Networks & communities; how they organise and the differences between them.

I have been thinking a lot recently about networks and communities, how they organise and the differences between them.

A community is a group of people who cluster together over a shared commonality, where a network is more an interconnected system.

Because communities cluster together over something common, like-mindedness occurs, rather than spending time explaining to others reasons why they believe and behave the way they do, people will start to communicate more frequently within rather than between communities.

Over time the community start to develop inside lingo, slang and eventually a whole set of complex symbols and behaviour that create gaps in the communication flow and connectedness between their community and others.

A network is the virtual infrastructure (or interconnected system) that bridges the emergent gaps in communication flow and connectedness between communities.

Communities are insular, networks connect them; allowing access to alternate opinions and behaviours, meaning broader initiative and synthesis of new ideas.

Communities happen; networks are developed and maintained.