- Numerous contributions from known international scholars providing comprehensive coverage of theories and concepts of virtual communities- Example of best practices and case studies in virtual communities around the world- A compendium of terms, definitions and explanations of concepts, processes and acronyms provided by international experts.- Organized by titles and indexed by authors and topics, making it a convenient method of reference for readers- Cross referencing of key terms; figures and information related to virtual communities and applications- With the purchase of a print copy, your library will have access to the electronic edition of this encyclopedia, free of charge for the life of the edition.