Winning ways: online regional communities that click

In recent years, significant resources have been allocated to support the establishment of online communities, websites and regional web portals, which can foster community activities, interests and events in rural and regional communities. However, most initiatives fail to develop sufficient revenue streams or systems that can support project staff, content maintenance and infrastructure. This study examined over 100 Australian rural and regional community web pages for the level of community involvement they appeared to attract. This paper identifies factors that contribute to the success of Australian community web sites. These include the degree of community ownership, the ability for multiple users to contribute, local relevance and levels of interactivity.