Tardini, Stefano, and Lorenzo Cantoni. "A semiotic approach to online communities: Belonging, interest and identity in websites’ and videogames’ communities." Proceedings of the IADIS International Conference e-Society. 2005.

This paper explores the nature of online communities by applying linguistic and semiotic concepts, distinguishing between paradigmatic communities (where members share similarities) and syntagmatic communities (where members engage in social interactions). It delves into critical issues such as belonging, identity, and interest, and proposes a semiotic approach to understand online communities. It emphasizes the role of interest in defining the semiosphere, the importance of belonging in developing syntagmatic communities, and the significance of identity in both websites and video game communities.