Preliminary Analysis
Anita Blanchard, Ph.D.
October 7, 2003
In July 2003, readers of the Julie/Julia Project participated in an on-line survey. The purpose of this study was to explore whether blogs, and in particular, The Julie/Julia Project, are a new form of virtual community. Participants were asked to respond to items to assess their sense of community and to answer open ended questions about why they read and like the Julie/Julia Project.
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Dr. Anita Blanchard
UNC Charlotte
Department of Psychology
July 1, 2003
Introduction
The term “virtual community” can be used to describe any group of people who interact through computer communication (e.g., email, Usenet newsgroups). However, are they truly “communities” in the traditional meaning? One way to determine if virtual communities are like traditional communities is to examine their sense of community, their feelings of belonging, attachment and identity with each other. Sense of community has been called one of the essential components of a traditional community and researchers believe that virtual communities also experience a sense of community.
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