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The Commons
The commons can be a social networking site on the internet to a physical social gathering place like a town hall. The commons can also represent resources. The resources considered to be a part of the commons can range from renewable to perishable. The air we breathe and the water we drink are also considered commons. Even knowledge is considered a commons because it can be shared, consumed, transferred, created and even sometimes lost. Simply put the commons can be described, according to Jay Walljasper, as what we share (2010). Commons can also benefit an economical based society if handled properly.

Social Capital and Human Capital Pros
In an economical based commons society social capital is used to ensure proper usage of the commons. When a society or community uses their commons as a resource they need to make sure it is done for the benefit of everyone in the community and not individually. To ensure that everyone is on the same page in the community uses social capital. Social capital can be defined as “the stock of trust, mutual understanding, shared values, and socially held knowledge that facilitates the social coordination of economic activity” (Goodwin 2009). Basically social capital is the core function that society or the community has assigned to their commons. In addition to social capital, a commons based society or community also uses human capital to make sure the commons are being used properly. In order for the commons to be used effectively skilled workers are needed. Human capital can defined as an “individual’s capacity for labor, particularly the knowledge and skills that each can personally bring to his or her work” (Goodwin 2009). So, Human capital is knowledge or skills gained either through training such as school or through the commons as stated earlier.

Social Capital and Human Capital Cons
Social capital is not always as good as it sounds and in fact “social capital can also have its dark side" (Portes 1996) . The downside of social capital can range from forcing everyone in society or the community to have the same beliefs to manipulating the shared values to ensure personal gain.  History is full of those individuals that have abused a common trust as well as using manipulation for personal gain.   Another problem with social capital as mentioned in the article Social capital and the collective management of resources by Jules Pretty (2003), is that communities don’t always have the knowledge to appreciate that what they are doing may be harmful.  The harm that Pretty is referring to is the depletion of commons based resources.      Human capital has its downside just as social capital does.  The downside of human capital has to deal with the portability of the skills learned. Portability of skills means has a person only learned the skills to perform more than one function within the community. If not that person is not as portable as another that has learned multiple skills or trades. In a commons based economical society it is crucial to make sure that people have multiple skillsets. Without the ability to move a person from one function to another the commons resource is jeopardized as Pretty suggested in her afore mentioned article.