Course
Portal

Notice Board

Course
Syllabus

Electronic
Communication
Requirement

Exercises
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Research
Paper

WebCT
Bulletin Board

WebCT
Chat Room

rulincam.gif (3015 bytes)

SOCIOLOGY AND THE INTERNET
Exercise 2: Virtual Community Essay
(with downloaded text and images)

Robert E. Wood
Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice
Spring Semester 2000

The internet not only makes available a tremendous range of information, but by conveying this information digitally, it enables one to use it in a variety of creative ways. In this exercise you will be asked to download images and information from the internet onto a computer disk and to import images and quotations into an essay written in a word processing program (either Word or WordPerfect).  You will need a formatted diskette to complete this exercise.

Downloading Documents: When you access the online documents in Section III of the syllabus, on Virtual Communities, I want you to copy at least three of these files onto your computer diskette.  Depending on the browser you are using and on its exact configuration, the procedure for doing this will vary somewhat, but the following directions should basically work for Netscape:

  1. Once you have called up the document on your screen, click on "File"in the Upper left-hand corner.
  2. Click on "Save As" in the menu that pops up. This will produce a box in which you need to specify three things: the file name, the format in which you want it saved, and where you want it saved.
  3. First, specify where you want the file saved in the box at the top. . If you are doing this assignment at Rutgers, you will want to save it on your disk in the "a" drive. Click on the arrow and then on "3 1/2 Floppy (A)".
  4. Now  specify a file name. You may keep the one that is there or change it. It is often useful to change it (hit the backspace to eliminate the current one) and give it a more obviously recognizable name, e.g. the name of the author of the article.
  5. Now you need to specify the file format in the bottom box. Click on the down arrow and choose "Plain Text (*.txt)" (Saving the file as a text file means that the HTML codes will not be saved. This enables you to open the file in most wordprocessing programs without the codes interrupting the text.)
  6. Now click on "Save." The file will be saved on your diskette. Repeat this for each of the other online articles.

I also want you to save several images from your browsing to illustrate or spice up your paper presentation.  To save an image: right-click on the image, click on "save image as" and then proceed as above, except that the file will most likely be a "gif" or "jpg".

Write a short essay (approximately three pages) on the concept of "virtual community." Based on all the assigned readings and class discussion (the browsing sites may be relevant as well), write an essay of approximately 3-4 pages that responds to the following:

  • What are "virtual communities"?
  • What do the articles teach us about how virtual communities work?  What enables them to exist and function effectively? 
  • Discuss what the readings say about the pros and cons of this new form of community.
  • In responding to the questions above, I want you to cut and paste at least three passages (from separate articles) from your downloaded files that you feel make important points relevant to your discussion into your essay. In addition, I want you to include at least two images.

This essay is due on Tuesday, February 15th.  It should be submitted in the following form:

  • A 3 1/2 inch diskette with four clearly-labeled files: your essay and three downloaded articles.  Be sure to indicate whether your essay is in Word or WordPerfect.

This exercise will be a "paperless" one.  I will open your essay file from your diskette, insert my comments directly into it, and then return your diskette to you.

Return to Sociology and the Internet course home page

January 6, 2000