Emergent Community: Intentional, Accidental, Gravitational
Posted on Jun 21st, 2008
by 
asecondlifediary
asecondlifediary
I've been watching the development of our 'Intentional' Community with great interest. Mia did most of the work creating the physical space for the community (and it has become one of the most beautiful places in Second Life). The rest of the community members fall into three categories:
Because I'm getting serious about the idea of Intentional Community (both the use of SL as a laboratory for testing IC concepts like finding new members, consensus building and dispute resolution, and applying these 'laboratory' learnings to create an IC in real life), I'm currently part of the first category.
My sense is that curious visitors to our community mostly fall into category 3, and, because the physical space is deliberately natural and simple, so there is not much to play with (unlike some places in SL where games, simulations, contests and role-playing dominate), I don't expect these visitors to stay around long.
Likewise, because our space is limited in the number of things you can put on it (you get the space for 1/4 the price but you can only have 1/4 the number of objects on it), the category 2 people, who are doing most of the 'work' in the community now, will soon run out of things that can be done, and will, I suspect, get bored and disengage from the community.
I'm hopeful that, with a bit of viral marketing by those of us in category 1, we will ultimately attract more people who just want to use this beautiful, natural place as a space for love, conversation and community. I don't know if that will happen or not -- Second Life has a lot of escapists, emotionally troubled people, and people who find intelligent, purposeful conversation too slow, boring, and too much work to keep their interest. And there are already some other places (though none as attractive as ours) whose purpose is principally conversation of one type or another.
What is happening, and will continue to happen, I think, regardless of how we do or don't market our community, is that some sense of common purpose or intent will emerge among the members who gravitate to our community. I am hopeful that that will be a category 1 purpose, but if it is not, that's OK too. Worst case scenario is I'll spend more of my Second Life time elswehere than our island, finding the intelligent conversation there.
We designed our island as a model for Intentional Community. It has begun, largely as an Accidental Community of people Mia and I know and others who have stumbed on the place. It is quickly becoming a Gravitational Community, with some people opting out and others joining by virtue of having shared interests with other members. It has currently 3 centres of gravity, corresponding to the 3 categories of members/visitors above. It remains to be seen which will emerge as the sustainable centre(s) of gravity. To a certain extent I think mass attracts mass, and one or two or perhaps three different communities will end up living here, each an Intentional Community with a shared purpose.
But we cannot rush or impose that shared purpose until we know who will accept our invitiations to join, and who will stay. As they say in Open Space, whoever accept the invitation, come and stay are the 'right' people.
It is fascinating watching that complex process unfold.
/-/ Cal
- 1. People who want to talk seriously about important issues and ideas
- 2. People who want to build, design, enhance, 'develop' the physical space
- 3. People who want to play
Because I'm getting serious about the idea of Intentional Community (both the use of SL as a laboratory for testing IC concepts like finding new members, consensus building and dispute resolution, and applying these 'laboratory' learnings to create an IC in real life), I'm currently part of the first category.
My sense is that curious visitors to our community mostly fall into category 3, and, because the physical space is deliberately natural and simple, so there is not much to play with (unlike some places in SL where games, simulations, contests and role-playing dominate), I don't expect these visitors to stay around long.
Likewise, because our space is limited in the number of things you can put on it (you get the space for 1/4 the price but you can only have 1/4 the number of objects on it), the category 2 people, who are doing most of the 'work' in the community now, will soon run out of things that can be done, and will, I suspect, get bored and disengage from the community.
I'm hopeful that, with a bit of viral marketing by those of us in category 1, we will ultimately attract more people who just want to use this beautiful, natural place as a space for love, conversation and community. I don't know if that will happen or not -- Second Life has a lot of escapists, emotionally troubled people, and people who find intelligent, purposeful conversation too slow, boring, and too much work to keep their interest. And there are already some other places (though none as attractive as ours) whose purpose is principally conversation of one type or another.
What is happening, and will continue to happen, I think, regardless of how we do or don't market our community, is that some sense of common purpose or intent will emerge among the members who gravitate to our community. I am hopeful that that will be a category 1 purpose, but if it is not, that's OK too. Worst case scenario is I'll spend more of my Second Life time elswehere than our island, finding the intelligent conversation there.
We designed our island as a model for Intentional Community. It has begun, largely as an Accidental Community of people Mia and I know and others who have stumbed on the place. It is quickly becoming a Gravitational Community, with some people opting out and others joining by virtue of having shared interests with other members. It has currently 3 centres of gravity, corresponding to the 3 categories of members/visitors above. It remains to be seen which will emerge as the sustainable centre(s) of gravity. To a certain extent I think mass attracts mass, and one or two or perhaps three different communities will end up living here, each an Intentional Community with a shared purpose.
But we cannot rush or impose that shared purpose until we know who will accept our invitiations to join, and who will stay. As they say in Open Space, whoever accept the invitation, come and stay are the 'right' people.
It is fascinating watching that complex process unfold.
/-/ Cal
Access: Public
gravitational community
August 2008 
After our weekly get together today, I want to add to Cal's post above. It was a small'ish group, but I think we made significant headway as to our 'purpose', (or at least the common, shared purpose of those who were there) - i.e. Archer, Sojourner, Gem, Flocke, Boron, new member Kersen and myself.
One decision we all shared was that we would take the island back to a completely natural state, as if we had all just been marooned there. So, 'poof!' went the landing jetty, bridges, tiki torches and stone benches. (I've left the 'Welcome Sign', but that may go too).
Our idea is that if we want something on the island, we will now have to make it with what resources we have there (i.e. use the stand of bamboo to construct bridges etc., and bees to get honey and use the beeswax to make candles). This is the basic idea that I had in the beginning when Cal and I first spoke about creating an intentional community in Second Life - that we would provide the 'venue' - i.e. the island which I've formed and 'decorated' with trees, animals, water formations, the cave etc.
Now the other fun part begins - creating a community in it and we all felt that it's only by interacting with one another that this will happen. Each person contributing to the island by 'building' a part of it.
Boron is especially fond of yachts, so it will probably be a boat-building exercise that he will focus on, and depending if he wants group participation or not, we will contribute to that. (Or maybe, as a group, we will focus on building our own galleon or wind-powered craft - the one that is on the island belongs to a friend of mine and is only 'in port' temporarily).
This new approach to our island inspired us all and there was general agreement that we were on our way.
While Cal divides our group into three, I see it as two - thinkers and doers. (That's not to say doers are not thinkers, or vice versa, but their general focus is on one or the other). The thinkers like to have everything 'organised' in their head before they start out on any sort of endeavour - while the doers are probably more likely to have the engine revving, ready to go!
It's a fascinating dynamic. But I feel that the group of people we have is a really good range of personality types - a good mix of thinkers and doers.
After our meeting Flocke called me aside and expressed doubt that this was a community she wanted to be a part of, so she will be stepping away. Flocke was going to be involved in our promotional activities, but I think it's too early for us to be promoting ourselves anyway. I think that's where we went a little off-track before - we were in a hurry to start getting known, before we had really decided what we wanted to be known for!
This way, the community is just ours - we don't have to worry about how we will be seen by others and there is no expectation of us having to 'perform' or give visitors any kind of experience. Our community is just for us … for the moment anyway.
Lots of love,
Mia