Provide the web address and the name of the community you are investigating
www.sparkpeople.com
What is the brief or focus of this community
The purpose of Sparkpeople.com is to enable its members to reach their weight loss/fitness goals and lead healthier lives. By providing nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources that are 100% free.
What services are provided? How interactive is this site? How can people contribute?
This site truly has it all. It provides nutrition, health, fitness, exercise services. It is very interactive, members are able to engage in a wide range of tools on the site. Each member has their own page that they can write blogs, comments, add photos, track their weight loss etc. There are numerous forums and groups that members can join and comment in. There are various tasks that members can do (eg read a particular article, track water consumption, log in exercise minutes) that accumulate points for the member which they can redeem for different inspiration pictures that they can add on their own page or gift to another member of the site.
Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment on why people choose to contribute to this community. What is it they are seeking?
This online community is a fountain of knowledge. Millions of people all over the world are wanting to get healthier, to lose weight, to have more energy. This site provides information on nutrition, exercise, and addresses the emotional component that underlies many weight loss battles. It provides a sense of unity. You are able to connect with others around the world who are in the same boat as you, maybe they need to lose the same amount of weight, maybe they are a mother who finds it hard to get exercise in each day, no matter what your situation is you are bound to find someone in similar circumstances to yourself that you can relate to. Also it’s free. You get all the nutritional advice, exercise plans, social support as you would from the leading weight loss programmes, but without paying a cent!
Cut and paste an example of the type of topics being discussed (you may have to provide a context to your excerpt).
Sparkpeople.com has numerous forums in which members can contribute in. One main forum is called “Staying motivated” and below are a few of the thread topics that can be found there.
Are you feeling Positive or Negative today?
Real Women Have Curves...
Finish this sentence...Today I'm Thankful For....
Say one positive thing about yourself each day...
Today I will focus on...
Considering material presented during the course and make comment on the potential ethical issues that may arise in this community e.g. lack of identity and accountability.
A major ethical issue in this online community would be the use of photos. Many members post progress photos of themselves, as well as photos of their family and friends. Being an open website means that there is the potential for members to abuse its services and take photos without the owner’s permission and using them for inappropriate reasons.
Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment on the benefits this community holds over traditional notions of community e.g. communities reliant on geographic proximity
This community is used all over the world, which provides members with a wide array of like minded comrades, and a greater possibility of linking together with another member who is in the same kind of circumstance as yourself. Being a member of an online community such as Sparkpeople.com gives a sense of anonymity. By being removed from other members (eg being part of an online community instead of a face to face community) members may be able to better communicate their feelings and frustrations without fear of being judged. It is cost-effective. There are many people out there who would love to attend weight loss meetings but can not afford the weekly payments. This online community provides all the same benefits without the added costs.
Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment what this community lacks or can not provide which traditional communities can.
Accountability is a huge component which is missing from this online weight loss community. It is easy to become slack and not log onto the website, which in turn decreases your motivation to keep on track with improving your fitness, or losing weight. There is no one there checking up on your each week, where as in physical meetings there is someone you are accountable to, so you are more likely to stick to your fitness/weight loss plan.
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