scholarly journals Online communities and their contribution to local heritage knowledge

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manal Ginzarly ◽  
Jacques Teller
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tangible Assets ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the potential of social media as a framework for people-centered heritage. With a focus on the interpretation and display of heritage by online communities, this paper aims at providing insights into the social production of heritage – the social co-construction of meanings of everyday landscape and the making of the collective and local identity.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a methodological roadmap for the digital ethnography of everyday heritage. It reveals (1) the fundamental principles according to which people make value judgments and associate meanings to the urban landscape, and (2) the role of online communities in conveying collective identity and heritage values within the community realm. As a case study area for the implementation of the proposed method, three Facebook community group pages for Tripoli, Lebanon were chosen. The posts and comments were translated into English and uploaded to NVivo 12 plus and a deductive thematic approach to qualitative data analysis was applied. The data was coded into three main nodes: the actors, the tangible assets and the value registers.FindingsResults show that Facebook users are concerned with environmental equality, common interests, utility, right to the city and representativeness, while the beautification of heritage is often perceived as a threat to these values.Originality/valueThis investigation goes beyond heritage attributes (what) and values (why) to examine how values are assigned by local communities. It provides a comprehensive understanding of value judgment and the rationale and arguments used to justify positions and mobilize online community members in order to contribute to the digital co-construction of everyday heritage.

Influence of celebrities and online communities on Indian consumers' green clothing involvement and purchase behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Khare ◽  
Amrut Sadachar ◽  
Swagata Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Consumers ◽  
Apparel Manufacturers ◽  
Collective Self Esteem

PurposeThe study examined the role of collective self-esteem (CSE), online communities, green attitudes and the influence of celebrities on green clothing involvement and consequently its impact on green clothing purchase behavior of Indian consumers.Design/methodology/approachA mix of convenience and random sampling was used for data collection via an online survey. The sample (n = 403) comprised consumers having awareness about green clothing. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for analysis.FindingsOnline communities, green attitudes and influence of celebrities predicted green clothing involvement and in turn their purchase behavior. CSE had no impact on consumers' green clothing involvement.Practical implicationsThe findings can help green apparel manufacturers and designers to use celebrities and online communities to educate and promote the benefits of green clothing. Social media can be employed to share experiences and engage consumers about green clothing.Originality/valueSince online networking sites are gaining predominance in influencing behavior, the study extends the earlier research on social influence by examining its role along with celebrities and CSE on green apparel involvement and purchase. The study combines celebrities, online communities and collective identity influences (offline and online) in predicting green clothing purchase in India.

Using Social Network Analysis to Guide Theoretical Sampling in an Ethnographic Study of a Virtual Community

2011 ◽  
pp. 157-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Murillo
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theoretical Sampling

Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides a range of models particularly well suited for mapping bonds between participants in online communities and thus reveal prominent members or subgroups. This can yield valuable insights for selecting a theoretical sample of participants or participant interactions in qualitative studies of communities. This chapter describes a procedure for collecting data from Usenet newsgroups, deriving the social network created by participant interaction, and importing this relational data into SNA software, where various cohesion models can be applied. The technique is exemplified by performing a longitudinal core periphery analysis of a specific newsgroup, which identified core members and provided clear evidence of a stable online community. Discussions dominated by core members are identified next, to guide theoretical sampling of text-based interactions in an ongoing ethnography of the community.

Online Community Value Co-creation

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-669
Author(s):  
Haili Pan
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Strategies ◽  
Interaction Strategy ◽  
The Impact

PurposeMany companies strengthen their interaction with consumers by establishing online communities and bring convenience to value co-creation with consumers. Some companies use economic and social strategies to stimulate consumer value creation. However, the way to increase the effectiveness of such corporate strategies remains unclear. To address this challenge, this study investigates the impact patterns of economic and social strategies that influence consumers' value co-creation behaviour in firm-hosted online communities (FOCs). Moreover, the effective conditions for the value co-creation of the two strategies are explored.Design/methodology/approachData from an FOC were collected for electronic communications products. A total of 1,305 second-hand data records on value co-creation activities were obtained. Then, an econometric model was built and Stata14.0 software was used for data analysis.FindingsThe effect of economic interaction strategy on the value co-creation in online communities is an inverted U-shaped model, and that of social interaction strategy is relatively stable and is not an inverted U-shaped model. Value creation initiatives introduced by enterprise personnel adopt economic strategies to improve effectiveness. On the contrary, value co-creation activities initiated by consumers use social strategies for the same purpose. Economic strategies are effective for large teams, whereas social strategies may lead to a “free rider” mentality.Research limitations/implicationsThis study finds two important factors affecting the value co-creation in FOCs and their effective boundaries. However, other factors may also affect the online community value co-creation. Future research can further explore the intrinsic mechanisms of these strategies for value co-creation.Practical implicationsThis article mainly discusses the influence of stimulation strategies on the value co-creation in an actual company community and exhibits good practical significance for the value co-creation activity and management in online communities. Firstly, corporate strategy is effective in communities, but this strategy requires proper control. Secondly, the company strategy must consider appropriate application conditions.Originality/valueThis study deepens the understanding of the impact of economic and social strategies on the value co-creation in FOCs and the effective boundaries of these impact patterns.

@Digital libraries: harnessing Twitter to build online communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1263-1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Xie ◽  
Jennifer A. Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Social Connection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
One Year ◽  
Method Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the types of roles that Twitter played in digital libraries (DLs) and their relationships in building DL online communities. Design/methodology/approach A mixed method analysis of DLs’ tweets was conducted to identify the usage, roles of Twitter in DL communities and relationships among the roles. Twitter data from 15 different DLs for one year were extracted, and an open coding analysis was performed to identify types of Twitter roles. Pearson correlation coefficient was applied to examine the relationships among the roles based on word similarities. Findings The results present 15 types of Twitter roles representing five main categories identified from DL tweets, including information, promotion, related resources, social identity and social connection. Moreover, word similarities analysis identifies more strong relationships among the roles in four main categories (promotion, related resources, social identity and social connection) but less with roles in information. Research limitations/implications Characteristics of DL online communities are discussed and compared with physical library communities. Suggestions are proposed for how tweets can be improved to play more effective roles. To build a strong community, it is critical for digital librarians to engage with followers. Originality/value This study is a pioneering work that not only analyzes Twitter roles and their relationships in building DL online communities but also offers recommendations in terms of how to build a strong online community and improve Twitter use in DLs.

The challenges of creating an online undergraduate community of practice

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-112
Author(s):  
Sarah S. List ◽  
Jane Warland ◽  
Colleen Smith
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Academic Support ◽  
Real Life ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face

Purpose – With less time spent on campus, students are increasingly forming peer friendship and study groups either face to face or online. Communities of practice (CoP) with academic support in the wings could benefit students, but little is known in the about their use in the undergraduate space, or how best they may be structured and facilitated (Andrew et al., 2008). The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – An online CoP was created in partnership with undergraduate bachelor of midwifery students at the University of South Australia using an action research model. This provided an ongoing ability to continuously plan, act, observe and evaluate all aspects of the community created, so that adjustments could be made during the two cycles of the study. Findings – The time paucity of the cohort impacted on their ability to participate fully as partners in the project, and in the community itself. The Facebook community received more visitation than the Weebly community. The student panel reported that despite the online CoP fitting better with their schedules, they would prefer more opportunities to interact face to face with their peers. Research limitations/implications – Students who spend limited time on campus may prefer more real life social contact and support, despite the convenience of an online community. A larger cohort, drawing from a non-professional degree would have allowed greater membership and community participation for a prospective study such as this. Practical implications – Remote study is a growing phenomenon, and students need to feel socially connected and supported to remain enroled and engaged. Social implications – There has been much discussion around the amount of time individuals spend online, and whether support groups formed by students on social media support student learning, or encourage unprofessional behaviours without academic support present. Originality/value – This study reports that online communities are not always a logical solution to time poor students, and they may prefer face to face interactions to build their social and professional relationship.

Using networked narratives to understand internet book reviews in online communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Kuei Huang ◽  
Wen I. Yang
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Word Of Mouth Communication ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose – The aim of this paper was to investigate word-of-mouth communication behavior and other interactions between bloggers writing book testimonials and their community of readers in order to develop a method and strategy for enhancing word-of-mouth communication about books. Design/methodology/approach – This study conducted a netnographic investigation to explore word-of-mouth communication and interactions about new books between bloggers and their community of readers. Netnography is a qualitative approach for exploring the information exchange among online community members. Findings – It was found that personality traits, testimonials, and the responses of community readers to bloggers affected word-of-mouth related to books. Exposure to testimonials with commercial characteristics will not necessarily hinder the word-of-mouth about books. Practical implications – These results may provide a reference for publishers or related businesses that sell books or products via blogs during the planning of their marketing strategies. Originality/value – Businesses value the effects of online communities on marketing communication. This study provides insights into the communication between bloggers and their community of readers by demonstrating how word-of-mouth affects the promotion of books. This could facilitate the selection of relevant recommendations by management.

scholarly journals Ana's Friends. Friendship in Online Pro-Ana Communities

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natàlia Cantó-Milà ◽  
Swen Seebach
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Secret Societies ◽  
The Social

The objective of this article is to analyse the social relationships within online communities of anorectics, their bonds, their emotions and friendships, and their subsequent relation to anorexia nervosa. The research has focused on their blogs and their forums, which create a space in which they share their experiences, and sometimes encourage each other not to give up on their eating disorder – which they view as an illness, but an illness that has become their lifestyle, and their attitude towards life. Within the article an analysis of the special bonds of friendship that tie the members of the online community together will be presented. Special attention will be paid to the similarities between secret societies and friendship bonds within pro-ana communities.

Are online communities on par with experts in the evaluation of new movies? Evidence from the Fandango community

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar Ponnamma Divakaran ◽  
Sladjana Nørskov
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Box Office ◽  
Geographic Context ◽  
Film Studios ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Performance Research ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate two questions. First, are movie-based online community evaluations (CE) on par with film expert evaluations of new movies? Second, which group makes more reliable and accurate predictions of movie box office revenues: film reviewers or an online community? Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a movie-based online community Fandango for a 16-month period and included all movies released during this time (373 movies). The authors compared film reviewers’ evaluations with the online CE during the first eight weeks of the movie’s release. Findings – The study finds that community members evaluate movies differently than film reviewers. The results also reveal that CE have more predictive power than film reviewers’ evaluations, especially during the opening week of a movie. Research limitations/implications – The investigated online community is based in the USA, hence the findings are limited to this geographic context. Practical implications – The main implication is that film studios and movie-goers can rely more on CE than film reviewers’ evaluation for decision making. Online CE can help film studios in negotiating with distributors, theatre owners for the number of screens. Also, community reviews rather than film reviewers’ reviews are looked upon by future movie-goers for movie choice decisions. Originality/value – The study makes an original contribution to the motion picture performance research as well as to the growing research on online consumer communities by demonstrating the predictive potential of online communities with regards to evaluations of new movies.

The impact of interdependence on behavioral engagement in online communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodan Zhang ◽  
Yanping Gong ◽  
Luluo Peng
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Behavioral Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Outcome Interdependence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeOnline communities are increasingly important for organizations and marketers. However, the issue of how structural features of online communities affect consumers' behavioral engagement remains relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study is to examine how and why different types of interdependence within online communities (i.e. task/outcome interdependence) influence individual engagement in group activities, thereby providing insights regarding online community design.Design/methodology/approachTwo surveys were conducted with two online groups in China. One is a task-interdependent group from Douban Forum, and the other is an outcome-interdependent group from Sina Forum. A total of 159 valid responses from the task-interdependent group and 162 valid responses from the outcome-interdependent group were received. We analyzed the data using multivariate regression with Smart PLS and SPSS.FindingsThe results reveal that both task and outcome interdependence are positively related to individual behavioral engagement in online group behavior, and collective efficacy mediates the aforementioned effects. In addition, task complexity moderates the relationship between task interdependence and individual behavioral engagement; communication within group moderates the relationship between outcome interdependence and behavioral engagement, and the effect is mediated by collective efficacy.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate the role of an important factor of group structure, namely, interdependence, in fueling individual behavioral engagement in online communities. The results shed light on companies' design strategies to develop and retain online community members and also provide important insights for researchers interested in social network marketing.

scholarly journals The bottom-up formation and maintenance of a Twitter community

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 612-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Ch'ng
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the formation, maintenance and disintegration of a fringe Twitter community in order to understand if offline community structure applies to online communities. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopted Big Data methodological approaches in tracking user-generated contents over a series of months and mapped online Twitter interactions as a multimodal, longitudinal “social information landscape”. Centrality measures were employed to gauge the importance of particular user nodes within the complete network and time-series analysis were used to track ego centralities in order to see if this particular online communities were maintained by specific egos. Findings – The case study shows that communities with distinct boundaries and memberships can form and exist within Twitter’s limited user content and sequential policies, which unlike other social media services, do not support formal groups, demonstrating the resilience of desperate online users when their ideology overcome social media limitations. Analysis in this paper using social networks approaches also reveals that communities are formed and maintained from the bottom-up. Research limitations/implications – The research data is based on a particular data set which occurred within a specific time and space. However, due to the rapid, polarising group behaviour, growth, disintegration and decline of the online community, the data set presents a “laboratory” case from which many other online community can be compared with. It is highly possible that the case can be generalised to a broader range of communities and from which online community theories can be proved/disproved. Practical implications – The paper showed that particular group of egos with high activities, if removed, could entirely break the cohesiveness of the community. Conversely, strengthening such egos will reinforce the community strength. The questions mooted within the paper and the methodology outlined can potentially be applied in a variety of social science research areas. The contribution to the understanding of a complex social and political arena, as outlined in the paper, is a key example of such an application within an increasingly strategic research area – and this will surely be applied and developed further by the computer science and security community. Originality/value – The majority of researches that cover these domains have not focused on communities that are multimodal and longitudinal. This is mainly due to the challenges associated with the collection and analysis of continuous data sets that have high volume and velocity. Such data sets are therefore unexploited with regards to cyber-community research.

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