Readings:

Rheingold's Brainstorms - Howard Rheingold is the foremost authority on the Virtual Community.  Explore the web-page but focus on The Virtual Community.  Read the Introduction and Chapter 1.  The introduction defines what virtual communities are, how they originated, why they exist, and the various uses of virtual communities.  It also discusses how technology has changed telecommunications and how industry is able to utilize this technology.  Chapter 1: The Heart of the WELL is filled with personal stories dealing with serious medical illnesses and how they use virtual communities to share their thoughts, feelings, and worries.

The PHD Project

The Ph.D. Project is a virtual community linked together by purpose.   It is a community of corporate sponsors, faculty supporters, and minority doctoral students of Business in the United States.  Feel free to apply!

IS WorldNet

This site provides information management scholars and practitioners with a single entry point to resources related to information systems technology.  It also promotes the development of an international information infrastructure that will dramatically improve the world's ability to use information systems for creating, disseminating, and applying knowledge. The site serves approximately 5,000 information systems researchers and educators working in colleges and universities throughout the world. 

Activeworlds   At Active Worlds, you will find one of the most popular interactive virtual communities on the net. In Activeworlds you can shop online in a 3D virtual mall, explore over 300 worlds in real-time, 3D, high-color graphics, own land and build anything you like on your property, meet, chat with people and interact as a fully 3D, lifelike, animated figure, and play games, ride rides, solve puzzles, and navigate mazes.

Activity 1

You have decided to obtain a Ph.D. in your area of interest. Your program will take you between four to five years to complete.  Two years of that will be coursework and two years will be preparing a dissertation.   You can not work due to the rigor of your studies but you can teach classes and earn around $1,500 a month.   All of your tuition and fees will be paid by scholarship.  You are eligible for student loans up to $25,000 per year.  List the extent of the sacrifices you would have to make to achieve this goal and what the benefits would be to you at the end of your program.  Include what your salary, benefits, and fringe benefits will be as a PhD in your chosen field.  Post to the Boardroom.

Activity 2

Activeworlds - Download the Active World software.  Join Active Worlds as a Tourist.   Experience 3D chat and what it is like to visit a virtual community.  Learn how to navigate in the Gateway and interview another tourist.  Find out their age, where they are from, how long they have known about Active Worlds, and what they like about the program.   Post your interview in the Board Room.   Include the time and day of the week of your interview as well as your impressions of a virtual community.