E-commerce strategists advise companies to create virtual communities for their customers. But what is involved in establishing and maintaining virtual communities? This paper addresses two questions: Does a sense of community similar to that sometimes observed in physical communities also occur in virtual settings? And how is a sense of virtual community maintained? These questions are examined in an intensive study of an established virtual community called MSN. MSN members experienced a sense of community, but the dimensions of sense of community differed somewhat from those reported for physical communities in ways plausibly related to the differences between electronic and face-toface communication. The experienced sense of community in MSN was actively maintained through the social processes of exchanging support, creating identities and making identifications, and the production of trust. Again, these processes are similar to those in non-virtual communities, but related to the challenges of electronic communication. The findings suggest a process model of sense of virtual community creation and maintenance that is simpler and more powerful than previous theories.

Pre-publication version Please note that this file represents the original version of the paper which was accepted for publication by New Media and Society in 2005. A number of minor changes which were made before final publication are not included in this

In a civil society, the governance of technology is a matter of law and regulation, but also of responsibility and accountability, within which issues of public safety and security must be balanced against individual and collective rights. Within sociology, studies have not fully examined the complexity of how governance is achieved, and how environmental changes may threaten governance systems. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony as an outcome of consent among dominant and subordinate interests, and Rosenau’s (1995, 1997) analyses of global governance in terms of sources of authority and systems of rule, this paper explores the negotiated character of technology governance in a case study of consumerism and the pharmaceutical industry. This industry is one of the most highly regulated in the world, but in the information age, traditional patterns of governance are challenged, and new strategic alliances may emerge as significant players in governing the industry. The paper uses ethnographic and documentary data to explore the emergent governance processes, and concludes that governance is a dynamic process, forever breaking down and being re-invented to address societal changes. We suggest that this theoretical framework and methodology can form the basis for a productive sociology of governance. 2

Special thanks to the members of AAUW of Virginia for making this project possible through their visionary leadership and generous financial support. Published by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation 1111 Sixteenth St. N.W.

Sense of virtual community is an important feature of virtual communities. This study develops a sense of virtual community (SOVC) measure, building off the strengths of a widely used measure of sense of community (SOC) for face-to-face communities. Although there is overlap between the senses of community for face-to-face and virtual communities, there are significant differences. The new SOVC measure is compared to the SOC measure on 265 members of seven online groups, explaining at least 7 % more of the variance from exchanging support and member identification. This study represents an important step in developing a valid measure of SOCV.

Abstract—Internet access is a vital part of the modern world and an important tool in the education of our children. It is present in schools, homes and even shopping malls. Mastering the use of the internet is likely to be an important skill for those entering the job markets of the future. An internet user can be anyone he or she wants to be in an online chat room, or play thrilling and challenging games against other players from all corners of the globe. It seems at present time (or near future) for many people relationships in the real world may be neglected as those in the virtual world increase in importance. Internet is provided a fast mode of transportation caused freedom from family bonds and mixing with different cultures and new communities. This research is an attempt to study effect of Internet on Social capital. For this purpose a survey technique on the sample size amounted 168 students of Payame Noor University of Kermanshah city in country of Iran were considered. Degree of social capital is moderate. With the help of the Multi-variable Regression, variables of Iranian message attractive, Interest to internet with effect of positive and variable Creating a cordial atmosphere with negative effect be significant. Keywords—Internet, Social Capital, social participation Social trust.