Assignment 7, Option 1. Go CU Polo!!!

Most people belong to communities that they consider to be very important aspects of their life. Haythornwaite would call the idea of community gemeinschaft, which is defined by several key ideas. These ideas are that communities are based on strong interpersonal ties, that there is a shared focus or common goal, and that there is a common language or identity. Communities are also made up of a number of different actors that are connected by both weak and strong ties.

One personal example of such a community is the Cornell University Varsity Polo Team. This organization is a community of people that interact in both offline and online spaces. Generally speaking, the Cornell Polo team meets the criteria of gemeinschaft very well. Everyone on the team has strong interpersonal ties that have developed as a result of common experience, i.e. long practices together, social events, etc. The same events that have given rise to these interpersonal events have also provided a strong common ground on which relationships can form. The team also shares a common goal, in that everyone works together in order to make the team as strong as it can possibly be. Everyone does their part, whatever that may be, with the hopes that the team will benefit in some way. Members also look out for each other, helping one another whenever they can, which is an action that is expected to be reciprocated by all. Collectively, we identify ourselves as members of the Cornell Polo team. Our identity is defined by Cornell Polo clothing, our affection for the amazing Cornell Polo ponies, and the lingering smell of Oxley Equestrian Center on our clothes and being.

The actors in the Cornell Polo community are diverse and numerous. Actors with the strongest ties are those which continue to have the most frequent contact, which would be current members of the team. Current members also have access to the same resources and information. Weak ties exist between past members of the team and current members. Contact is less frequent, although a number of players have been able to secure jobs and other opportunities through Cornell Polo Alumni.

Online, as well as face to face, interactions between Cornell Polo players are very important for the maintenance of relationships within the polo community. E-mail provides a way for members of the team to stay in touch between practice and game periods. Since members are on a list serve, everyone receives the e-mails sent. These e-mails often provide insight into the true identity of certain members of the team, which creates a synergy between real world encounters and computer mediated encounters. Since people often have a lower sense of public awareness online, and a greater sense of self awareness, they will be less inhibited and thus more likely to express themselves more freely than they would in a face to face situation. Online communication has allowed members of the Cornell University Polo team to grow closer than otherwise would have been possible.