I am a member of the track and field team here at Cornell. The online community which I decided to discuss is our team list serve. The idea of a list serve has become more and more common with the increased use and dependency on email. A list serve is a medium in which a large or small group of people can send out bulk emails to get a message, story, picture, etc out. These list serves can be either open to anyone who chooses, or closed. The track and field list serve is closed to only members of the team. Since the list serve is closed, it is comprised of a tight knit group of a little over 65 guys. Haythornwaite’s description of gemeinschaft or community fit our team description very well, making us a solid community of actors with more than one tie to each other. Haythornwaite mentions that the more ties between the actors of a community, the closer the social network. This is evident in the close knit nature of our team. The team has a shared focus, common purpose and goals (both on and off the track and field), a common language (track-talk), and at least one shared identity as a student athlete – all characteristics of a community.
The most important aspect of SNA or social network analysis found within the team list serve is social capital. Social capital is responsible for and makes it possible to have a common language. As a team of track athletes, our common language is a necessity to fully understand one another and express ourselves in the most accurate way. An outsider may seem lost reading one of our emails discussing different weight lifting moves we do, or track work outs specific to our team. Social capital is also responsible for the trust which we place in the actors of our group. The list serve is predominately a means to pass on information so you could imagine how necessary trust is. Finally, social capital aids in the reputation building of our community.
Another aspect of SNA found on our team list serve is our common ground. On a superficial level, we share common ground in that we are all athletes or that we dress similarly, wearing a big “C” for Cornell across our shirts. However, it goes much deeper. We have similar values when it comes to track. Train hard/work hard and it will pay off. The team also has similar goals, namely, to win the heptagonal championships. Our common ground funnels into our reciprocity. One member can not win the “heps,” as we call it. We must all rely on and help out our teammates. This is a necessity, and clearly established and witnessed in our team networking actions such as generalized reciprocity.
Ties on the team first begin over the list serve, before the teammates even meet. List serve emails are sent out over the summer explaining our work outs, goals, and various other issues. Furthermore, funny videos, stories, pictures, or track related news are also shared on this list serve. When school starts up and we all meet face to face, these ties we have are definitely strengthened. This synergy between online and offline communication is really a means to maintain and initiate, at any time of the year, regardless of where we may be, communication.
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3 comments:
Great Post Scott, I really enjoyed reading it. I liked how we both discussed similar topics—list serves and their influence on social networks—yet described very different elements about it. I guess I am just a lot more immature, cruder, grosser, and essentially, a lower form of human being…It’s kind of disheartening. Regardless, good job. The list serve definitely epitomizes Haythornwaite’s notion of offline/online synergies. The list serves provides an additional form of communication that reaches the entire community, or in your case, the team. Before these mass emails, and email in general, you coach or captain would have to get the entire team in one room to discuss goals, practice schedules etc. Now, you can ultimately have your coach’s pre-meet pep talk—like in the movies—waiting for you everyday in your inbox. Isn’t technology great? On the flipside, your coach or fellow teammates can also criticize one another via the list serve when people aren’t pulling their weight. This is good for the team, but probably irritating for the individual slacking (I am sure it’s not you Scott though, don’t worry)
I think the concept of a listserve being a network is a very accurate one. I am on a fraternity listserve that seems to have the same level of activity, number of members, and off-task behavior that really develops these mass mailings into a true community. When looking back through my (flooded) inbox, it's very easy to see the amount of social capitol that is produced by these listserves. Everything from job postings to youtube video links have been sent, but the contents continue to be of enough value to foster that community feel. Good post!
I never considered a listserve to be such a good indicator of a community. Good Job! Your description of this track anf field list serve was a good representation of SNA. I think this is a good way to communicate as well. Not only are you communicating at practice, but in an online environment. This, to me, asks whether it helps to communicat about things that take up a lot of time at practice. Also, I think it would help to advocate a group cohesiveness. Because everyone interacts so frequently and as you are updated with information about the team everyday, reciprocity and interaction is also more frequent and it is a good opportunitiy to build social capital.
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