Virtual research communities: From international patterns to local implementations

This chapter considers virtual research community as a socio-cultural phenomenon and a new type of social computer-mediated interactions that originates as a consequence of individual choices and research needs. It argues that the virtual research communities bring together perspectives from macro and micro-socio-cultural influences, traditional culture-based characters of communication of academics and researchers and experiences that are historically rooted in local history or way of development. Furthermore the authors hope that the history of Russian Communication Association institutionalization and development will not only help to explore controversies and problems of local virtual research communities, but will also assist in better understanding of how international patterns of virtual communities could be successfully implemented in local socio-cultural contexts.