There are multiple sites on the Internet where business teams can set up document-sharing work spaces. These sites are free or paid, but all of them function in similar ways. Members of the team can log in to the online space and access documents placed there by other members, add their own documents or review calendars. Many of these sites also have functions for synchronous meetings where members can see each other, talk to each other and share computer files all online at the same time. This type of online learning community reduces travel time and document duplication with multiple versions.
Social media and Web 2.0 technologies are fast becoming a part of most people's lives. Social media sites are places where people come together to chat, post pictures, and even advertise their products and services. Families can create private online communities to share information and photos with each other without using the mail or even email. Online learning communities of this type are not bound by as many rules and restrictions as the more business-oriented communities discussed previously. Business-oriented social media sites serve as the primary function of networking for business people. They also contain messaging and sharing components, making it an online learning community with a business focus.
Online courses are considered to be online learning communities where students gather in a Learning Management System (LMS) or Content Management System (CMS). These kinds of systems allow students and faculty to post information, review content, take quizzes and tests, and communicate with each other through discussion boards. Some of them offer synchronous learning settings like chat and virtual classrooms, while others are strictly asynchronous.
Another way to share information in an online learning community is through video. Videos can be used to impart knowledge, advertise products, or just share information with others. Videos can be professionally produced or homemade. Viewers can comment on the videos by sharing their opinions or offering advice, making the video site an online learning community.
Blogging is fast becoming a very popular way to share information, learn from each other, and offer advice. People can start blogs on any topic, and once others discover the blog, then a community will be built of followers who comment, add their own insights, and provide a method of asynchronous communication that builds community in an online environment. Blogs can be very specific or more general, depending on the goals of the blogger. Teachers can create blogs for their classes where students comment in an online forum on the content being discussed, even if they are in a face-to-face class.
An online learning community takes many forms, from video sharing, to photo sharing, to document sharing. Whenever people come together in an online space to talk, learn and share, they have formed an online learning community. A typical online learning community will be interactive and robust, with input from all of the members.