Setting up a Community of Online Communities: A case study

Authors:
Zeljko Klindzic, SB NET
Jasmin Klindzic, SB NET
Zarko Vuckovic, Pozega online
Darko Giener, Osijek Online

This paper illustrates practical experience in development of an online community and connection of several communities into one. Since 1996 a group of authors from Slavonski Brod has been developing the resource network called "SBOnLine".

The results of our work are visible in web portals of Brodsko-posavska county and a network of complementary online resources, from the radio station, newspapers, schools, to city and county official web sites.

Second objective was communication of people originating from this area by using the Internet (located in Croatia or around the world).

At the beginning, the communication with people originating from Brod consisted of directory services, web publication and news/information broadcasting. Later, other services emerged: mailing lists, boards, chat and similar. Through the development of multi-user online tools for content publishing, the community became interactive. Today, there is an increasing number of authors and associates from all around the world participating in the content production.

Through connection with similar projects from Slavonia, like "Pozega online" and
"Osijek online" during 2001, a community of online communities called "Putokazi ravnice" was born. Modules of the online community are using integrated online resources, thus enabling the remote cooperation of the individuals and teams from all communities.