Pub Date : 2013-01-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2013010105
Victoria Wang, J. V. Tucker, K. Haines
The growth of cybercommunities is a notable social phenomenon. Empirical studies of cybercommunities have described new forms of social behaviour that call for deeper conceptual analysis. Drawing on evidence from our research in the cybercommunity Second Life, the authors examine the sociology of cybercommunities through the lens of Giddens' abstract theories of modernity. In particular, the authors suggest that an individual's participation in cybercommunities may be gauged using a spectrum of individual responses to particular abstract conditions of modernity. These abstract conditions have interpretations ranging from seeking refuge from the vicissitudes of the real world to pursuing the playful heights of modernity.
{"title":"Viewing Cybercommunities through the Lens of Modernity: The Case of Second Life","authors":"Victoria Wang, J. V. Tucker, K. Haines","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2013010105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2013010105","url":null,"abstract":"The growth of cybercommunities is a notable social phenomenon. Empirical studies of cybercommunities have described new forms of social behaviour that call for deeper conceptual analysis. Drawing on evidence from our research in the cybercommunity Second Life, the authors examine the sociology of cybercommunities through the lens of Giddens' abstract theories of modernity. In particular, the authors suggest that an individual's participation in cybercommunities may be gauged using a spectrum of individual responses to particular abstract conditions of modernity. These abstract conditions have interpretations ranging from seeking refuge from the vicissitudes of the real world to pursuing the playful heights of modernity.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"41 1","pages":"75-90"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83026973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012100104
Enrique Murillo
Virtual Communities of Practice CoPs that are launched and managed by organizations have been amply documented in KM literature, but extra-organizational virtual CoPs have received little coverage. This study performs an ethnography of an extra-organizational Usenet-based CoP of tax professionals, using a longitudinal Social Network Analysis to map a tight-knit long-lived community and identify its members. The result is a naturalistic description of the ways in which the Wenger dimensions of Mutual engagement, Joint enterprise and Shared repertoire manifest themselves in day-to-day interactions in an online CoP. The study highlights how energetic voluntary participation by members produces a successful long-lived virtual CoP, even in the absence of organizational KM or IT resources. For independent professionals, extra-organizational virtual CoPs can provide a powerful support group and the means to constantly update their personal competence. For organizations intent on developing formalized CoPs, these results are a useful reminder that member commitment is the ultimate driver of a CoP's success.
{"title":"\"I've Got a Situation and Would Appreciate Your Experience\": An Extra-Organizational Virtual Community of Practice for Independent Professionals","authors":"Enrique Murillo","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012100104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012100104","url":null,"abstract":"Virtual Communities of Practice CoPs that are launched and managed by organizations have been amply documented in KM literature, but extra-organizational virtual CoPs have received little coverage. This study performs an ethnography of an extra-organizational Usenet-based CoP of tax professionals, using a longitudinal Social Network Analysis to map a tight-knit long-lived community and identify its members. The result is a naturalistic description of the ways in which the Wenger dimensions of Mutual engagement, Joint enterprise and Shared repertoire manifest themselves in day-to-day interactions in an online CoP. The study highlights how energetic voluntary participation by members produces a successful long-lived virtual CoP, even in the absence of organizational KM or IT resources. For independent professionals, extra-organizational virtual CoPs can provide a powerful support group and the means to constantly update their personal competence. For organizations intent on developing formalized CoPs, these results are a useful reminder that member commitment is the ultimate driver of a CoP's success.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"10 1","pages":"52-80"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84992554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012100102
Craig C. Claybaugh, Peter Haried
Online professional social networks have become a noteworthy tool to help professionals create, strengthen, and maintain valuable business connections. However, the question remains as to who is actually using online professional social networks and how the diffusion of the social network has occurred. Looking at diffusion and usage through innovation diffusion theory, critical mass and a network effects lens, this paper seeks to examine the diffusion of an online professional social network LinkedIn for a specific population of university business schools. Using longitudinal analysis 2008 compared to 2011 our findings advocate network dynamics of homogeneous populations display consistent patterns of participation and non-participation. The authors' findings suggest LinkedIn diffusion is not consistent across all business schools examined. A greater critical mass and network effect appears to have been achieved across larger research universities when compared to smaller university populations. An analysis of the results and future research directions are presented.
{"title":"Professional Social Network Site Participation: A Longitudinal Examination","authors":"Craig C. Claybaugh, Peter Haried","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012100102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012100102","url":null,"abstract":"Online professional social networks have become a noteworthy tool to help professionals create, strengthen, and maintain valuable business connections. However, the question remains as to who is actually using online professional social networks and how the diffusion of the social network has occurred. Looking at diffusion and usage through innovation diffusion theory, critical mass and a network effects lens, this paper seeks to examine the diffusion of an online professional social network LinkedIn for a specific population of university business schools. Using longitudinal analysis 2008 compared to 2011 our findings advocate network dynamics of homogeneous populations display consistent patterns of participation and non-participation. The authors' findings suggest LinkedIn diffusion is not consistent across all business schools examined. A greater critical mass and network effect appears to have been achieved across larger research universities when compared to smaller university populations. An analysis of the results and future research directions are presented.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"26 1","pages":"19-32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90553205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012100101
Kathryn E. Stevens, S. Stevens
Second Life is a virtual world where many universities have established an educational presence. Hoping to serve as a useful example for others that are considering the creation of a virtual campus, this article follows how the Second Life campus of James Madison University was created in 2008. It details the nontraditional ways that it was used by faculty and students for museum studies, student projects, and in-world conferencing. It also reviews the major reasons why the project failed in April 2012 after four years of successful use, concluding with thoughts on best practices for Second Life university campuses.
{"title":"Lessons from the Virtual Campus: The Life and Death of a Second Life University","authors":"Kathryn E. Stevens, S. Stevens","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012100101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012100101","url":null,"abstract":"Second Life is a virtual world where many universities have established an educational presence. Hoping to serve as a useful example for others that are considering the creation of a virtual campus, this article follows how the Second Life campus of James Madison University was created in 2008. It details the nontraditional ways that it was used by faculty and students for museum studies, student projects, and in-world conferencing. It also reviews the major reasons why the project failed in April 2012 after four years of successful use, concluding with thoughts on best practices for Second Life university campuses.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"7 1","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86526217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.4018/JVCSN.2012100103
S. Loureiro, F. Miranda, Ana R. Pires
This study aims to investigate the antecedents of participation in and satisfaction with social networking sites SNS based on extension of the Technology Acceptance Model. The model is tested on a group of 336 young adults who use Facebook frequently. The findings reveal that identification with the SNS and the degree of influence are two important drivers of the usefulness of the SNS, and in turn, lead to using it more frequently and encouraging others to join. Interaction preference can influence favourably the belief that the SNS is easy to use, however, ease of use does not seem to contribute significantly to individuals participating actively in SNS.
{"title":"Driving Forces Behind Participation and Satisfaction with Social Networking Sites","authors":"S. Loureiro, F. Miranda, Ana R. Pires","doi":"10.4018/JVCSN.2012100103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/JVCSN.2012100103","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to investigate the antecedents of participation in and satisfaction with social networking sites SNS based on extension of the Technology Acceptance Model. The model is tested on a group of 336 young adults who use Facebook frequently. The findings reveal that identification with the SNS and the degree of influence are two important drivers of the usefulness of the SNS, and in turn, lead to using it more frequently and encouraging others to join. Interaction preference can influence favourably the belief that the SNS is easy to use, however, ease of use does not seem to contribute significantly to individuals participating actively in SNS.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"45 1","pages":"33-51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77274552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-07-15DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012010103
Abhishek Vaish, G. RajivKrishna, Akshay Saxena, M. Dharmaprakash, U. Goel
The aim of this research is to propose a model through which the viral nature of an information item in an online social network can be quantified. Further we propose an alternate technique for information asset valuation by accommodating virality in it which not only complements the existing valuation system, but also improves the accuracy of the results. We used a popularly available YouTube dataset to collect attributes and used it to measure critical factors such as share-count, Appreciation, User rating, Controversiality and Comment rate. These variables are then used with a proposed formula to obtain viral index of each video on a given date. We then identify a conventional and a hybrid asset valuation technique to demonstrate how virality can fit in to provide accurate results. The research demonstrates the dependency of virality on critical social network factors. With the help of second dataset acquired by us, we determine the pattern virality of an information item takes over time. The findings provide a clear cut manifestation for the practitioner or researcher to utilize the model in real-world scenario.
{"title":"Quantifying Virality of Information in Online Social Networks","authors":"Abhishek Vaish, G. RajivKrishna, Akshay Saxena, M. Dharmaprakash, U. Goel","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012010103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012010103","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this research is to propose a model through which the viral nature of an information item in an online social network can be quantified. Further we propose an alternate technique for information asset valuation by accommodating virality in it which not only complements the existing valuation system, but also improves the accuracy of the results. We used a popularly available YouTube dataset to collect attributes and used it to measure critical factors such as share-count, Appreciation, User rating, Controversiality and Comment rate. These variables are then used with a proposed formula to obtain viral index of each video on a given date. We then identify a conventional and a hybrid asset valuation technique to demonstrate how virality can fit in to provide accurate results. The research demonstrates the dependency of virality on critical social network factors. With the help of second dataset acquired by us, we determine the pattern virality of an information item takes over time. The findings provide a clear cut manifestation for the practitioner or researcher to utilize the model in real-world scenario.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"75 1","pages":"32-45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75921115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-07-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012070103
Callie Spencer, Jeff Rose
Critical theorists have long examined cultural processes and their often deleterious effects on social and political movements. Using Kracauer's mass ornament and Bourdieu's construct of habitus, this study empirically investigates political participation and e-mobilization of civil society in the United States' "democratic" regime. Through examining the popular social media application, Facebook, the authors sought to understand political participation and responses to a series of sociopolitical events over one month. Analyses explored the nature of the Facebook posts, evidence for various power inequalities, and the nature of political spaces created by Facebook users. Despite Facebook's potential to be a social leveler and organizational tool for Hardt and Negri's multitude, the authors' analyses left them less than hopeful about the mobilizing potential of Facebook use in the United States. They outline cultural constraints inhibiting such political participation and point toward the possibilities of a more socially and politically active social media landscape.
{"title":"The Democratizing Potential of an Online Leisure Space: Facebook and Critical Thought","authors":"Callie Spencer, Jeff Rose","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012070103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012070103","url":null,"abstract":"Critical theorists have long examined cultural processes and their often deleterious effects on social and political movements. Using Kracauer's mass ornament and Bourdieu's construct of habitus, this study empirically investigates political participation and e-mobilization of civil society in the United States' \"democratic\" regime. Through examining the popular social media application, Facebook, the authors sought to understand political participation and responses to a series of sociopolitical events over one month. Analyses explored the nature of the Facebook posts, evidence for various power inequalities, and the nature of political spaces created by Facebook users. Despite Facebook's potential to be a social leveler and organizational tool for Hardt and Negri's multitude, the authors' analyses left them less than hopeful about the mobilizing potential of Facebook use in the United States. They outline cultural constraints inhibiting such political participation and point toward the possibilities of a more socially and politically active social media landscape.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"26 1","pages":"59-75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83437616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-07-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012070101
Manish Gupta, Sung Jin, G. Lawrence Sanders, Barbara A. Sherman, Anand Simha
Virtual worlds have emerged as important socio-technical artifacts in contemporary society. They have enabled unique business models in the digital economy. This paper presents a rich account on how virtual worlds have transformed modern society and how they have been presented as having outstanding benefits and promise, with examples of successes and failures. The goal is to synthesize the research and demonstrate an accurate understanding of this novel artifact and its multi-facet consequences. In addition, and more importantly, this review proposes a research agenda for the information systems discipline and assists in identifying critical issues on virtual world technologies and strategic management practices. The objective of this study is to establish a foundation for research on virtual worlds.
{"title":"Getting Real About Virtual Worlds: A Review","authors":"Manish Gupta, Sung Jin, G. Lawrence Sanders, Barbara A. Sherman, Anand Simha","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012070101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012070101","url":null,"abstract":"Virtual worlds have emerged as important socio-technical artifacts in contemporary society. They have enabled unique business models in the digital economy. This paper presents a rich account on how virtual worlds have transformed modern society and how they have been presented as having outstanding benefits and promise, with examples of successes and failures. The goal is to synthesize the research and demonstrate an accurate understanding of this novel artifact and its multi-facet consequences. In addition, and more importantly, this review proposes a research agenda for the information systems discipline and assists in identifying critical issues on virtual world technologies and strategic management practices. The objective of this study is to establish a foundation for research on virtual worlds.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"179 ","pages":"1-46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72419946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-07-01DOI: 10.4018/JVCSN.2012070102
Hayriye Tugba ztürk
The purpose of this research is two-fold. First, it provides an overview of the debates over whether technology facilitates democratic education. Second, from this emergent body of discussions in the literature, it critically examines the potential of a virtual learning community to materialise democratic education, both through its underpinning of ideal values such as autonomy, participation and mutuality and through the technological spaces which learners inhabit. Virtual learning communities VLCs are increasingly appearing in the field of open education and in that sense, these emerging virtual communities demand a new understanding of democratic pedagogy. With regard to this, drawing on the theoretical debates, it aims to discuss how technology can take place in re-exploring the democratic pedagogy under the scope of VLCs. In doing this, a critical in-depth literature review was undertaken in an emergent area of virtual communities by aiming to contribute to the discussions over conceptualizing the democratic VLCs.
{"title":"Re-Visiting Democratic Pedagogy in the Context of Virtual Learning Communities","authors":"Hayriye Tugba ztürk","doi":"10.4018/JVCSN.2012070102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/JVCSN.2012070102","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this research is two-fold. First, it provides an overview of the debates over whether technology facilitates democratic education. Second, from this emergent body of discussions in the literature, it critically examines the potential of a virtual learning community to materialise democratic education, both through its underpinning of ideal values such as autonomy, participation and mutuality and through the technological spaces which learners inhabit. Virtual learning communities VLCs are increasingly appearing in the field of open education and in that sense, these emerging virtual communities demand a new understanding of democratic pedagogy. With regard to this, drawing on the theoretical debates, it aims to discuss how technology can take place in re-exploring the democratic pedagogy under the scope of VLCs. In doing this, a critical in-depth literature review was undertaken in an emergent area of virtual communities by aiming to contribute to the discussions over conceptualizing the democratic VLCs.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"4 1","pages":"47-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70506527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-04-01DOI: 10.4018/jvcsn.2012040101
Christo El Morr, M. Dinca-Panaitescu, M. Rioux, Julien Subercaze, P. Maret, Natalia Bogdan
Holistic disability rights monitoring is an imperative approach to permit translation of rights on paper into rights in reality for people with disabilities. However, evidence-based knowledge produced through such a holistic monitoring approach has to be accessible to a broad range of stakeholders, e.g., groups such as: researchers, representatives of disability community, people with disabilities, media, policy makers, and the general public. Besides, the collected evidence should contribute to building capacity within disability community around human rights questions. This article explains the design process of a Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN) as an operational tool to support mobilization and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge produced by the Disability Rights Promotion International Canada (DRPI-Canada) project. This VKN is embedded in the more general framework of DRPI, grounded in a human rights approach to disability that acknowledges the importance of creating knowledgeable communities in order to make the disability rights monitoring efforts sustainable.
{"title":"Enabling Virtual Knowledge Networks for Human Rights Monitoring for People with Disabilities","authors":"Christo El Morr, M. Dinca-Panaitescu, M. Rioux, Julien Subercaze, P. Maret, Natalia Bogdan","doi":"10.4018/jvcsn.2012040101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2012040101","url":null,"abstract":"Holistic disability rights monitoring is an imperative approach to permit translation of rights on paper into rights in reality for people with disabilities. However, evidence-based knowledge produced through such a holistic monitoring approach has to be accessible to a broad range of stakeholders, e.g., groups such as: researchers, representatives of disability community, people with disabilities, media, policy makers, and the general public. Besides, the collected evidence should contribute to building capacity within disability community around human rights questions. This article explains the design process of a Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN) as an operational tool to support mobilization and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge produced by the Disability Rights Promotion International Canada (DRPI-Canada) project. This VKN is embedded in the more general framework of DRPI, grounded in a human rights approach to disability that acknowledges the importance of creating knowledgeable communities in order to make the disability rights monitoring efforts sustainable.","PeriodicalId":90871,"journal":{"name":"International journal of virtual communities and social networking","volume":"88 1","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84326111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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