interests. For example, moral obligations or personal connections can motivate and sustain community. Almost by definition, communities require high levels of interaction between members to remain viable. Members of a family interact with each other according to defined social roles. We expect that groups based on common interests will also develop shared social norms for interaction.

Groups in the top row (the first and second quadrant) are more stable or fixed by nature than groups in the bottom row (the third and fourth quadrants). The goal of friend and family groups existing in the top row, for instance, is to maintain relationships and reinforce the tribe through active participation. Those goals often lead members to share memorable events. Likewise, members of a work group make efforts to reinforce team spirit and build relationships in support of shared goals, such as project milestones, market share, or net income. On the other hand, the group-formation process in the bottom row is relatively dynamic and temporary. An auto service (in the third quadrant) can improve its service by adding individual personalization. One who has an accident, for example, requires a speedy and systematic interactive service of a community, composed of hospital, police, and emergency services, and insurance company. The systematic service and interactivity supported by these parties forms a temporary community around the “event” (the accident) and the specific time and place where it happens.

The need for rich and affordable communication increases as a community grows and matures. This circumstance suggests we may be able to develop rules or heuristics regarding communication within community services. Of course, flexible and easy-to-use user interfaces for sharing media and collaborating on projects are prerequisites for creating successful new mobile experiences. New opportunities for mobile community require rich, affordable, and effortless digital interaction for sharing, contacting, collaborating and being entertained.

Communication within a community is not limited to the explicit dialogue between members; rather it must also expand to include delivery of tacit knowledge in a broad sense, including sharing events, emotions, and experiences across time and place, which create closer relationships and increased trust. We call this range of exchanges rich, social communication. For example, sharing views on a wide range of issues with

some or all members of the group may be more important to building and maintaining community than optimizing direct communication, such as SMS or calling. That may be because exchanging members’ intentions or views encourages creating tacit knowledge that leads to more and deeper interactions among community members. Likewise, a single video file of combined clips created by siblings becomes another form of tacit knowledge, standing for family love and encouraging interaction between family members. Sharing one’s status or schedule with other community members implies that one wants to meet or keep in touch. Broadcasting personal music or video (whether to friends or to people unknown) presents a virtual identity and may lead to forming a flash tribe around a favorite song, band, or

Based on Financial Goals Based on Social Goals

Mobile Community:

A group of people who gather to achieve a goal

More stable or fixed

“Efficient Work”

“Reinforcing Relations”

Friends

Coworkers

Family

Work

Services

Relations

Entertainment

Education

Auto

Health

People who have similar interests

More dynamic

“Qualified Service”

“Seeking Entertainment”

 

• Figure 2. Mobile communities lie within a space defined by two dimensions: focus of community goals and community longevity or stability. Mobile communities in the first column ( 1 and 3) focus on financial goals (more explicit transactions), while those in the second column ( 2 and 4) focus on social goals (softer, less tangible exchanges). Mobile communities in the first row ( 1 and 2) are longer-lived and change slowly, while those in the second row ( 3 and 4) are shorter-lived and more ad hoc. Most people are members of all four types of mobile communities.

November + December 2009