Belonging to a Community

Andre Masella
Aug 22, 2017 · 1 min read

What does it take to be a member of a community? I use OSS; I evangelise OSS; I’ve contributed patches to OSS; and I’ve released OSS. By any reasonable, definition, I can self-identify as part of that community. However, there is no process by which the community indicates that I am a member.

If one thinks of an actual community, it’s often much the same. You are pretty free to move into a neighbourhood. I am gay, so am a member of the LGBT community and get involved in various things.

However, part of what makes a community is self-determination of that community. If the museum I volunteer at doesn’t like me, they can ask me to leave. If my neighbours don’t like me, they can shun me.

The larger the community is, the harder it becomes to eject someone. The OSS and LGBT communities can’t be rid of me unless I want to leave. So, what does a community become when it has no borders?

The Internet increasingly makes these kind of nebulous self-serve communities possible. We’ve seen plenty of them radically altered from their initial inhabitants’ intentions.

There’s also the question of what it means to me to belong to a nebulous community. I think it becomes a label that I hope conveys useful information to other people. That’s a bit scary when others can redefine it.

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Andre Masella

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I make Flabbergast(@co_0nfig), a loom, and bread, not in that order. Views are those of my past-selves. Full of caremad.