Receiver Magazine #19 | Communities: The ideas of web-based community building and social media have been around for quite a while, but only recently have we seen networking sites really burst onto the scene. With their help, the community phenomenon has gone large-scale. And while the controversy continues over whether or not the idea of Wikipedia-style knowledge creation can be trusted, the concept has given rise to myriads of seminal mass collaboration projects. This receiver issue is all about tracking the miscellaneous connections between individuals turned into ‘familiar strangers’ through mediated communication.

Thoughts on 3.0 – this time with added You-nicorn by Stephen Johnston: Should you find yourself stuck for a topic of conversation at a geek-dominated dinner party (a not-implausible scenario) try this: “What comes next after Web 2.0?”…

What the Web is for by David Weinberger: The real world map shows what we humans have been given to work with. The Web shows what we have chosen to care about. And that’s exactly what’s so special about the Web place…

Wikinomics – Harnessing collaboration outside and inside the corporation by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams: The late nineteenth century chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur famously said that chance favors the prepared mind…

Oh Hai! Cats, the internet, and tactical communities by Joshua Green: Once revered by ancient Egyptians as an emblem of grace and poise, cats have once again risen to a position of particular cultural prominence…

Welcome to We-Think by Charles Leadbeater: A mass of independent people, with different information, skills and outlooks, working together in the right way, can discover…

Generation Mesh by Laura Forlano: One Starbucks Coffee is just like any other, right? Since its founding in 1971, the company has grown to over 12,000 stores worldwide, becoming the epitome of global brands…

Synthetic worlds – real community, real money by Edward Castronova and Mark Bell: You’ve had a hard day at work. The boss yelled at you. You broke the zipper in your pants and spilled your lunch on your shirt…

The consumer revolution by Ekkehart Baumgartner: There can be no doubt about it: consumers have undergone a radical transformation. They are becoming less predictable…

Playing for friendship – virtual friends in virtual worlds by Dan Phillips: Our friends are on messenger, Facebook or MySpace, in Second Life or another online game. They could even be around the corner or on their mobile phone…