“Any surrogate mothers?” A Debate on surrogacy in internet discussion forums

Human Affairs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ondřej Doskočil
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Surrogate Mother ◽  
Surrogate Mothers ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Internet Discussion

AbstractSurrogacy has long been discussed in reproductive medicine. In the Czech Republic, surrogacy is not legally regulated. Because of this legal vacuum, there are no official procedures or organizations that openly deal with surrogacy. Potential surrogate mothers and applicants do not have many options for obtaining or sharing information. The only source is the Internet. Online forums are a popular tool for gaining information and contacts regarding surrogacy. The goal of this research was to use qualitative research methods to survey the most searched and discussed topics on Czech online discussion forum websites. We used discussions that we found on www.emimino.cz between 2009 and 2019. This article analyses the comments of the Internet forum discussants/participants, their involvement, knowledge of surrogacy, the information sought and their opinions. In particular, the participants discussed where to find a surrogate mother or how to become one. This article attempts to outline the discussions ordinary people have about surrogacy outside official expert forums.

scholarly journals Free Legal Advice on the Internet

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-512
Author(s):  
Peter B. Maggs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Legal Advice ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Legal Questions

On numerous online discussion forums in various countries, ordinary people pose specific legal questions and both ordinary people and lawyers answer them. This article considers this new and rapidly growing method of providing legal advice. It emphasizes qualitative over quantitative issues. It seeks to answer questions such as “What kind of questions are being asked?”; “What sort of people are giving legal advice?”, “What sort of people are getting legal advice?”. For those few legal systems that I know something about, I also have considered the question, “How good is the advice?” This is a comparative study, involving discussion forums for Armenian, Australian, Austrian, Brazilian, Canadian, Croatian, English, French, German, Italian, Moldovan, Portuguese, Russian, Scots, Spanish, Swiss, Ukrainian, United Kingdom, and United States law.

Website discussion forums: Results of an Australian project to promote telecommunication in dermatology

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng Chen ◽  
Adrian See ◽  
Stephen Shumack
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Boards ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Low Rate

summary Discussion forums on the Internet allow doctors to discuss issues of interest in a rapid, convenient and educational manner. In March 2002, the department of dermatology at the St George Hospital in Sydney launched a national Website with an online discussion forum for dermatologists. Features of the Website forum include the ability to moderate the discussion boards, a choice of public or private discussions and receipt of automatic email notifications. Over three months, three dermatologists posted a total of 13 messages on three different topics. The low rate of participation by dermatologists may have been due to lack of time or familiarity with the technology. Increased promotion to and education of dermatologists who are most likely to use the discussion forum may improve utilization of this means of communication.

scholarly journals An analysis of an assessment model for participation in online forums

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Chin ◽  
A. Abrizah
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Online Forum ◽  
Software Support ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Highly Correlated

Existing online forum software support limited assessment features. This paper presents an analysis of an assessment model which has been implemented in online discussion forum software. The assessment model is aimed to automate the assessment of students' participation in online discussion forums. The model is formulated based on four different participation indicators and educators' feedback. The model was tested by a group of students who used the online forum to complete a project. Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated using the scores (performance indicator scores) generated by the model and the actual scores given by five educators. The performance indicator scores generated using the assessment formula was highly correlated with the actual grades assigned by the educators. The results suggest that the assessment model is reliable and can be used to evaluate students' participation in online discussion forums.

scholarly journals Communicative progress in system theory: a theoretical problem becomes empirical observable in new media communication

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (49) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maren Luebcke
Keyword(s):  
System Theory ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
New Media ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Problem ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Group Success

During the last years, an increasing interest in online forums has been observed within different functional areas of society such as in the economic system or in politics. Here one is able to detect communicative processes which are lively, vibrant, and equipped with remarkable durability, on the one hand; yet, on the other hand, flame wars and shut-downs also occur. The question is what explains these differences in group success? This article provides a framework based on elements of Luhmanns's system theory to analyse online discussion groups. A research matrix is presented with four levels of observation and four levels of analysis. The value of this matrix is demonstrated with a systematic literature review. Here the most frequently cited articles analyzing online discussion forums are empirically reinterpreted. It is concluded that current research fails to (1) analyze online discourse under multiple aspects, (2) challenge temporal analysis, (3) integrate a thread-based analysis, and (4) focus on the relational aspects (e.g., actor or topic networks). Based on this literature review, a catalog of presumptions on how communication proceeds in online forums is presented.

Codes of Ethics in Virtual Communities

2008 ◽  
pp. 1434-1442
Author(s):  
Calin Gurau
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Public Discussion ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
The Difference ◽  
E Mail ◽  
The Web

The development of the World Wide Web has created new opportunities for interpersonal interaction. The Internet allows one-to-one (e-mail), one-to-many (Web sites, e-mail lists) or many-to-many (online discussion forums) interaction, which represent a unique feature in comparison with traditional communication channels (Armstrong & Hagel, 1996). On the other hand, the Internet has specific characteristics, such as: • Interactivity: The Internet offers multiple possibilities of interactive communication, acting not only as an interface, but also as a communication agent (allowing a direct interaction between individuals and software applications) • Transparency: The information published online can be accessed and viewed by any Internet user, unless this information is specifically protected • Memory: The Web is a channel not only for transmitting information, but also for storing information¾in other words, the information published on the Web remains in the memory of the network until it is erased. These characteristics permit the development of online or virtual communities¾groups of people with similar interests who communicate on the Web in a regular manner (Armstrong & Hagel, 1996; Goldsborough, 1999a, 1999b; Gordon, 2000). Many studies deal with the ethics of research in Cyberspace and Virtual Communities (Bakardjieva, Feenberg, & Goldie, 2004), but very few publications relate with the Codes of Ethics used in Public Discussion Forums (Belilos, 1998; Johnson, 1997). Other specialists have analyzed specific categories or uses of online discussion forums, such as online learning (Blignaut & Trollip, 2003; DeSanctis, Fayard, Roach, & Jiang, 2003) or the creation of professional communities of practice (Bickart & Schindler, 2001; Kling, McKim & King, 2003; Millen, Fontaine, & Muller, 2002), and in this context, have also discussed briefly the importance of netiquette and forum monitoring (Fauske & Wade, 2003, 2004). The difference between these online communities and public discussion forums is the degree of control exercised on the functioning and purpose of the forum by a specific individual or organization. This article attempts to investigate, analyze and present the main patterns of the codes/rules of ethics used in the public discussion forums, otherwise known as Newsgroups, and their influence on the profile and functioning of the community.

Adoption of DSpace by Indian libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surendran Cherukodan ◽  
Humayoon Kabir S
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Google Search

Purpose – India occupies second position among the countries that have adopted DSpace open source software for institutional repositories (IRs)/digital libraries (DLs). The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons for DSpace being preferred over other software. It inspects various instances of Indian web-based DSpace systems including the nature and growth of collection, the geographical distribution of DSpace systems and the types of institutions that adopt and maintain DSpace. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from the official website of DSpace, Google search and from online discussion forums during July 2013 to January 2014. The 132 Indian DSpace links provided in the official DSpace website were examined. Further search was carried out on Google to identify Indian IRs and DLs that are not listed by the official website. A list of Indian DSpace websites prepared by the authors was sent to the online discussion forums for further updating. An online directory of Indian DSpace websites was created using WordPress which provided for the adding of comments. The study is limited to the web-based DSpace IRs and DLs in India. Findings – The majority of the Indian IRs and DLs listed on the official website of DSpace are not visible on the internet. Many links lead to institution websites, commercial websites and personal pages of authors. Out of 132 DSpace links, only 55 are visible on the internet to search and use. Indian libraries prefer DSpace over EPrints, Fedora and Greenstone. Many institutions could not maintain continuity of their DSpace systems in the online environment. Institutions having more funding are maintaining web-based DSpace systems. The size, economic conditions, rate of literacy and number of universities in an Indian state do not influence the maintenance of digital systems. Academic institutions involving universities, technical institutions and colleges lead in the adoption and maintenance of web-based DSpace in India. Private universities and colleges have adopted DSpace for IR/DL. Public libraries constitute a minimum percentage of web-based DSpace instances. Indian courts and Parliament have adopted DSpace. Shodhganga, the Indian ETD project, is running on DSpace. Originality/value – This is the first paper examining the adoption of DSpace by Indian libraries with a focus on online visibility and the strength of collection. It can be used to understand the pattern of technology adoption by Indian libraries over the years.

scholarly journals Understanding Issues Affecting Students’ Commitment to Online Discussion Forums in Undergraduate Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Semiyu Adejare Aderibigbe ◽  
Jacqueline Maria Dias ◽  
Mini Sara Abraham
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Faculty Support ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Research Questions

<p class="0abstract">This study explored students’ commitment and factors impacting their commitment to the online discussion forums that complement teaching and learning in two undergraduate courses. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies, we collected and analyzed data to address our research questions. The findings indicate that students are committed to online discussion forums in this study, which seemed to be impacted by students’ technological skills and exciting topics. Even so, a few students were not as committed as they would have liked because the platform was new, and they needed time to adapt to the learning platform. That said, our findings reveal that students’ commitment to and engagement in the online discussion forum can be fostered with faculty support, exciting topics, and time to understand the new learning terrain.</p>

PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI DAN KOMUNIKASI (TIK) PADA RHJFOX SEBAGAI FORUM DISKUSI

CCIT Journal ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-164
Author(s):  
Dewi Immaniar Desrianti ◽  
Lusyani Sunarya ◽  
Dwi Fitri Parmania
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Information And Communication

The sophistication of information and communication technology (ICT) especially in the field of internet is very supportive and easier to find information by using a web browser as a medium, one of the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) is an online discussion forum as access to discuss various things. Discussion forums active role as a communication medium that exists with the purpose of giving opinions, motivation, solutions, and information related to the ongoing discussion in the forum. Along with the development of non-formal learning methods, discussion forums are now made by several campuses in Indonesia, which aims to provide solutions to the students to be more active in asking and able to provide accurate answers or opinions thus indirectly the discussion forum turned into a place of learning non- formal distance can be done without face to face (ilearning learning methods). The problem is access to the previous discussion forum where discussions are time limitations in the delivery time, require each member to take the time to meet face to face and also requires that each member be in one (1) point for the purpose of exchanging information. Online discussion forums is an efficient solution is flexible and does not remember much each member has the same time, by making use of information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the colleges make online discussion forums as a forum of discussion among students, faculty and staff at the college incorporated as members so that the members can ask questions and provide solutions, and argue about related questions to give you an idea - an idea that is easy to understand that is packaged specifically for non-learning activities fomal online and without a time bound access. RhjFox is a communication medium in the form of active online discussion forum developed by the university, with a discussion of the division of the categories created to facilitate the members to interact and search for information on the desired topic of discussion in the discussion forum. RhjFox is a contribution to improving the quality of interaction and discussion without the limitations of time and face to face which involves students, faculty and staff members who had previously performed only discussion forum at the time and the same place

scholarly journals Perceptions and Sentiments About Electronic Cigarettes on Social Media Platforms: Systematic Review (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misol Kwon ◽  
Eunhee Park
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
People’S Perceptions

BACKGROUND Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been widely promoted on the internet, and subsequently, social media has been used as an important informative platform by e-cigarette users. Beliefs and knowledge expressed on social media platforms have largely influenced e-cigarette uptake, the decision to switch from conventional smoking to e-cigarette smoking, and positive and negative connotations associated with e-cigarettes. Despite this, there is a gap in our knowledge of people’s perceptions and sentiments on e-cigarettes as depicted on social media platforms. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1) provide an overview of studies examining the perceptions and sentiments associated with e-cigarettes on social media platforms and online discussion forums, (2) explore people’s perceptions of e-cigarette therein, and (3) examine the methodological limitations and gaps of the included studies. METHODS Searches in major electronic databases, including PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Communication and Mass Media Complete, were conducted using the following search terms: “electronic cigarette,” “electronic vaporizer,” “electronic nicotine,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems” combined with “internet,” “social media,” and “internet use.” The studies were selected if they examined participants’ perceptions and sentiments of e-cigarettes on online forums or social media platforms during the 2007-2017 period. RESULTS A total of 21 articles were included. A total of 20 different social media platforms and online discussion forums were identified. A real-time snapshot and characteristics of sentiments, personal experience, and perceptions toward e-cigarettes on social media platforms and online forums were identified. Common topics regarding e-cigarettes included positive and negative health effects, testimony by current users, potential risks, benefits, regulations associated with e-cigarettes, and attitude toward them as smoking cessation aids. CONCLUSIONS Although perceptions among social media users were mixed, there were more positive sentiments expressed than negative ones. This study particularly adds to our understanding of current trends in the popularity of and attitude toward e-cigarettes among social media users. In addition, this study identified conflicting perceptions about e-cigarettes among social media users. This suggests that accurate and up-to-date information on the benefits and risks of e-cigarettes needs to be disseminated to current and potential e-cigarette users via social media platforms, which can serve as important educational channels. Future research can explore the efficacy of social media–based interventions that deliver appropriate information (eg, general facts, benefits, and risks) about e-cigarettes. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO CRD42019121611; https://tinyurl.com/yfr27uxs

scholarly journals Assessment of Online Discussion Forums for Law Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-83
Author(s):  
Judith McNamara ◽  
◽  
Kelley Burton ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Work Placement ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum

This paper goes beyond the existing literature and explores the innovative topic of designing criterionreferenced assessment for online discussion forums. There are several benefits of embedding online discussion forums into subjects including engaging students in collaborative learning, and encouraging deeper analysis, critical thinking and reflection. Using the assessment principles of validity, reliability and transparency, this paper offers a range of practical strategies to tutors who plan to develop criterionreferenced assessment as opposed to norm-referenced assessment for online discussion forums, applies the assessment principles in the context of an undergraduate law subject, and exemplars a rubric for an online discussion forum in a work placement subject.

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