A community of position is distinguished from a community of practice

Community of practice

A community of practice is, according to cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created...

 in that it tends to be more personally focused. Communities of Position built around life stages (such as teenage years, university/college student years, marriage, or parenthood) provide individuals with the opportunity to build relationships with others during that particular phase of their lives.

Related to

• Community of action
  Community of action
  A community of action , unlike a community of practice , exists in a situation that is structurally more open, where actors have the possibility of bringing about change...
  
  
• Community of circumstance
  Community of circumstance
  A community of circumstance is similar to a community of practice, except that it is driven by position, circumstance or life experiences rather than a shared interest. Examples might include cancer sufferers using a support newsgroup or the members of gay/lesbian newsgroups...
  
  
• Community of interest
  Community of interest
  A community of interest is a community of people who share a common interest or passion. These people exchange ideas and thoughts about the given passion, but may know little about each other outside of this area...
  
  
• Community of inquiry
  Community of inquiry
  A community of inquiry is the social and educational context that leads to “questioning, reasoning, connecting, deliberating, challenging, and developing problem-solving techniques” as described by Matthew Lipman ....
  
  
• Community of place
  Community of place
  A community of place or place-based community is a community of people who are bound together because of where they reside, work, visit or otherwise spend a continuous portion of their time...
  
  
• Community of practice
  Community of practice
  A community of practice is, according to cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created...
  
  
• Community of purpose
  Community of purpose
  A community of purpose is a community of people who are going through the same process or are trying to achieve a similar objective. Such communities serve a functional purpose, smoothing the path of the member for a limited period surrounding a given activity...