Is our class a community?

After spending a semester of studying community together, the next big question is if our class is a community. After working on the final project for English, I was convinced that our class is a community. The reason the final project was so significant to me was because the assignment displayed the strength of our unity and trust in one another.

Within my subgroup, we would interact and consult each other for suggestions and ideas for our project. We would meet frequently to work on the project together, but I was surprised by how relieved I felt and how much I enjoyed spending time with these people. One of the key components to a community is the level of trust the members share with one another. We trusted each other’s ability to produce high quality work and trusted in each other’s suggestions and decisions. By showing a high level of faith, our bonds grew and as a result, the quality of the group grew. We felt more comfortable around each other, allowing us to joke and transform the meetings and work into something pleasurable. However, this trust was not just limited to my group, but to the whole class. We would frequently have peers review our work and help each other out in order to earn a high grade. The project demonstrated that when things got difficult, we choose to work together than work apart, a characteristic I believe sets us apart from any normal group.

As the deadline for the final project approached, our classroom became less worried about the project and more worried about maintaining communication over the break and following semesters. The class utilizes online social networking like Facebook or AIM, cellular phones, and face-to-face communication in order to remain in contact. Because the class desires to branch out of the classroom and have everybody exist in their day-to-day lives, this helped confirm that our class is a community.

Typically, when the semester is over, a student walks away with one or two friends. However, in this case, I can honestly say that I will walk away with every student in the class because I experience a bond that transcends beyond anything normal. I know that majority of the classroom feels the same way too, which is why I our class is a community.

Embodied Group, is it Really a Community?

The embodied group I participate in transcends normal bonds and friendships. The bonds and trust we share with each other is practically beyond anything else I’ve experienced in life. Even though my community exists online, I believe my group meets all the criteria’s necessary to be considered a community.

Members constantly interact with other members, increasing everyone’s familiarity with one another. When members log onto World of Warcraft, they consistently choose to play and communicate with other community members because they feel safe interacting with each other. The reason members feel safe in confiding problems and struggles with other members is because our community upholds a high level of trust, an essential component to bond strength. Since practically all members maintain a positive and open environment, the community is able to increase its unity every day.

Another reason I believe my embodied group is a community is because it utilizes different modes of communication, permitting the group to grow into a community. As a virtual community, forming a tight-knit bond may be more difficult in comparison to a real-life community. Usually, people playing World of Warcraft are not capable of meeting with each other in real-life due to geographical differences, introducing issues that may inhibit players from forming strong bonds. However, our community utilizes several modes of communication, allowing my community to be even stronger. We are able to communicate via microphone, video chat, and chat room. Because we are unbounded by geography and have a complete set of tools for communication, we are able to recruit stronger and more dedicated members across the globe while maintaining the reassurance a real-life encounter would provide.

The large array of members spanning from continent to continent allows our community to be more diverse and accepting of others. This introduces the controversial issue over inclusivity and exclusivity. In my opinion, I believe a community should be inclusive dominant because it shows the community is open to a wider variety of people. Rather than be a strict, small group of people, I believe a community should have the strength to take a diverse set of people in, allowing for variety and slight difference of opinion within the community, rather than a homogeneous set of opinions and ideals. The purpose of allowing a slight difference of opinion is to avoid a conflict of radical interests, such as having a radical believer constantly preach to every member about how the path of their belief is the absolute right way.

Since members in my group maintain a high level of interaction, have exceedingly strong bonds, utilize various modes of communication, and are dominantly inclusive, I believe my embodied group is a community.

Crime and Born-digital Groups

The online group I participate in has several methods of dealing with crime. The most effective method is the use of terms and policies that all participants are subjected to agree to in order to gain access to the online group. The establishment of rules and punishments allows for a fair and effective way of maintaining order and peace within the online group. One of the most trifling issues with the Mr. Bungle case in A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society by Julian Dibbell is that there “were no explicit MOO rules against rape, or against just about anything else” (105). In this account, Mr. Bungle maliciously raped and exploited other characters in the virtual world of LambdaMOO. However, there was controversy about whether he was able to be punished due to the lack of policies against misconduct online. In World of Warcraft, they circumvent this issue by establishing rules against misconduct under the supervision of Game Masters, or employees that respond to any type of exploitation and assess the situation accordingly. Contrary to explicitly stating rule after rule for different situations, they provide a general policy against misconduct, making the rule more versatile and applicable to different situations.

I believe this method is fair because I am able to enjoy my participation in this online group without fear of grotesque behavior, crime, and misconduct. I have participated in this online community for about 5 years and have never encountered an issue with crime that could not be dealt with. Although it may sound like an absolute method of carrying out rules against crime, every accused member is entitled to defend themselves. Since Game Masters are able to review past history and actions, they are able to justify their decisions with concrete information. In addition, Game Masters often refer to the general community when considering decisions or establishing policies. As a result, the community actually takes the leading role in how the Game Masters function and establish policies.

Works Cited

Dibbell, Julian. “A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society.” The Village Voice. 21 Dec. 1993: 98-114. Rpt. In High Noon on the Electronic Frontier. Ed. P. Ludlow. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1996. 375-96.

Individuality and Conformity

Hotel Rwanda and community

The Hutu before they commenced the genocide of the Tutsi.

Paul Rusesabagina communicating with his family and other community members before recognizing the severity of the genocide.

Paul Rusesabagina embracing his family after a Hutu attack on the hotel. Shows the level of togetherness members, the family in particular, share with one another.

Paul Rusesabagina sheltering and caring for more Tutsi. Portrays the degree of acceptance the community has for other people.

Paul Rusesabagina risking his own life to protect a refugee from certain death. Greatly displays the strength of the community's bond.

Paul Rusesabagina, manager of the hotel, sheltering hundreds of members in his newly adopted community from the Hutu attacks.

Communication, communion, acceptance, and working towards a common goal; all of which are shown by the Tutsi community of Hotel Rwanda as they try to overcome the relentless attacks from the Hutu.

Works Cited

Hotel Rwanda, BH Impact. Digital image. Star Pulse. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Hotel_Rwanda/gallery/HotelRwanda-BH-08/.

Hotel Rwanda, BH Impact. Digital image. Star Pulse. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Hotel_Rwanda/gallery/HotelRwanda-BH-09/.

Hutu parading through Rwanda. Digital image. AllMoviePhoto.com. UGO. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2004_hotel_rwanda_003.html.

Paul Paul (DON CHEADLE), his wife, Tatiana (SOPHIE OKONEDO), their children, and their neighbors are forced from their homes by the Interhamwe Army. Digital image. HollywoodJesus.com. HollywoodJesus, Inc. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://hollywoodjesus.com/movie/hotel_rwanda/13.jpg.

Paul (DON CHEADLE) and his family are reunited after being separated. Digital image. HollywoodJesus.com. HollywoodJesus, Inc. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://hollywoodjesus.com/movie/hotel_rwanda/17.jpg.

Paul (DON CHEADLE) risks his own life to shield Tutsi refugees from certain death. Digital image. HollywoodJesus.com. HollywoodJesus, Inc. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/movie/hotel_rwanda/18.jpg.

New Revolutionary Computer Technology

Works Cited

"Internet Usage Statistics for the Americas." Internet World Stats. 30 June 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2009. http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats2.htm.

Is community service important to the local community?

It is necessary for local communities to find ways to improve themselves, whether it is their level of communication or communion, or the lives of others. Often times, this is done through community service, where members get together to accomplish a goal that effects the environment around them in a positive way.

The Pacific McGeorge’s Community got together to bring gifts to children that are parent-less or in poverty for Christmas. They engaged in a selfless goal with the intention of improving the lives of others. Community service does not always have to revolve around the community because any positive act or contribution will always reflect positively back to the community.

The members of The Fund for Children of The Philadelphia Foundation built a playground for Logan Elementary School. Projects like this provide a place for people and members to bring their children to play. By establishing safe and friendly areas, more opportunities are available for members to come together and grow stronger through more face-to-face interaction.

Another way community service can improve local communities is through cleaning up the environment. Activities like this inadvertently improve local communities because it makes the community look more appealing to members and non-members, as well as augment its safety. Trash can be harmful to children and animals, limiting the potential of the area in and around the community.

In this picture, Georgia Tech community members (myself included) are picking up trash around all the residence halls in East Campus. Through a simple act of cleaning the campus, we underwent several improvements that we can use to give back to our community. We got to know each other better, strengthened our unity, and provided something positive for our local community. Even though our project was smaller in comparison to the projects above, we still exemplified the importance of community service to a local community.

Works Cited

2008 Sea Turtle Conservation Program Activity. Digital image. National Park Service: U.S. Department of Interior. Alternative Spring Break program. 4 Oct. 2009. http://www.nps.gov/bisc/naturescience/2008-sea-turtle-nesting-activity.htm.

Cemetery Creek / Salmon Park Habitat Restoration. Digital image. City of Bellingham Washington. 4 Oct. 2009. http://www.cob.org/services/environment/restoration/cemetery-creek.aspx.

Logan Elementary School. Digital image. Keystone Mercy Health Plan. The Fund for Children of the Philadelphia Foundation. 04 Oct. 2009. http://www.keystonemercy.com/community/playgrounds/2008/logan_elementary.aspx.

Pacific McGeorge in the Community. Digital image. University of the Pacific. Pacific McGeorge’s Community Relations Committee. 4 Oct. 2009. http://www.mcgeorge.edu/Civic_Legal_and_Public_Agencies/Pacific_McGeorge_in_the_Community/Community_Relations_Committee.htm.