I wonder how many groups of alumni from companies, not just dot-bombs, have setup email lists or other virtual gathering places? I know some people who are on three or four mailing lists from old jobs: looks like a news story to me. Yahoo! has almost 27,000 groups with alumni in their names: they’re not all schools . . . ..
The ease of setting up a virtual community, the elimination of distance through technology, and the impersonal aspect or virtuality as aspects of the technology combine to make this possible. Perhaps it puts the notion of the web as an impersonal space to the test, since you can continue an association with old colleagues in a more immediate way than the telephone permits, regardless of location.
Anyone have John Markoff’s email address?