In recent weeks three different people I know have emailed me to say they like the site and will visit it from time to time. On each occasion I have responded to say that I am pleased they like the site but I have encouraged them to do more than just visit from time to time. I have emphasised that the site is intended to be an online community rather than just a resource to visit occasionally. So, what is an online community supposed to be? The following are the main (but not the only) features:

·         Discussion Online communities generally have discussion forums where people can ask questions, make comments, share ideas, seek guidance or information. This then provides a helpful resource for not only the people directly involved, but also for the many others who will ‘lurk’ (that is, read and benefit from the discussions without necessarily contributing directly). Discussion is also part of our blog facility. A blog is a ‘weblog’, a sort of online diary that people can respond to or comment on. At the moment my blog is the only one on the site but we have the facility to host many blogs (free of charge) so my hope is that, as the community becomes more established, more people will want to start blogging. If you are interested or you know anyone who is, please let me know.

·         Learning Online communities generally offer a range of learning resources and ours is no exception. We already have a databank of short articles, book reviews and training resources and these will grow over time. If you have something you want to say or a book you want to review you don’t have to ‘apply’ or ‘ask permission’, just load it straight on to the site (you have to be a registered member to do this). We also have the Social Work Wiki which is an excellent opportunity for members to contribute to building up an online social work encyclopaedia that the whole profession can benefit from.

·         News Our site has newsfeeds on the home page plus announcements, books news and details of events. Members can use this facility to find out what is going on as well as publicise their own events.

·         Access to information The Connections section of the site has links to a wide range of useful websites that social work and social care people may wish to draw on as well as a set of directories relating to various services and service providers. Members can recommend websites to add to the list and service providers can have free entries on the directories.

So, it should be clear that Social Work Focus is much more than a website to be visited from time to time. Why not make it your home page so that you can see what the latest news is whenever you log on to the internet? And why not tell your friends and colleagues about it? The more members we have, the more of a resource the community becomes for everyone.