ModeratorsNet recently interviewed a great friend, business associate and fellow Seattleite- Nancy White.
Back in 1999, when I was just getting started in online communities, Nancy was one of the first online community "professionals" I met. Since that time, she has been a constant source of advice, connections, chocolate and good cheer.
I'll steal a great quote from the interview and a chapter Nancy authored in an upcoming book:
The bottom line is that neither “online community�? nor online interaction is the goal. It is one means for helping groups achieve their goals. It is not necessarily about online community but about the conditions and process needed to enable communities to use the online environment. Now networks, groups and Communities of Practice (CoPs) are realizing the promise of the late 90s. … online interaction offers a way to support a distributed communities, widening their depth and potentially enriching their learning."