Social networks: An ancient way of communicating

Courtesy of BusinessWeek, here's yet another reminder that the social web is not new—it's just a different form of an old way of communicating:

“For thousands of years before communications became industrialized, people chose a bakery or blacksmith based on word-of-mouth recommendations, reputation, and social networks … So today, as a new set of community thttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifechnologies develop on the Internet, we should not be surprised to discover that the sociology of how we buy isn't new at all. In fact, it is as old as civilization. Today's markets will come to resemble these pre-industrial markets, with some major exceptions. Our pre-industrial ancestors were constrained by time and distance in developing opinions about vendors. But in the post-industrial world, reputation, relationships, and recommendations can come at any time from anywhere to affect a purchase decision.”

Theorist Brian Massumi might refer to this as a technology of “emergent experience,” (Parables of the Virtual: Movement, Affect, Sensation, p.192) in that these virtual spaces have the ability to “connect and interfuse different spheres of activity on the same operational plane,” thus potentially creating a new effect, such as in the form of a relationship or an experience.

While we traditionally think of community in geographic terms, online communities rely less on space location and more on the defining element of common interests, which might be called interest location. That means that involvement requires presence in interest rather than presence in physical location.

Massumi talks about proprioception, or a sixth sense, and I think this is vital to online communities. That's because it's not an issue of finding one’s way in a physical space where one may not be oriented, but rather, how one finds one’s way through an online community. If this space is mapped by common interest rather than space, then finding one’s way takes on an entire new meaning. The question that arises, is how one finds their way to those who share common interests.

So what does that all mean if you're trying to build a community? It means that the interaction design is vital to its success. Elements such as profiling, navigation, and interaction functionality all contribute to your community's success. So don't ignore them. Enlist some serious UX folks who know the ins and outs of community and who can create that space in which those with common interests can share.