Online social communities
The interaction between online
and offline communities
Fernando Garcia
Presentation outline
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The Internet as a communication medium
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Reasons for going online
Online communities
Definition
 Purpose
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Progression from online to offline
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Reasons for then going offline
Examples of how online communities interact
with “real life”
The Internet as a communication
medium
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Not a “separate world”
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Online world doesn’t replace offline world
What is the Internet being used for?1
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Email
Reading news
Shopping
Information about hobbies
Online banking
Instant messaging
Posting original content (pics, blogs, web sites)
The Internet as a communication
medium
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A tool…
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“Sociologists have long known that technology by
itself does not determine anything. Rather, people
take technology and use it (or discard it) in ways that
its developers never dreamed.” 2
…for communication
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Some communications methods heavily replaced
(snail mail), but mostly supplemental5
The Internet as a communication
medium
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Email and telephone use in important matters2
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Face-to-face time has not changed
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Non-email users: 36 phone calls, 83 in-person meetings
Email users: 41 emails, 58 phone calls, 84 in-person meetings
Despite popularity of email, 40% of internet users increase/greatly
increase contact with family/friends (5.1%, decrease) 1
In other words, the Internet is used to increase and
supplement communication, rather than replace older
methods
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Social/communal isolation not normally an issue
Games
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MUDs, Online games (WoW, Half-Life, etc.)
Online communities
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Definition of “community” in reference to existing online debated10,11
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Calhoun (1991)
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Oldenburg (1989)
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“Intense feelings of camaraderie, empathy and support… observed among
people in the online spaces [that were] studied”
Maloney-Krichmar, Preece (2005)
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“Online communities may fill a need that has been all but abandoned in
modern societies“
Rheingold (1993)
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“’Indirect social relationships’ in which connectivity with others is more
imagined, or parasocial, than ‘real.’”
“The people who come together for a particular purpose, and who are
guided by policies (including norms and rules) and supported by software “
Bruckman (2005)
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“[Note] the similarities and differences of each new member and [compare]
them with the characteristics of members who are regarded as being within
the community”
Online communities
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So then what’s this presentation about?
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Common theme: common themes
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Communities tend to share a common trait/interest
Persistent and constant conversation on some topic between
members (multiple topics happening simultaneously)
Usually initially gathered for a single purpose
Provides purpose for going online
Socialization
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Communities have several or many participants
Communities have many discussions
Online communities
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Why do communities form online?12
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Achieve goals
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Practical, explicit (information gathering)
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“How to replace timing belt on 2.2L 93 Honda Prelude?”
“My GF just dumped me; how do I deal with it?”
“Anyone in UCSB want to play racquetball at Rec Cen?”
Benefits inherent to community structure
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Social support
Friendship
Sense of belonging (common theme)
Recreation (like TV, but two-way)
Online communities
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Why do communities form online? (con’t)
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Easy way of fulfilling needs unmet by other methods
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Provide a centralized space for similar people to congregate
Provide an easily-accessible space for similar people to
congregate
Meet new individuals
Discover new interests
Escape from reality
Enable us to enhance aspects of known offline
communities
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Keep in touch with distant friends/relatives
Share thoughts, pictures, music, notes, etc., easily
Online communities
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Examples of currently existing online communities
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Special-interest bulletin boards…
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Multi-purpose boards/sections
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Politics
Sports
Nutrition
Dating…
Most special-interest bulletin boards maintain “Off-topic” section
Craigslist.org
IRC
Offtopic.com…
Socialization/information sharing/”blogs”
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WELL
Myspace.com
Xanga.com
Facebook.com
Experts-exchange.com
Blogspot.com…
Online communities
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Common trends among online communities3
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Collection of people with similar interests
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Centralized creation and participation (such as message
boards, email lists)
Individually created and maintained (blogs, Myspace)
Reduced inhibitions concerning expression
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Anonymity appears to provide protection
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Shy people become more outspoken online
Discussions generally considered taboo can take place due to
shared interest and lack of public retribution
Strength in numbers
Trust/comprehension issues
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New members
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Sometimes have no formal introduction
Arrive unannounced, on their own
Online communities
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Trust/comprehension issues (con’t)
Text does not provide tone, expression, or body
language
 Lack of context may lead to misunderstandings
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You can be very aggressive.
IMHO you can be very aggressive LOL! :-P
Time between messages longer than
conversation
Information always there (persistent)
 (Usually) constant flow of information
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Online communities
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When to continue offline?
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Meeting one’s needs/goals offline
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Political activists may stage rallies/demonstrations
Lonely individuals may meet up with people to
pursue/maintain a friendship/romance
Sports enthusiasts organize trips to/meetings at games
Done if practical/worthwhile/beneficial
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Traveling 10 miles to play soccer with a friend
Traveling 100 miles to engage in a group meeting
Traveling 1000 miles to have coffee with a future spouse
WELL
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Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link8,9
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One of the first popular virtual communities
Socialization
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Instant access to information, people
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“In the traditional community, we search through our pool of neighbors and
professional colleagues, of acquaintances and acquaintances of
acquaintances, in order to find people who share our values and interests…
In a virtual community we can go directly to the place where our favorite
subjects are being discussed...”9
Medical advice at 11PM: faster to go online than calling
pediatrician
Parenting conference
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Section strictly dedicated to parenting
Face-to-face meeting
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Picnic, softball… “It was a normal American community picnic”
Became annual event
Netville
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“Wired Suburb4” of 109 homes
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Love (or at least know) thy neighbor
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64 homes had broadband Internet access
45 homes went without any Internet access
NET-L neighborhood mailing list
Wired residents recognized 3x, talked with and visited 2x more
neighbors than non-wired
Wired residents regularly talked with 6 neighbors, non-wired
with 3
Internet access helps to start relationships
Housing developer protest
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Dissatisfaction with homes, roads, plumbing, etc.
Neighborhood-level organization rapid and efficient
50% participation vs. 20% using conventional organization
Information “leaks” from those uninvolved in protest
Pro-Immigration Rallies
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Organization… how was it done?
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Television, radio programs key to propogating
message
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Target audience more likely to watch television and listen to
radio
The internet also spread message
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Was the first time some heard of the marches
Growing sense of support and union pushed some to join
Provided a forum for response and inspiration
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Not possible with television, limited public radio participation
Practical, particular details worked out
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Where to meet? Park? Eat? What to chant?
Pro-Immigration Rallies
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Organization (con’t)
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Increased communication made possible online
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Discussion
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“Wear white”
“Don’t take Mexican flags”
“Don’t do anything stupid, pendejos ”
“Should we really not go to school?”
“What message does it really send if we skip out of work?”
Speed of organization greatly increased6
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Persistence of messages/information better than television
Constant propogation across thousands of websites, email
lists, forums, etc.
Discussion and size of community motivated others to join
Pro-Immigration Rallies
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Informal, short-but-sweet survey
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5 individuals; average computer users
All heard about marches online; 4 of them first heard online (1 TV)
Common answer to effects of online communication: motivation
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Most knew people who’d sent messages
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Increased amounts of information increased desire to participate
Researching issues, comments online
Myspace.com: “You only see their [messages] if they’re your friends.”
Worked out details of how to participate
Those who didn’t organized with known friends (offline)
All wary of strangers online
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Little trust of unknown individuals who’d sent messages
Little trust of unknown individuals in general
“Must get to know them in person” to trust them
Summary
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Online world supplements offline world
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Increase communication links to others
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The most social people make online
communities thrive7
Can provide specific, directed channels to
interest groups
Online communities a microcosm of real
life
References
1.
World Internet Project. The Digital Future Report (Year Five): USA.
http://www.worldinternetproject.net 8 May 2006
2.
Wellman, B. Connecting Community: On- and Offline Univ. of Toronto March
2006
3.
Maloney-Krichmar, D.; Preece, J. Online Communities: Focusing on Sociability and
Usability (draft copy). Social Computing Research
http://socialcomputingresearch.net/articles/preece_onlinecommunities.pdf 10
March 2006
4.
Hampton, K.; Wellman, B. Neighboring in Netville: How the Internet Supports
Community and Social Capital in a Wired Suburb City and Community 2(4). 277311 2003.
5.
Jones, S. The Internet Goes to College: How students are living in the future with
today’s technology Pew Internet and American Life Project
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_College_Report.pdf 8 May 2006
6.
Harrison, C.; Solis, D. Teens Answer the Call—and E-mail
http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/11742.html Government Innovators
Network, Harvard University 8 May 2006
References
7.
Chan, A. Social Interaction Design Case Study: MySpace Gravity7
http://www.gravity7.com/G7_SID_case_myspace_v2.pdf 8 May 2006
8.
Salon Media Group. WELL http://www.well.com 9 May 2006
9.
Rheingold, H. The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic
Frontier http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/intro.html 9 May 2006
10.
Maloney-Krichmar, D.; Preece, J. Online Communities: Design, Theory,
and Practice Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(4). 2005
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue4/preece.html
11.
Thomsen, S.; Straubharr, J.; Bolyard, D. Ethnomethodology and the
study of online communities: exploring the cyber streets Information
Research 4(1). 1998 http://informationr.net/ir/4-1/paper50.html
12.
Gefen, D.; Ridings, C. Virtual Community Attraction: Why People Hang
Out Online JCMC 10(1). Article 4, November 2004