Tutorial Six: The internet and online communities

An online community is place for people to come together by using the internet.  You can benefit greatly from being a member to an online community.  It is about people having an easier and faster way of cumming together to talk about about their experience in something and having the support.  Using an online community has advantages such as being able to access it from home without having to travel.  Instead of face-to-face communication you communicate through messaging online which is preferred by some people.  The community is always there to access whenever you want or need to.  The web is a more compact way of keeping track of event and activities.  online communities are becoming more popular as technology is developing and people are relying on the internet more for things.

For my first placement i was at rehabilitation center for people who had mental and physical disabilities. I met people who had suffered different levels of brain injuries, people who had lifelong conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and people who had suffered strokes.  Brain injuries was an area that was particularly interesting to me.  Especially since i had a friend who had suffered a brain injury and it was interesting to learn more about it and the effects it had on the individuals and their lives.

The first online community is about women who were traumatic brain injury survivors.  It provided information about how to join, content, resources, sponsors and events.  It is intended for these women who have suffered a traumatic brain injury to help them develop a sense of dignity, self worth and skills required for social interactions and getting back into the community.  Signing up to this

community you are connected to other women who have survived traumatic brain injuries.  It is a

 network of support.   

http://www.brainsong.org/      

http://www.commoncraft.com/archives/000208.html