ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The introductory discussion of community, and especially the three facets of the conceptual model, helps to frame questions we should pose about contemporary communities. In contemporary times, the clamor of community is so pervasive that one can miss it. Community, in the sense of gemeinschaft, may already be lost, but now, it is suggested, we are losing communityness as well. Lyons discussion of good community focuses on subjective components. Community informatics and community networking, the creation and management of Internet services for and often by community members has been an active arena for community learning and innovation during the past couple decades. Tininess distinction provided a simple articulation for many concerns arising from the Industrial Revolution and continuing into contemporary times. The book reports on a project investigating possibilities for community informatics and for American community.
