Looking across these classifications of online community members, the groups that are most actively engaged, as measured by the amount of emailing by members, are Political Groupies, Lifestylers, members of ethnic and racial groups, and Civic Engagers.  In each group, 70% or more email other group members, well above the 60% average.  Online experience seems most strongly associated with engagement in online groups, with the groups with the most frequent emailing having a large share of the Internet’s most experienced users.

There is also a correspondence between online experience and emailing local groups.  For Political Groupies, Lifestylers, Civic Engagers, and members of ethnic and racial groups, the rate of local online group emailing is well above the average, and these groups contain the most experienced Internet users relative to the others.  Internet users in these categories are also more likely than average to say the Internet has helped them become more involved with groups that they already belong to, with that finding being strongest for ethnic and racial groups, Lifestylers, and Political Groupies.

In looking at these active categories of online groups, two divisions stand out.  First, the high levels of chatter among Civic Engagers and Political Groupies signals good news to those who hope that the Internet may contribute to a revival of American civic life.  A substantial number of Internet users have contacted such groups using the Internet (29% have contacted a local community association and 22% have contacted a political group) and these users have a tendency toward establishing serious connections to online groups.  Second, groups that have fairly direct ties to people’s lifestyle or race/ethnicity also draw members willing to engage in online chatter and connection. 

Although Belief Groups are not listed as highly engaged groups (because “only” 67% of members send emails), even that category’s users report a relatively high incidence of emailing others to establish personal connections with other members.  In some respects, the categories that have active emailers are inherently more interactive than the others.  If you are interested in finding others who share your beliefs or lifestyle, you probably want to chat with them.  If you are a fan of a TV show or a sports star, you may be more interested in getting information from a Web site about Tiger Woods or Jennifer Anniston than talking with other fans.