Network...Community...

What's up with NETWORK, COMMUNITY?

Honestly, this one is a little hard for me. I read a discussion question on our class board and was very intimidated to answer it, so I decided to read A LOT of articles, my classmates' posts, and of course, the assigned reading for the week. Even after all of that, I was still having a difficult time developing my definition of "network" and "community." Well, thankfully, I have the world wide web at my disposal, and not just any web, Web 2.0.

I wanted to find out what people in my life thought of these terms. I sent out the "bat signal" through Facebook Messenger with a simple request "Please define 1) network and 20 community (in your own words, do not look it up, personal opinion, I need the info for my class)." And just like that, people in Hawaii, Florida, Texas, and New York sent their replies to me here in Germany.

First of all, wow! Through multiple time-zones, family, and work obligations, my friends and family were able to contribute to this post! I have listed their answers below; I included original form the message came in (except one that I received in the form of a video message with camera filters :) )

Network

1. Network is an interconnected body of similar things or ideology
2. Network is webbing.
3. Network is a group of people at work I can go to for professional advice or use to help find jobs.
4. Network: Getting to know people through other people that you know. Building relationships, gaining new contacts.
5. Network= form of communication. Cell phone, social media, etc.
6. an extended group of contacts with whom one might share information or call on for information
7. Network- a group of interconnected people or things
8. When I hear network I think communication, people meeting, shaking hands and making deals.
9. ...network are people you interact with professionally to further your career
10. networking is for making professional growth and getting things done in that sphere
11. networking is about influence
12. Network: a group of people you know, usually in formal settings, that are for things such as work. Sometimes cannot choose who is in your network.

Community

1. Community is a group that can benefit from shared effort and provisions in working towards a mutually beneficial end
2. Community is a hug.
3. A community is my family and friends in my geographical area as well as any support people like daycare or the train attendant.
4. Community: The people you surround yourself with. Your support system.
5. Community= my immediate thought is community like subdivision, Could bridge to town, and if you go even further then, friends and family. "It takes a village" in regards to raising a child.
6. a closer knot network of people that share some defining commonality and exchange information and resources.
7. a group with something in common?
8. And community, a group of people that live close by and care about each others well being.
9. I think community are the people around you that you interact with and work together to better your surroundings
10. community is more family and friends oriented where you look out for each other on a personal level
11. community is culture
12. Community: people you know, usually an informal setting, that you choose to surround yourself with.

Some common themes of network I see are connections and contacts, while community has an idea of proximity and care. So, here is my stab at defining network and community:

A network is an interconnected group of people that may not know they are all connected. Networks are made up of others' communities and may be used to assist one with tasks, but will not "put themselves out" for you. You have one network (though you may be a part of multiple others' networks) made out of each of your communities and the communities of the individuals within your communities. This repetition repeats until the ties become too weak to be supported.

A community is a group of people who know they are connected and care for each other or wish to achieve similar goals. Most people in a community genuinely support others in their community with either acts or words and are in close physical proximity to each other. It is possible to be a part of (or have) many communities.

A note I wish to add is that community is changing, you can be connected, care, and work towards the same goals without being nearby. Look at all the support I received for this blog post!

Another observation I have made while working on this post is that I consider those I reached out to with private messages part of communities of which I belong. I also posted the question on my personal Facebook page to reach out to my network. After 2 hours, I received one reply from that post... and it was from my comedian of an uncle who replied with "poop." He did, however, reach out through my aunt and gave me a real answer.

See, networks are not always there for you, but you can count on your communities! Thank you all!

A couple of notes: 

I should have made it clear I was asking about network as a noun, not a verb.

I know there are definitions I can (and have) found online, but I wanted to collect more data to form my own interpretations.

I thought it would be interesting to keep replies in their original text for a couple of reasons, and something I found very interesting was the different ways the messages were constructed.

One last note! I have never sat and thought so long about two words.