BOOKS ABOUT ONLINE COMMUNITY
Communities in Cyberspace
by Marc A. Smith and Peter Kollock
Editors Smith and Kollock have gathered contributors with a variety of viewpoints to examine both the "legitimacy" of community in cyberspace and to question how it operates. While the authors do conclude that communities in cyberspace are real communities, they explore the sometimes surprising ways in which cybercommunities differ from their geographically based counterparts. $33.95
SmartMobs: The Next Social Revolution
by Howard Rheingold
Smart Mobs takes us on a journey around the world for a preview of the next techno-cultural shift. The coming wave, says Rheingold, is the result of super-efficient mobile communications-cellular phones, wireless-paging, and Internet-access devices-that will allow us to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere. Rheingold offers a penetrating perspective on the new convergence of pop culture, cutting-edge technology, and social activism. He also reminds us that the real impact of mobile communications will come not from the technology itself but from how people use it, resist it, and adapt to it. $10.88
The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier
by Howard Rheingold
Howard Rheingold has been called the First Citizen of the Internet. In this book he tours the "virtual community" of online networking. He describes a community that is as real and as much a mixed bag as any physical community -- one where people talk, argue, seek information, organize politically, fall in love, and dupe others. At the same time that he tells moving stories about people who have received online emotional support during devastating illnesses, he acknowledges a darker side to people's behavior in cyberspace. Indeed, contends Rheingold, people relate to each other online much the same as they do in physical communities. $28.00
Design for Community: The Art of Connecting Real People in Virtual Places
by Derek M. Powazek
Communities are part of all successful web sites in one way or another. This book looks at the different stages that must be understood. Philosophy: Why does your site need community? What are your measures of success? Architecture: How do you set up a site to create a positive experience? How do you coax people out of their shells and get them to share their experiences online? Design: From color choice to HTML, how do you design the look of a community area? $20.40
I believe that the internet provides today's church with a historic opportunity .... to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love in ways which could only have been imagined in times past. The objective of this website is to explore the various ways in which today's technology can be used to spread the gospel around the world.
