Research issues in the design of online communities: report on the CHI 99 workshop

After brief introductions from each research team, Sara Kiesler got us started by leading a provocative discussion of research methodology. We debated both what questions about online communities are interesting, and what questions are possible to ask given availabIe research methodologies. Some participants prefer to use an experimental methodology grounded in experimental psychoIogy and explore only those questions for which "rigorous" quantitative answers are possible. Others prefer a design-oriented approach, which relies primarily on qualitative methods from anthropology such as ethnography. Most attendees felt that a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches is warranted, and the challenge is how to use these approaches in a complementary fashion. Next, Wendy Kellogg and Tom Edckson tackled issues of the use of online communities for business. They began by leading the group in a 1950's vintage IBM 'spirit' song, reminding us that the concept of community in business and professional settings is not a new one: many businesses have long found utility in invoking "community" to increase affiliation, team work, and mutual support. So, while the idea of virtual communities of business or professional colleagues may be relatively new, the impulses driving the ideas are not.