Since we have been exploring the impact that convergence has on all types of media, I chose to explore an online community of a music band. I decided to do this for two reasons, the first being that music is perhaps the most important part of my life (other then my wife of course…I couldn’t resist bringing that up J), and the second reason being that this aspect of converged media has been untouched by myself in this course. I am a member of many fan websites for my favorite bands, yet one of the online communities is far more interesting then the others. The band is called GlassJaw, from New York. They started playing in the late 1990’s and peaked in popularity in the underground hardcore scene around 2001 or 2002. Shortly after they released their second studio record, they disbanded in 2004. This indefinite hiatus left thousands of fans baffled and wanting more. This is about the time when I discovered GlassJaw.net.
GlassJaw.net is the unofficial fan community where fans of GlassJaw, and fans of the original members’ new side projects, can share GlassJaw related news and media. The website has designated portions for news, pictures, videos, links to GJ related auctions, and of course the forum. The forum is the most interesting part of the website. While the rest of the site has rules about uploading pictures, videos, etc… the forum is the most regulated and strict part of the website. Upon entering the forum, there are two threads with the rules. Over the years that I have been involved with this website, I’ve seen people break these rules, and I’ve seen IP addresses blocked. These rules are very simple, don’t post faulty information, don’t spam, and don’t start a new thread asking about he band’s highly anticipated third album’s release date. This last rule might seem odd for people who aren’t fans of the band. The group announced in late 2006 that they were in fact recording a new record and that it would be released “soon”. Since that day in December of 2006, the forums have blown up speculating on possible release dates and the mystery encompassing the new album. The forum’s moderators have designated a specific thread for this information, instead of allowing hundreds of these threads to pop up daily.
Like a real life community, this website has leaders (the site’s administrators), rules and guidelines, “politicians” (the people who have gained popularity and respect by posting on the forums over a long period of time), and of course the common people (everyone who visits the site leisurely). So as long as you play by the rules, GlassJaw.net is a valuable source of information, and a functioning online community.
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