The Virtual Community: Building on Social Structure, Relations and Trust to Achieve Value

Abstract

This chapter advances our understanding about a virtual community sponsored by a not-for-profit association and including members from around the world. In particular, this chapter (1) addresses similarities and differences between social and virtual communities, (2) outlines how an inter-routine domain of virtuality and social capital theory may help explain levels of trust, structure, understanding, and free-riding in a virtual community, (3) describes a specific virtual community, its focus and the efforts undertaken to motivate its members, and (4) provides some preliminary data about how this virtual community works on a daily basis in cyberspace.