Dr Alison Norris could not wipe the smile off her face yesterday, but finally being addressed by your long-awaited prefix is a pretty good reason to be happy.Dr Norris, 26, graduated from the University of Wollongong with a PhD in Philosophy from the Faculty of Informatics yesterday.While traditionally viewed as an arts course, philosophy reaches into all aspects of education and for Dr Norris, the internet was an intriguing area of focus for her work."I had to write a very large thesis," she said."Basically, my topic was looking at community websites, so websites that are built by community members for that community."I was looking at whether they were viable or not."While these websites foster community spirit and allow citizens to share a wealth of information, Dr Norris said they are under-utilised."They need some work but they have definite potential," she said."I was involved in the original group that formed the Wollongong community website wollongong.nsw.au but it is open to anyone in the community."We're getting there but if anyone would like to get on the Wollongong website and get involved they're welcome."Yesterday's ceremony was particularly special for Dr Norris, sharing the occasion with many of her own students receiving undergraduate degrees.Her husband, Mark Freeman, is also a doctor in the school of information and technology. See Friday's Mercury for more on the University of Wollongong graduations.