ABSTRACT
The term “online community” is becoming increasingly popular. With the growth of the Internet, millions of people are taking part in online communities. Businesses are trying to build online communities to sell their products. Support communities are growing for people with similar illnesses or circumstances. Hobbyists are getting online and taking part in communities. Building an online community does not consist of merely placing software on the Internet. In reality, online communities are neither designed nor do they just emerge. How software is designed affects community development. The way people interact in a community contributes strongly to its long-term evolution. People's behavior cannot be controlled but it can be influenced. The community's purpose, people's roles in the community, and policies set-up to guide behavior, influence how people behave. The web can support multiple forms of communication, each with its own criteria, each with its own form of “community.”
