Exercise 1c

Three examples of online businesses using an online community approach.

1. Multiply.com is a website that allows users to create blogs, photo albums, videos and sound recordings and share them with other users. Networks can also be created, with users creating contacts, and those contacts being able to share each others' postings.
   
   The original benefit to the site owners is that users have to pay to copy or print photos that are not on their own site.
   
   The user can also upgrade their free membership to a paid membership, which allows more space, online storage of photos, ad-free sites and a faster upload speed.
   
   The vendor is selling computer space.
   
   
2. showdog.com, showcats.com, showcattle.com, horseland.com are websites that allow users to own, breed, show and sell virtual dogs, cats, cattle and horses.
   
   A basic membership is free, and offers members the full range of activities on the site at a limited level - such as buying, selling, showing, sending to market and breeding virtual animals, as well as chatting to others, discussing merits and methods of different breeds, and being an online community.
   
   When the user wishes to move beyond the limits attached to the free acounts, they start a subscription for a monthly fee, and their limits are raised.
   
   The vendor is selling computer space and processing power, as well as its complex game.
   
   
3. nswtf.org.au - Teachers Federation. This is the union for NSW school and TAFE teachers. It offers a range of information about teachers' condition and current union campaigns, as well as discounts offered to members, teaching resources, competitions, forums and advice.
   
   Many of these areas are restricted to union members, to encourage people to join the union.
   
   The vendor is selling union membership.