The Vine

Allison Arieff writes an interesting article on WeCommune, an online platform that helps micro-communities—neighborhoods, apartment complexes, college dorms, churches, nonprofit organizations, etc.—aggregate and share resources.

And, in the process, builds “deeper, smarter forms of community.”

The site bills itself as social networking with soul. These are virtual communities with a tangible, functional, real world purpose. Sharing doesn’t mean “25 things about me” or “Which US President I’m most like,” but rather “I have a table saw that you can borrow.”

This is more than just an online swap shop, however. The social connections created (and, by extension, the inherent trust) are key.

“You don’t share resources with people you’re not in close community with,” says Stephanie Smith, WeCommune’s founder and CEO. “You can’t have one without the other.”

It is, in essence, the very definition of communing—a community that shares stuff.