Virtual Communities

Just lately I've run across references to virtual communities and communities of practice (CoPs). In a post (June 10, 2006) on the The Learning Circuits Blog, Dave Lee presented his 4L Model for the "types of roles in an online community," which includes the following four roles:

1. Linking (explorers)
2. Lurking (occasional participants)
3. Learning (regular contributors)
4. Leading (committed, consistent contributors)

Derek Wenmoth, in his blog, on November 10, 2006, posted a diagram and explanation of the phases "many participants in the online environment move through . . . as they gain understanding and confidence":

1. Consumer (not-yet-visible but active participants who "read and explor the posts of others")
2. Commentor (now-visible participants who post comments in response to other people's posts)
3. Contributor (active participants "who have started their own blogs or . . . initiate new threads on discussion forums")
4. Commentator (leader who takes a broader view)

The parallels between the two schemes are obvious.

Here are some links for further reading on the subject: "The Art of Building Virtual Communities," "Cliff Figallo and the Evolution of Virtual Community," "Building Virtual Communities."