Through social networking and computer-mediated communication, or the use of datagogies while people work as a community to achieve a shared learning objective.
The community owner may propose learning objectives or may arise out of discussions between participants that reflect personal interests.
In an online learning community, people share knowledge via textual discussion (synchronous or asynchronous), audio, video, or other Internet-supported media.
Blogs blend personal journaling with social networking to create environments with opportunities for reflection.
Based on Riel and Polin (2004), intentional online learning communities may be categorized as knowledge-based, practice-based, and task-based.