The Experts below are selected from a list of 360 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Robert E Kraut - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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selecting an effective niche an ecological view of the success of Online Communities
Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2014Co-Authors: Jilin Chen, Tara Matthews, Hernan Badenes, Robert E KrautAbstract:Online Communities serve various important functions, but many fail to thrive. Research on community success has traditionally focused on internal factors. In contrast, we take an ecological view to understand how the success of a community is influenced by other Communities. We measured a community's relationship with other Communities - its "niche" - through four dimensions: topic overlap, shared members, content linking, and shared offline organizational affiliation. We used a mixed-method approach, combining the quantitative analysis of 9495 Online enterprise Communities and interviews with community members. Our results show that too little or too much overlap in topic with other Communities causes a community's activity to suffer. We also show that this main result is moderated in predictable ways by whether the community shares members with, links to content in, or shares an organizational affiliation with other Communities. These findings provide new insight on community success, guiding Online community designers on how to effectively position their community in relation to others.
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building member attachment in Online Communities applying theories of group identity and interpersonal bonds
Management Information Systems Quarterly, 2012Co-Authors: Maxwell F Harper, Sara Kiesler, John Riedl, Sara Drenner, Loren Terveen, Robert E KrautAbstract:Online Communities are increasingly important to organizations and the general public, but there is little theoretically based research on what makes some Online Communities more successful than others. In this article, we apply theory from the field of social psychology to understand how Online Communities develop member attachment, an important dimension of community success. We implemented and empirically tested two sets of community features for building member attachment by strengthening either group identity or interpersonal bonds. To increase identity-based attachment, we gave members information about group activities and intergroup competition, and tools for group-level communication. To increase bond-based attachment, we gave members information about the activities of individual members and interpersonal similarity, and tools for interpersonal communication. Results from a six-month field experiment show that participants' visit frequency and self-reported attachment increased in both conditions. Community features intended to foster identity-based attachment had stronger effects than features intended to foster bond-based attachment. Participants in the identity condition with access to group profiles and repeated exposure to their group's activities visited their community twice as frequently as participants in other conditions. The new features also had stronger effects on newcomers than on old-timers. This research illustrates how theory from the social science literature can be applied to gain a more systematic understanding of Online Communities and how theory-inspired features can improve their success.
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building successful Online Communities evidence based social design
2012Co-Authors: Robert E Kraut, Paul Resnick, Sara Kiesler, Yuqing Ren, Yan Chen, Moira Burke, Niki Kittur, John Riedl, Joseph A KonstanAbstract:Online Communities are among the most popular destinations on the Internet, but not all Online Communities are equally successful. For every flourishing Facebook, there is a moribund Friendster--not to mention the scores of smaller social networking sites that never attracted enough members to be viable. This book offers lessons from theory and empirical research in the social sciences that can help improve the design of Online Communities. The social sciences can tell us much about how to make Online Communities thrive, offering theories of individual motivation and human behavior that, properly interpreted, can inform particular design choices for Online Communities. The authors draw on the literature in psychology, economics, and other social sciences, as well as their own research, translating general findings into useful design claims. They explain, for example, how to encourage information contributions based on the theory of public goods, and how to build members' commitment based on theories of interpersonal bond formation. For each design claim, they offer supporting evidence from theory, experiments, or observational studies.The book focuses on five high-level design challenges: starting a new community, attracting new members, encouraging commitment, encouraging contribution, and regulating misbehavior and conflict. By organizing their presentation around these fundamental design features, the authors encourage practitioners to consider alternatives rather than simply adapting a feature seen on other sites.
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effectiveness of shared leadership in Online Communities
Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 2012Co-Authors: Robert E Kraut, Aniket KitturAbstract:Traditional research on leadership in Online Communities has consistently focused on the small set of people occupying leadership roles. In this paper, we use a model of shared leadership, which posits that leadership behaviors come from members at all levels, not simply from people in high-level leadership positions. Although every member can exhibit some leadership behavior, different types of leadership behavior performed by different types of leaders may not be equally effective. This paper investigates how distinct types of leadership behaviors (transactional, aversive, directive and person-focused) and the legitimacy of the people who deliver them (people in formal leadership positions or not) influence the contributions that other participants make in the context of Wikipedia. After using propensity score matching to control for potential pre-existing differences among those who were and were not targets of leadership behaviors, we found that 1) leadership behaviors performed by members at all levels significantly influenced other members' motivation; 2) transactional leadership and person-focused leadership were effective in motivating others to contribute more, whereas aversive leadership decreased other contributors' motivations; and 3) legitimate leaders were in general more influential than regular peer leaders. We discuss the theoretical and practical implication of our work.
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increasing commitment to Online Communities by designing for social presence
Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 2011Co-Authors: Rosta Farzan, Robert E Kraut, Laura Dabbish, Tom PostmesAbstract:The existence and survival of Online Communities depends upon the commitment and retention of their members. This paper compares alternative ways of designing Online sites to increase member commitment. We report the results of two experiments conducted within a Facebook game application. The results show that designs can increase commitment and retention of players either by visually highlighting individual members, or by emphasizing the community as a whole. These designs influence commitment through different routes.
Jenny Preece - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Online Communities design theory and practice
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2005Co-Authors: Jenny Preece, Diane MaloneykrichmarAbstract:This special thematic section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together nine articles that provide a rich composite of the current research in Online Communities. The articles cover a range of topics, methodologies, theories and practices. Indirectly they all speak to design since they aim to extend our understanding of the field. The variety shown in these articles illustrates how broad the definition is of this rapidly growing field known as ‘Online Communities.’
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Online Communities: focusing on sociability and usability
2002Co-Authors: Jenny Preece, Diane Maloney-krichmarAbstract:1 Background Millions of people meet Online to chat, to find like-minded people, to debate topical issues, to play games, to give or ask for information, to find support, to shop, or just to hang-out with others. They go to chat-rooms, bulletin boards, join discussion groups or they create their group using instant messaging software. Short messaging (also known as ‘texting’) is also gaining popularity in some parts of the world. These Online social gatherings are known by a variety of names including ‘Online community’, a name coined by early pioneers like Howard Rheingold, who describes these Online Communities as ‘cultural aggregations that emerge when enough people bump into each other often enough in cyberspace’ (Rheingold, 1994, p. 57). 1.1 The scope of this chapter There is no accepted definition of Online community. The term means different things to different people (Preece, 2000) so this chapter starts by examining definitions and descriptions of Online community from different disciplines, and briefly traces how the topic has emerged. Section 2 outlines research from social psychology, sociology, communications studies, computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) and human-computer interaction (HCI) that informs our understanding of why people interact they way they do in Online Communities. Section 3 brings many of these ideas together in the context of design and evaluation of Online Communities, outlines a design methodology and proposes a frame work for supporting social interaction (i.e., sociability) and designing usability. Section 4 returns to research and briefly reviews
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sociability and usability in Online Communities determining and measuring success
Behaviour & Information Technology, 2001Co-Authors: Jenny PreeceAbstract:Little attention has focused so far on evaluating the success of Online Communities. This paper begins to identify some key determinants of sociability and usability that help to determine their success. Determinants of sociability include obvious measures such as the number of participants in a community, the number of messages per unit of time, members' satisfaction, and some less obvious measures such as amount of reciprocity, the number of on-topic messages, trustworthiness and several others. Measures of usability include numbers of errors, productivity, user satisfaction and others. The list is not exhaustive but it is intended to provide a starting point for research on this important topic that will lead to develop of metrics. To avoid creating false impressions it is advisable to use several measures and to triangulate with qualitative data, particularly from ethnographic studies.
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Online Communities designing usability and supporting socialbilty
Industrial Management and Data Systems, 2000Co-Authors: Jenny PreeceAbstract:From the Publisher: Learn the enabling technologies behind some of the most successful Online Communities Although the Internet has grown considerably, people are still looking for more effective methods of communicating over it. This has become a hot topic among Web developers as they look for new enabling technologies. Well-respected author Jenny Preece provides readers with an in-depth look at the design of effective Online Communities. She evaluates these Communities and then details the enabling technologies. Analysis is also included to explain what these technologies are capable of doing and what they actually should do. Companion Web site contains a forum for discussions on experiences setting up and running Online Communities
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Online Communities designing usability and supporting sociability
2000Co-Authors: Jenny PreeceAbstract:From the Publisher: Learn the enabling technologies behind some of the most successful Online Communities Although the Internet has grown considerably, people are still looking for more effective methods of communicating over it. This has become a hot topic among Web developers as they look for new enabling technologies. Well-respected author Jenny Preece provides readers with an in-depth look at the design of effective Online Communities. She evaluates these Communities and then details the enabling technologies. Analysis is also included to explain what these technologies are capable of doing and what they actually should do. Companion Web site contains a forum for discussions on experiences setting up and running Online Communities
Stephanie Watts - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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capitalizing on content information adoption in two Online Communities
Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 2008Co-Authors: Wei Zhang, Stephanie WattsAbstract:Online Communities enable members to exchange messages, and rich content is generated in the wake of these contributions. Little research has systematically investigated how this content is utilized. In this paper we use the HeuristicSystematic Model of information processing to explore the mechanisms by which the potential value of these information assets can be realized. We argue that the extent to which message content and heuristic cues influence the validity assessment process is moderated by two factors: how consistent the new information is with what is already known and the extent to which information-seeking members are actively searching for on-topic information to satisfy their specific information needs. Survey data collected from two Online Communities generally support the hypotheses derived from this model. This study demonstrates that community members process information from Online Communities in a highly contextual manner that may extend to the functionality of the technical tools provided by the Online Communities. It also suggests numerous opportunities for future research and potential ways that Online Communities might improve their information sharing.
Gerard Beenen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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using social psychology to motivate contributions to Online Communities
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2005Co-Authors: Kimberly S. Ling, Xiaoqing Wang, Loren Terveen, Gerard Beenen, Pamela Ludford, Klarissa Tingting Chang, Xin Li, Dan Cosley, Dan Frankowski, Al Mamunur RashidAbstract:Under-contribution is a problem for many Online Communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can lead to mid-level design goals to address this problem. We tested design principles derived from these theories in four field experiments involving members of an Online movie recommender community. In each of the experiments participated were given different explanations for the value of their contributions. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals. However, other predictions were disconfirmed. For example, in one experiment, participants given group goals contributed more than those given individual goals. The article ends with suggestions and challenges for mining design implications from social science theories.
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using social psychology to motivate contributions to Online Communities
Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 2004Co-Authors: Gerard Beenen, Xiaoqing Wang, Kimberly S. Ling, Paul Resnick, Klarissa Tingting Chang, Dan Frankowski, Robert E KrautAbstract:Under-contribution is a problem for many Online Communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can provide mid-level design principles to address this problem. We tested the design principles in two field experiments. In one, members of an Online movie recommender community were reminded of the uniqueness of their contributions and the benefits that follow from them. In the second, they were given a range of individual or group goals for contribution. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals, but other predictions were not borne out. The paper ends with suggestions and challenges for mining social science theories as well as implications for design.
Kimberly S. Ling - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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talk to me foundations for successful individual group interactions in Online Communities
Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2006Co-Authors: Jaime Arguello, Elisabeth Joyce, Kimberly S. Ling, Robert E Kraut, Brian S Butler, Carolyn Penstein Rose, Xiaoqing WangAbstract:People come to Online Communities seeking information, encouragement, and conversation. When a community responds, participants benefit and become more committed. Yet interactions often fail. In a longitudinal sample of 6,172 messages from 8 Usenet newsgroups, 27% of posts received no response. The information context, posters' prior engagement in the community, and the content of their posts all influenced the likelihood that they received a reply, and, as a result, their willingness to continue active participation. Posters were less likely to get a reply if they were newcomers. Posting ontopic, introducing oneself via autobiographical testimonials, asking questions, using less complex language and other features of the messages, increased replies. Results suggest ways that developers might increase the ability of Online Communities to support successful individual-group interactions.
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Talk to me: Foundations for successful individual-group interactions in Online Communities
ACM Press, 2006Co-Authors: Jaime Arguello, Brian Butler, Elisabeth Joyce, Kimberly S. Ling, Robert Kraut, Xiaoqing WangAbstract:People come to Online Communities seeking information, encouragement, and conversation. When a community responds, participants benefit and become more committed. Yet interactions often fail. In a longitudinal sample of 6,172 messages from 8 Usenet newsgroups, 27 % of posts received no response. The information context, posters ’ prior engagement in the community, and the content of their posts all influenced the likelihood that they received a reply, and, as a result, their willingness to continue active participation. Posters were less likely to get a reply if they were newcomers. Posting on-topic, introducing oneself via autobiographical testimonials, asking questions, using less complex language and other features of the messages, increased replies. Results suggest ways that developers might increase the ability of Online Communities to support successful individual-group interactions. Author Keywords Online Communities, community success, contribution
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using social psychology to motivate contributions to Online Communities
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2005Co-Authors: Kimberly S. Ling, Xiaoqing Wang, Loren Terveen, Gerard Beenen, Pamela Ludford, Klarissa Tingting Chang, Xin Li, Dan Cosley, Dan Frankowski, Al Mamunur RashidAbstract:Under-contribution is a problem for many Online Communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can lead to mid-level design goals to address this problem. We tested design principles derived from these theories in four field experiments involving members of an Online movie recommender community. In each of the experiments participated were given different explanations for the value of their contributions. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals. However, other predictions were disconfirmed. For example, in one experiment, participants given group goals contributed more than those given individual goals. The article ends with suggestions and challenges for mining design implications from social science theories.
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using social psychology to motivate contributions to Online Communities
Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 2004Co-Authors: Gerard Beenen, Xiaoqing Wang, Kimberly S. Ling, Paul Resnick, Klarissa Tingting Chang, Dan Frankowski, Robert E KrautAbstract:Under-contribution is a problem for many Online Communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can provide mid-level design principles to address this problem. We tested the design principles in two field experiments. In one, members of an Online movie recommender community were reminded of the uniqueness of their contributions and the benefits that follow from them. In the second, they were given a range of individual or group goals for contribution. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals, but other predictions were not borne out. The paper ends with suggestions and challenges for mining social science theories as well as implications for design.
