Inside the Online Hair and Beauty Community

There are so many communities online where people with similar interests communicate with each other. These communities can be in the form of Facebook groups, web sites, Pinterest, forums, etc. I conducted an ethnography of the community of hair and beauty.

Hair and beauty has been an interest of mine since I was young, especially working in a salon and spa since I was 16. I was excited to emerge myself in the community and contribute to the discussions. I was most looking forward to sharing the knowledge I have acquired over the years working in the industry. It was a great feeling knowing I may have helped someone with a problem they were seeking answers for or even gave what someone thought was good advice. This made me realize how connected and open these communities are with each other and how beneficial they are.

I had a great experience researching this community. I joined the forums on HairBoutique and MakeupAlley. I registered with the community as "MGgirl" and participated in many discussions like what my favorite hair products are and how to maintain curls. Having learned about the lines we sell at the salon, I was able to give some good information on the different types of products I thought the women may be looking for.

One thing I absolutely loved about the forums were how appreciative everyone was for the comments. If you answered a question or gave feedback many people wrote back saying thank you and how much it helped. With beauty and hair comes a lot of trust and kindness. People are very sensitive sometimes when it comes to how they look so it was great to see how many supportive people I came across.

I found a great blog called The Beauty Department. This blog was co-created by reality TV star and fashion designer Lauren Conrad. It is really an interactive website because it links to their Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. The website also provides great tips and tutorials. The creators of the tutorials make it known that they are open to receiving and responding to any questions.

After my experience and observing from the inside of an online community I would suggest for anyone to become a part of a community. Not only do you get to converse with people about common interests, but you can also learn information you didn't know and teach someone else something they didn't know. It's all about the exchange of knowledge and being able to benefit and help each other. If you are passionate about something take a look online and these sources to your benefit!