Fay writes about the first international women's university "technology and culture" (ifu) which was inspired by the slogan '100 days for 100 years) reffering to 100 years of women's movement in Germany (Fay 2007, 3).
This online post graduate program was designed for women in an international computer based arena- providing women from all walks of life to communicate with one another in an academic context known as vifu: Virtual ifu.
This allowed the women to stay connected and network together even after the 3 months was alloted. This virtual world provided a sense of global community and a sense of realness to it.
Fay discusses her research and how it got started and her methodology in an anthropological mind frame. What I find interesting about this article is her section on Meaning of home. Her face to face interviews with people allowed her to realize the concept of home is not necessarily the dwelling where the interviewees resided. Fay writes '"where" home was located differed from interviewee to interviewee" (Fay 2007:6). The interviewees had given her many different kinds of explanations for 'home', some being geographical, emotional and some more of a mobile outlook to home that changed according to circumstances around them. This is interesting because the saying 'home is where the heart is' rings true (atleast in my outlook).
Over all the sense of belonging was key to this research. It provided a safe home like feeling to the women involved and gave them a sense of belonging.
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