Virtual Community Report

Community Participation Task: Virtual Community Report

The online community I have joined is called Discuss Cooking. I joined this group as it was the least crude and the most interesting one I could find. My registered username as an 'assistant chef' is em_wight - very creative! :) What makes Discuss Cooking a successful community lies inherently in its aim to bring people together who share a common interest in cooking. Discuss Cooking’s aim is also reflected in its mission statement: ‘Discover Cooking. Discuss Life.’ There are approximately fifty forums within the Discuss Cooking Community, which enable its five thousand, four hundred and fifty-three members to create relationships through sharing ideas, photos and recipes. Forum themes range from ‘Canning and Preserving’ and ‘Entertaining, Special Events and Party Planning’ to ‘Health, Nutrition and Special Diets’ and ‘Desserts, Sweets and Baking.’ Discuss Cooking also has a links page where members can place a link to the Discuss Cooking from their own personal website, or alternatively, they can place their website URL on the page so other members can access their information. The links page also includes recipe websites and other general cooking information sites.

Additionally, Discuss Cooking has been running for six years and is part of Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. The rules within the community are determined by the owners who “…reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason” (Discuss Cooking, 2006). Discuss Cooking employs both administrators and moderators to ensure the elimination of obscene, threatening or political discussions within its discussion forums. I believe it is imperative for the longevity of the community that social governance policies such as these are employed so that members feel safe to discuss their ideas and opinions freely. According to Preece (cited in Lazar and Preece, 2002) “communities with good sociability have social policies that support the community’s purpose and are understandable, socially acceptable and practicable.”

Furthermore, the type of people who belong to Discuss Cooking are both male and female, typically aged around thirty years and older. Some of these members work as chefs in the food industry and some just have a passion for cooking. I believe these people keep coming back because the community platform enhances their drive and passion for cooking. The Discuss Cooking site is very easy to navigate and provides members with a sense of belonging through a common interest they share. The site administrators and members are also very welcoming to 'New-Bees' like myself. For example, on April 9, I made my first post and I received five responses within two days.

Overall, I think Discuss Cooking works effectively as both a financial and social enterprise. Although a number of Google advertisers sponsor the community site such as the American Diabetes Help Centre and Amazon this does not inhibit one’s Discuss Cooking experience. I believe that Discuss Cooking is a successful online community, primarily because it operates in a culture of trust where members and guests can access and distribute information not only about themselves but also about a shared purpose. This success is not only reflected in the sheer number of people around the world that are members, but also because it has been running for six years.

I hope that my comments about Discuss Cooking have been somewhat insightful. Perhaps if you feel like cooking in the near future, you might want to sign up to get some great ideas like I did for my Mum’s dinner party. Until next time, take care!

Emilie x

References

Discuss Cooking. 2006. Discuss Cooking Rules. http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/register.php (accessed April 7, 2006).

Lazaar, J and J. Preece. 2002. Social Considerations in Online Communities: Usability, Sociability, and Success Factors. http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/~preece/paper/8%20herre_chapter.pdf (accessed April 11, 2006).