Introduction to community concepts and structure

Community

The term community is used for the settlements like town, villages and farms. The concept of community is considered as an inclusive one because it promotes collectivism rather than individualism. The term community can be understood in two broad categories. One category deals with its sociological perspective while other deals with its biological perspective. Its sociological perspective will be considered as a domain of the discussion. Community depicts the real picture of the society (Hampton, 2011). Those communities which have the capability of converting the raw information into some particular knowledge are considered as those which can create competitive advantage and contribute towards the development of the nation (Bartle, 2010). The talent of the people also comes forward when they live in community because there are many people who can identify the talent and promote it accordingly. The concept of community has become very much a colonial one. This suggests that common values exist among the people of the community. As a result of which whenever we think about the concept of community it is often assumed that the people belonging from the same casts and religion can only form the community (Hampton, 2011). However this is not the case always. It should be kept in mind that communities are not self-directed but they are guided by those people who are considered as mentors or leaders by the residents of the community. Strong leaders have the ability to guide the community in such a way that they can show some positive outcomes contribute towards the betterment of the society (Bhattacharyya, 2004).

Besides the above discussion there will surely be some likes and dislikes about the concept of community which should be highlighted as a being a part of the community. The community of any particular society can work effectively only when each person of the society has a clear direction regarding how to contribute towards the betterment of the society. If they will not have a clear direction then it will become difficult for the community to improve their living conditions as a whole (Bartle, 2010). The concept of community will be highly valued by the people if they will have a clear direction. Hence organizing the community is very important. Once the organization of the community has been done then each person will be clear about how he or she can contribute at his level in order to bring changes and improvements. People of the society can bring their technical skills for the improvement of the society. For example of one of the engineering student of India has built a water purification plant in his village. This suggests that educated people can bring the improvements in a better way because of the knowledge and skills which they have acquired throughout the years (Gallant, Smale & Arai, 2010).

Above all the things it should be kept in mind that the life of the people is not going to change through social policies implemented by the government but it is going to change through communal life. The community's confidence to achieve whatever they want shows the positive attitude, willingness and self-motivation among its members (Bartle, 2010). Community will not be able to work efficiently and effectively unless the access to basic necessities cannot be arranged. Therefore leaders of the community should also make sure that the people of the society have access to the majority of the things within the limits of the society (Bartle, 2010). However it should also be noticed that changes might not always be needed for the betterment. Maintaining the good situation prevailing in the community can also be considered as one of the challenging tasks which require proper planning and execution (Johnson, 1995).

Social networking websites have also changed the traditional perception which the people have regarding the community. This new medium has given the birth to the virtual networks which are used by the people through technological instrument like computers, laptops, i-phones etc. Virtual community has changed the people's way of life. These online communities include orkut, face book, twitter etc. These social networking websites have proven to be very beneficial for students and professionals as well. The distinguishing character of these online websites is not that they allow individuals to meet with strangers but its unique character is the development and articulation of their social networks. I think that these websites should be considered as a community in itself. The reason behind this is the existence of common goals which is one of the distinctive features of the community and these online social websites have this particular character. Therefore it can be concluded that these social networking websites are the communities in itself and they should not be considered merely as a tool for the community development (Gallant, Smale & Arai, 2010).