the writer will attempt to
justify the need, or lack thereof, for establishing an online community on
his own website. |
