What really matters from the point of view of social capital and civic engagement is not merely nominal membership, but active and involved membership.
Robert D. PutnamSocial capital may turn out to be a prerequisite for, rather than a consequence of, effective computer-mediated communication.
Robert D. PutnamPeople may go to the library looking mainly for information, but they find each other there.
Robert D. PutnamSchool performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness - all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbours and co-workers.
Robert D. Putnam