ABSTRACT
Communities of action are obviously closely related to communities of belief. The actions their members undertake are for a belief-driven purpose, after all. Although at first it may seem to some parents of college-aged children to fit the contours of a nightmare, the story of Zeke Spier actually illustrates how the Internet can be a dream come true for communities of action. Born out of Matthews's educational experience resembling New England town-meeting democracy, PetitionOnline mixes local, national, and global political concerns grassroots political activity to create a rich virtual blend. The story of David Enrich and Matt Grossmann and their Web sites is an interesting example of a community of action that came into being literally overnight, as the election returns showed a Bush victory in the Electoral College and a Gore win in the national vote. But their overnight success was only partly the product of luck in the election's incredibly unusual outcome.
