A community; a group of people in an online space like social media, blogs or forums to connect and share common interests. This can lead to people working together, creating lasting connections having the potential to become an expansive network. A quote within our reading, referenced in my blog here ’We are judged by the company we keep. When combined, actions and relationships create a foundation for social capital.’ – Brian Solis. To me this refers to communities online and how our interactions with them form new relationships which creates an online society.
The community I found is a closed Facebook group called ‘Women in film/media Networking in Melbourne’. This is for women in the creative industry to network and support each other within the industry. The community operates on Facebook where woman can discuss ideas and reach out for help/advice on productions. The tone established is very welcoming and supportive, I note that this is a community because people with similar interests all communicate and share ideas as woman in Film/TV, it is also constantly growing in size. My journey began by being accepted into the group, I read up on the posts, checking out photos, and from there I began to like and comment my thoughts on discussions, this led to me going to an event and meeting woman in the industry.
This community is very network literate and whilst not a blog it has similar commonalities to make it successfully as a community. Referenced in my blog , we discussed how constant links, tags, posts, direct communication would really create a strong network which in this case is true. Likewise this blog refers to the reading (Miles, Adrian. Network Literacy: The New Path to Knowledge [online]. Screen Education, No. 45, 2007: 24-30.) Which in summery illustrates that having the ability to find what you want, grasp an opinion of it and contribute to the works of the piece in an accessible format makes something network literate.
The monthly catch ups where woman alike meet up to update about projects, get advice or seek support was a way for me to further engage with the community. The next event happened to be that weekend and I attended it which I wrote about on my blog. I explained that I was a student looking for experience and from that I made many new connections that went beyond an online relationship and I have now met woman that have invited me to assist in their productions. This has given me a new form of inspiration by meeting independent filmmakers such as Kim Miles. Further discussed here I’ me to start my own youtube channel of my works which will show my progression and turn into my portfolio over time.
Its hard to say how successful my contributions to this community have been, I made myself known within the community, posting that I am looking for any hands on experience. This could help other women within their productions and for myself this was a fantastic way of networking. Likewise this community has been a gateway for me into other communities, established for woman in the industry. Other Facebook groups and similar communities referenced here and here.
I believe this community is successful in itself because it caters to the audience woman in film and TV, this allows for woman to interact and make connections which is exactly what the group does.
