Tutorial Six: Online communities

Online communities are groups of people who communicate or interact through the internet. Usually they have a common interest or goal and can share a large amount of information quickly and cheaply. One example of this is the JET programme online forum at www.jetprogramme.org/forums. The JET programme is an international exchange programme where participants work in Japan, teaching English at schools and working with the community to provide international exchange and understanding. People are employed from around the world and placed throughout Japan, with approximately 4000 participants each year. The online forum is based on the official JET website as a way of providing information for current, future and past participants on the programme. It links those who are spread over a wide geographical area and provides an instant base for advice and support. It also provides a means for those who are thinking about applying or past participants, who may be anywhere in the world; to keep in touch with current news and information. It is monitored and has an administrator, who makes keeps an eye on the content. People can be ranked according to their contributions to the community. Some areas it has information on are living in Japan, teaching ideas, Japanese language, mental health and support areas, news from alumni associations as well as a general area for chat. One of the more common examples of a posting is on life in a small town in Japan. New participants who are based in a small town, which may not have any other foreigners living in it, use the forum to ask advice from those who have already been in the same situation.

Some of the possible ethical issues that may arise from using a website such as this is the amount of subjective information; based on others opinions rather than facts. This can mean that although a large amount of information is helpful, some of it may not be. The site is also under threat from spammers and commercial influences, trying to sell products, although this is minimised by having a moderator present. One down side to an online community is that it lacks the face to face socialisation of a general community, although the JET programme counteracts this by having a very strong network and community set up throughout Japan, with regular events, meetings and informal social gatherings for participants.