Community Part 2

A physical location is a prerequisite for community.

My closest communities throughout my life can all be traced back to a location. Growing up, my most common locations were sports fields or church buildings. In middle school my community revolved around the basketball court in our driveway. In high school the locations were a tennis court, basketball court, and church. In college it was a park where we played ultimate frisbee, and classes.

Knowing the location indicates a member's involvement in the community. For example, in middle school, knowing the hardness or softness of the basketball backboard was an indicator of commitment. Knowing the backboard meant that they knew me, and my friends too, and they were a part of the community. The same was true at church. People in the community knew where to park for which service, which door was likely to be unlocked, and the closest bathroom at any given time. If a person was unfamiliar with the location, it indicated that they were not a part of the community.

Today I have many friends worldwide, but all communities that I've been a part of shared a location. Friends may exist that are not a part of my community, and we may be very close. But unless we hang out at a consistent location, it's hardly a community.

Therefore, communities are not virtual, they are physical. I believe this is true for Facebook, fantasy football, fantasy online gaming, and many others. They can never be a community by themselves. Also inferred in this line of thinking is that even if a group of people likes each other, is committed to each other, and has things in common, they are not a real community without a common physical location.

Next, we are off to ideas of globalization, and the practical challenges of building community. More soon.