Members of this forum are Migrant of New Zealand specifically of Auckland from the Philippines.
One of the Philippine culture is group oriented which is called Bayanihan. Its literal meaning is countrymen working hand in hand. No matter how heavy the load is, if everyone work together to lift it up it is much lighter. Leaving the country you were born is appalling, struggling your way to settle on a foreign country is abysmal. With this forum it alleviates the pain of homesickness. The member will not feel like a lost sheep but a part of a herd. This is an example of online community with a social aspect.
One of the Philippine culture is group oriented which is called Bayanihan. Its literal meaning is countrymen working hand in hand. No matter how heavy the load is, if everyone work together to lift it up it is much lighter. Leaving the country you were born is appalling, struggling your way to settle on a foreign country is abysmal. With this forum it alleviates the pain of homesickness. The member will not feel like a lost sheep but a part of a herd. This is an example of online community with a social aspect.
The group started 3 years ago with a humble half a dozen of member and a moderator as the yahoo groups system requires. Now it has a whopping 1217 members. The group sometimes decide to have a physical get together. As I gathered from my interview the group needs a good facilitator. To handle the events specially during gathering as well as online discussion. Content questions from the community should be reflected back to the community to have them find their own answers.Schedule the session when as many community members can be present as possible. Verify that the meeting room has a flipchart with sufficient paper and markers. A PC, projector, and screen may also be needed for some sessions.Contact all community members prior to the session ....etal.
Great post, Rosceli. Do you think the online group would be as 'successful' if they didn't have F2F meetings? Who do you think could be facilitator..and would there be issues about funding?
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