4 ms·

Yes they are communities. No, AirBNB is not a community. They can't be a community when participation is subject to veto by a single entity/person. Communities

by pm24601 11y ago

Yes they are communities. No, AirBNB is not a community. They can't be a community when participation is subject to veto by a single entity/person. Communities are determined by a collective decision, not a unilateral decision. Anyone one talking about the "AirBNB community" is lying to themselves or to the person they are talking to. If AirBNB wanted a community, they would have visible, due process procedures in place that allow for appeals and the community to arbitrate disputes.

DannyBee 11y ago
"They can't be a community when participation is subject to veto by a single entity/person." Says who? This is not any requirement of any commonly accepted definition of community. You certainly can just make crap up and define words however you like, but you can't expect others to go along with you :)
- teh_klev 11y ago
  In the olden days they used to be called User Groups - most big tech corps had them, run mostly by the customers. But that's an unfashionable term these days, just like my beige cords and jumpers with elbow patches.
- pm24601 11y ago
  I am not making crap up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community Community... "who mutually define that relationship (subjectively) as important to their social identity and social practice." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community : 1. a unified body of individuals: as a : state, commonwealth b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself <the problems of a large community> c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society <a community of retired persons> e : a group linked by a common policy f : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests <the international community> g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society <the academic community> 2 : society at large 3 a : joint ownership or participation <community of goods> b : common character : likeness <community of interests> c : social activity : fellowship d : a social state or condition Notice that in the dictionary definition of community is that there is lots of references to "group of people", "unified", etc. but no reference that allows for a single entity to determine membership. Therefore people hosting for AirBNB are not part of a community.
  - teh_klev 11y ago
    No, but you can have a community of AirBnB users that help each other out. Doesn't always necessitate direct involvement from the company.
    - pm24601 11y ago
      If you are booted out as a host - you are booted out. How many people wish to continue this relationship after being discarded like this person was? She should just take the educational value of being booted and realize that she needs to independently build revenue and marketing.
  - DannyBee 11y ago
    The dictionary definition clearly has no requirement that it be a mutually defined membership, just a common group of people. You are saying "because the dictionary does not say one entity can control who is a member, it's not allowed". But the dictionary definition neither requires nor disallows a single entity from defining membership, and definitions don't fall into the "that which is not referenced is not permitted" category of things. In fact, it's the opposite. If you meet at least the minimum requirements of some definition, you are that thing. You may also be other things that are more specific. So they are completely within the dictionary definition of a community. They are a group of people with a common characteristic (they are airbnb hosts) scattered through a larger society. Whether this is defined by airbnb or not doesn't matter. Claiming anything else is simply ridiculous to me. Do you also believe the daughters of the american revolution are not a community, because the daughters of the american revolution defines who is part of their membership? Is hacker news not a community because contributing requires accounts HN reserves the right to remove accounts at any time (thus controlling participation)? I'm not sure why you are not just willing to admit you are being silly.

by pm24601 11y ago

DannyBee 11y ago

"They can't be a community when participation is subject to veto by a single entity/person." Says who? This is not any requirement of any commonly accepted definition of community. You certainly can just make crap up and define words however you like, but you can't expect others to go along with you :)

teh_klev 11y ago
In the olden days they used to be called User Groups - most big tech corps had them, run mostly by the customers. But that's an unfashionable term these days, just like my beige cords and jumpers with elbow patches.
pm24601 11y ago
I am not making crap up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community Community... "who mutually define that relationship (subjectively) as important to their social identity and social practice." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community : 1. a unified body of individuals: as a : state, commonwealth b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself <the problems of a large community> c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society <a community of retired persons> e : a group linked by a common policy f : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests <the international community> g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society <the academic community> 2 : society at large 3 a : joint ownership or participation <community of goods> b : common character : likeness <community of interests> c : social activity : fellowship d : a social state or condition Notice that in the dictionary definition of community is that there is lots of references to "group of people", "unified", etc. but no reference that allows for a single entity to determine membership. Therefore people hosting for AirBNB are not part of a community.
- teh_klev 11y ago
  No, but you can have a community of AirBnB users that help each other out. Doesn't always necessitate direct involvement from the company.
  - pm24601 11y ago
    If you are booted out as a host - you are booted out. How many people wish to continue this relationship after being discarded like this person was? She should just take the educational value of being booted and realize that she needs to independently build revenue and marketing.
- DannyBee 11y ago
  The dictionary definition clearly has no requirement that it be a mutually defined membership, just a common group of people. You are saying "because the dictionary does not say one entity can control who is a member, it's not allowed". But the dictionary definition neither requires nor disallows a single entity from defining membership, and definitions don't fall into the "that which is not referenced is not permitted" category of things. In fact, it's the opposite. If you meet at least the minimum requirements of some definition, you are that thing. You may also be other things that are more specific. So they are completely within the dictionary definition of a community. They are a group of people with a common characteristic (they are airbnb hosts) scattered through a larger society. Whether this is defined by airbnb or not doesn't matter. Claiming anything else is simply ridiculous to me. Do you also believe the daughters of the american revolution are not a community, because the daughters of the american revolution defines who is part of their membership? Is hacker news not a community because contributing requires accounts HN reserves the right to remove accounts at any time (thus controlling participation)? I'm not sure why you are not just willing to admit you are being silly.