Carol C. I agree with your points about the Internet's role in helping to create new social paradigms, but would phrase it this way:

Some social groups are no longer limited by race, ethnicity, or geography, or even nationality, and can just as easily also be defined by interests, schools, favorite internet fora, or other categories, many of which may overlap, while others don't, and may include people from all over the world.

-snip-

That said, although Internet blogging communities aren't limited to persons of one race or races (such as People of Color*), I think it's fair to say that race & ethnicity do still play an important role in which Internet blogging communities people actively participate in. This may change in the future, but I think a lot of improvement needs to be made off-line before that changes online.

However, Internet blogging communities that focus on a specific racial/ethic group or groups (which, again, aren't limited in their membership but in which most posters are members of particular races/ethicities) can be invaluable ways for people who are not in those particular racial/ethnic groups to learn about those groups issues, opinions, histories, and cultures.


*"People of Color" (PoC) is a relatively new term that replaces the older phrase "people who are non-White" or "non-White people". PoC is preferred because it doesn't use "White people" as the determining factor regarding one's racial identity.