Virtual Tribes

Finding community and feeling like you belong is part of our human nature (see psychologist Maslow's hierarchy of needs). Some turn to family, religion, special interest groups, or highschool cliques to find such community. The internet has not changed this phenomenon (see these articles on tribes as proof), though it has changed how community appears and functions.

Wanting to be part of like-minded people is not new, but it's in a new format now that it's online and virtual (chat rooms, online communities, blogs, wikis, etc.). I still prefer face-to-face community where body language is key, but online/virtual/mobile communities are becoming more and more prevalent.

I'm currently working on my first Networked Learning Environment which, by it's collaborative nature, depends on finding a tribe of people who consider the subject something worth discussing in an online forum. If I do not find this community the NLE will fail since it is designed to be a sharing of ideas and best practices. I think my biggest challenge is to create an interesting, compelling space with a specific audience targeted and then to advertise it. Other than tweet blasts and depending on the Google+ platform search engine, I'm not sure how I will tackle this. If anyone has ideas on virtual tribe fishing, please leave a comment!