what makes a community strong?

I don't see community like most do.

To me, communities had to start somewhere... two people before a lot more were added.

To me, community is people... no certain number, that help each other to improve things. I don't necessarily have to have the same religion or political beliefs to still work with another for what's good. We have a common goal, but not all the same beliefs or ideals. And yes... part of that common goal is to stand together against those who dislike us and wish to cause harm.

Is YAHOO a community? I don't think so. I think there are communities within Yahoo land. We aren't all here for a common goal. I see myself in a community, in Yahoo land, that tries to never cause harm and stands together against those who hate, stalk, report, leave unkind or rude posts or just show jealousy and nastiness to those who haven't done a thing wrong to them.

A real life successful community... a few neighbors working together to help each other because they agree it's a lot more decent, peaceful and worthy than each only worrying about him/herself. It benefits those neighbors in many ways.

(((V)))

Edit: Some might be anonymous, but... some of us are not. We know each other outside of this internet. We stand together on this internet. All communities started with people who didn't know each other. All grew from getting to know each other. Some people... internet or not, will choose to stay away, on the outside.

So... what IS the difference between a clique of people who know each other or a community of people who know each other? I'll be thinking about that one too.

Better late than never? I would rate a small community, less than one thousand, where there exist NO enemies, where all are friends, as strong. As I get older I miss this community, where I lived for eleven wonderful years between ages 44 and 55 even more than before. It is not so much an issue of safety although that is a breath of fresh air compared to many communities. It is more a feeling of total comfort which feels that much better knowing that only a few miles away it ceases to exist, making it that much more valuable. The variety within the community also counts for a lot. This town is made up of people from all over the world, a truly international community, so maybe that has a lot to do with it.

a shared sense of belonging. Since time began, mankind has sought to cluster together, for the sake of the common GOOD. Whether it was 5 cavemen joining forces to bring down a superior beast.......

or 100 villagers, forming a little town and building a wall around it , to protect from invaders,

or building the international space station.........we tend to believe there is safety in numbers, and with like minded people who want the same things for the common good.

Just as there are nations who go rogue, and would love to see our international space station fail........there are members of THIS community, Yahoo, who spend their time attacking, reporting, stalking, and working AGAINST the common good.

Forming a circle of friends, sometimes helps prevent and defend from these sorts of vicious, evil attacks. Those who do have the social skills to be PART of the community, seek to destroy it.

Just as within our own carefully built little communities........occasionally, an Adam Lanza will emerge.........and try to wipe out a classroom full of first graders.......ripping that community apart-

But it's the strength of the community, that pulls together after such tragedies, and makes the pain a little more bearable.

That's the importance of being part of a strong community.

A community is comprised of so many different elements. I think a good community is one that views its residents as an asset and the residents view the community as an asset. Having a sense of community means coming together as a whole and taking care of one another...providing resources for each other to grow and become better and then giving back to that community. Churches, schools, libraries, parks, public resources....do the residents value the resources and take care of them? It's truly a give and take equation in order to maintain it! Without residents giving back to the community, the community falls apart and deteriorates. It's truly all about balance!

I think a strong community is one that comes together to help others or each other in times of need.

It will always be about influence. It is basically a typical behavior by most living beings.

Take a one-on-one conversation for example:

As we understand the person we converse with, the more comfortable we are to communicate with them. As such, we consciously and unconsciously react in a way in which a conversation can become comfortable for both you and your partner.

With that kind of example, a person with a strong sense of unity must also have a strong sense of leadership. By having an influential leader who shows caring for his people, the community themselves will react the same way.

Everyone has their own respective greed in life. There must be a person, with a high and respectable position, instill unity to the people. Through this can a community become strong.

A popular example is Hitler. Though hated by everyone else, he united the people of Germany.

A political answer would be: Liberty, equality, and fraternity.

A community needs a sufficient number of caring, compassionate individuals who maintain both self respect and respect for others. It needs a physical center where people can meet with others, a marketplace both of commerce and of ideas. It needs boundaries and limits so it knows what is not in the community, what is not acceptable behavior, what doesn't work, so this implies it has a memory, history, and culture.

Shared beliefs, Ideas, Goals, Religion, Philosophy, Political ideas, Culture, History and usually persecution from an outside force. So the Jewish community then why do you think they are so close and strong. You could say the same for the Muslim community or the traveler community.

Since you address the unanswered post, I will also: " Are the strongest communities bonded through shared experience & common enemies?

Do reporters & trolls help bring that to us here, is it not a beautiful thing." My answer to this is "no". I live in a very strong and diverse community. What makes us strong is not our shared experiences because these vary about as much as anything can. It is not a common enemy as this tends to not bring people closer but opens the door to one day your neighbor being that enemy. What does make our community strong are two things. It is our desire for loving and safe family and a will to make a better life. Our desire for loving and safe family translates into acceptance and understanding for our neighbors. And our will for a better life translates into keeping a community clean and prosperous as well as building camaraderie. What makes a community strong is understanding, acceptance, compromise, hearing others / listening, and taking responsibility.

Unity makes a community strong. All being of the same mind and goal. I think any community abiding by these guidelines will be strong a successful, whatever it may be, whatever culture, background, or mission it holds.