Roxton

Ø Gender Ø Special Needs Ø Culture Ø Age Ø Access (Public or Private)
 * Characteristics of online communities **
 * Members of an online community affect how the community grows and operates.
 * Characteristics that need to be considered are:

Ø Requests for memberships are properly verified, including using ‘word verification’ to ensure a person is creating the account not a program. Ø All passwords must have a combination of letters, numbers & symbols. Ø Community administrators need to be observant and deal with inappropriate behaviour. Ø Encourage hate crimes or the religious defamation of others. Ø Discriminate on the basis of gender, culture or sexuality Ø Encourage the victimisation of members of the community.
 * Online communities appealing to gender groups **
 * Websites appeal to either male or females.
 * Different colours appeal to different genders.
 * Gender affects the way an online community is presented and its membership. E.g. A website about testicular cancer may be closed to men only.
 * A **verification process** is implemented to prevent someone claiming to be who they are not (e.g. male claiming to be female).
 * Online communities appealing to special needs **
 * People with special needs, need to be catered for when designing a website.
 * E.g. a website might be designed to take into consideration colour blindness by ensure certain colours are not used.
 * Online communities appealing to cultural needs **
 * When creating an online community website for a particular community, the way in which information is presented should not culturally offend someone.
 * E.g. TV shows that have indigenous content, may warn people that it contain photos of aborigines that have passed away.
 * Age-Restrictive and age-targeted communities **
 * A community webpage might be age restrictive or age targeted depending on the needs of the community.
 * An **age restrictive** webpage contains content that might not be appropriate for minors
 * An **age targeted** communities target different age groups through advertising and design.
 * Constraints on developing a website for a community **
 * Non technical constraints play a large part in determining how people gain access to information as part of a online community.
 * Ensuring privacy in an online community. **
 * Privacy on an online community is important especially when sensitive matters are being discussed.
 * Strategies to ensure privacy:
 * Copyright in online communities **
 * When setting up an online community copyright legislation needs to be taken into consideration.
 * “Do you own images and text on the website?” “Are you infringing the copyright of other by broadcasting discussions and ideas in an open forum?”.
 * Human rights requirements **
 * When creating an online community the design and content of the website must not violate the human rights of anyone.
 * An online community should not: