Community of interest

For a more specific meaning, see Community of interest (computer security).

A community of interest is a community of people who share a common interest or passion. These people exchange ideas and thoughts about the given passion, but may know (or care) little about each other outside of this area. Participation in a community of interest can be compelling, entertaining and create a ‘sticky’ community where people return frequently and remain for extended periods. Frequently, they cannot be easily defined by a particular geographical area.

In other words, "a community of interest is a gathering of people assembled around a topic of common interest. Its members take part in the community to exchange information, to obtain answers to personal questions or problems, to improve their understanding of a subject, to share common passions or to play." In contrast to a spatial community, "a ‘community of interest’ is defined not by space, but by some common bond (e.g. feeling of attachment) or entity (e.g. farming, church group)."

See also

• Community of action
• Community of circumstance
• Community of inquiry
• Community of place
• Community of position
• Community of practice
• Community of innovation
• Community of purpose
• Identity politics
• Hobby
• Interest graph
• Sense of community
• Tribe (Internet)
• Conflict of interest

Further reading

• External and shareable artifacts as opportunities for social creativity in communities of interest
• Communities of Interest: Learning through the Interaction of Multiple Knowledge Systems