Citizens, groups, communities, and information and communication technologies [Guest Editors´ Introduction]

Communities, the fundamental building blocks of societies, are sometimes over-looked in larger discussions of technology and society. Communities can be hard to define and their boundaries difficult to delineate, but they motivate, inspire, shape, and help create many of the positive technological developments we enjoy. This paper features articles based on papers from the 2008 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS ´08), held in June 2008 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. ISTAS ´08 successfully explored both research and practice within the theme of Citizens, Groups, Communities, and Information and Communication Technologies.