Passion fuels online communities

I posted earlier in the week, some comments from NATPE, like this one from Lydia Loizides:

If you fundamentally look at the organisational structure of myspace or youtube, there are niches and enclaves of fans of particular topics. We keep thinking mass, mass.. but the world is a group of tiny little parts that come together as a jigsaw puzzle.

So what drives a “fan base”?

Here is an online link to 412 fan videos of “Barbaro”. If you look at it closely you will find the tributes and passion of devoted Barbaro followers. (Barbaro is a horse that came up short of the “triple crown” due to injury).

I think this is about a personal connection between the audience and the fight involved in heavy competition. That fight installs emotionally involved feelings that let us feel the fight of winning too. In this case it may also show a little extra enthusiasm by having the “betting dollars” of fans riding on the success of the horse. This gives a more personal and real connection to the win for the fans.

In addition Barbaro is trying to work his way back. What is more amazing to behold than someone that failed and fought back? Failure is innevitable. The fight back is not guaranteed. That takes heart.

So, what do you put your bets on. Where are you emotionally involved? What fights have lead you to come back from failure?

Here is Barbaro’s fight:

(Thanks Boing Boing)