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Abstract
Worldwide, people can now come together in online support communities (e-communities) to share common concerns. Although myriad e-communities now exist, few researchers have investigated their leadership, infrastructure, and developmental processes. Because these e-communities are often founded without professional oversight by people confronted with life crises, social workers have expressed concern about their safety and effectiveness for vulnerable populations. This article presents findings from a case study of an e-community, www.parentsofsuicide, for parents who have lost a child to suicide, and the leadership and organizational development factors contributing to its organizational durability and effectiveness as a source of social support.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Karyl Beal, the founder of WWW.ParentsofSuicide (POS), was the catalyst for this study and is a source of inspiration with her commitment to the POS community and parent-survivors everywhere. The authors also thank members who were willing to invest considerable time in talking with us about their experiences as survivors, the benefits they gained as POS members, and their insights into the developmental processes and leadership of e-support communities. The authors also appreciate the contributions of research assistant Crystal Russell for her assistance with data analysis.