The word “community” is inextricably tied to social media. Facebook is a community of intertwined communities, as is Twitter. One of the most common social media related job functions is the “community manager”. Blogs too are considered communities, but in my opinion, only if they allow comments.

What is this you say Jeremy?

Yes, it’s my opinion that a blog that doesn’t allow comments is not a community. It might be a journal, perhaps a scholarly, professional or hobbyist one. It could be an online diary or maybe a magazine of sorts. It could be considered alot of things, but without comments, I don’t see it as a community.

Sense of Community

Sense of Community (SOC) is considered by many an essential component of any virtual community. Without SOC, a property is often called a virtual settlement.

SOC consists of the following four characteristics:

Membership – Belonging to and identifying with the community
Influence – Feelings of having influence on and being influenced by the community
Integration and fulfillment of needs – Feelings of being supported in the community and being able to support others
Shared emotional connection – Feelings of relationships, shared experiences, and history

Comments are the glue that bind blog readers

Content is great; it’s the primary reason why we’re reading a blog. But that content is through the lense of the author. It’s their point-of-view. However without comments are some key questions/functions that can’t be accomplished to establish SOC.

• If don’t share the author’s point-of-view, how do I know if others share my feelings?
• If don’t share the author’s point-of-view, how do I make my argument in an attempt influence the author to accept my point-of-view?
• If I don’t understand a concept or their point-of-view, what am I to do? Who do I reach out to for help?
• How do I build relationships with other readers?

Do you agree or disagree with me? Can a blog without comments be considered a community?