Electronic Community

          According to Webster's dictionary, "community is a group of people living together as a smaller social unit within a larger one, and having common interests, work, life style, customs, language etc,". Similarly, an electronic community focuses on a group of people with common interests; only their interests are mediated through a computer net work rather than through physical proximity.

          Electronic communities, known also as "virtual communities" have existed for some time on the internet, the government – sponsored computer net work in the United States of America whose roots go back to the late 1960s. Many communities were organized through on-line bulletin boards, called "Usenet news groups" starting around the early 1980s. These communities consisted of self organizing interest groups in academic, research and government circles. Using electronic mail and bulletin boards, hundreds of interest groups sprang up.

          These communities have become dynamic places for consumers to pursue their interests. As Howard Rheingold wrote in his 1994 book "The Virtual Community", "People in virtual communities use words on screens to exchange pleasantries and argue, engage in intellectual discourse, conduct commerce, exchange knowledge, share emotional support, make plans, brainstorm, gossip, feud, fall in love, find friends and lose them, play games, flirt, create a little high art and a lot of idle talk. People in virtual communities do just about everything people do in real life, but we leave our boides behind" However some people may give false information under the guise of fake names and indulge in fraudulent activities. Such cases as reported in news papers have been increasing day by day and now we have a separate wing in the police department to detect 'Cyber Crimes' and prosecute the criminals.