Project Lotus: A really cool community-based initiative assisting women post-homelessness

In Canada, recent conservative estimates report upwards of 235,000 individuals are homeless on a given night. Of those experiencing precarious housing situations, women make up approximately 30% and are among the most vulnerable. Their residential insecurity has been further exacerbated with the community and social restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing resources that assist women experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity are often stretched to the limit dealing with emergency and crisis housing situations, with less focus on post-shelter supports. To address this issue, a community-based participatory research initiative ‘Project Lotus - Hope Together’ was established in Montreal. Grounded in the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health Framework, the overarching goal of this research is to co-design a housing supports program for women leaving a shelter stay. We created a cross-sectorial Advisory Committee consisting of women with lived experiences of homelessness, service providers, community leaders, and researchers. To date, we have conducted preliminary research (literature review, interviews with women with lived experience of homelessness, stakeholder meetings) to identity what has assisted women through this transition, and what barriers exist. We have also held virtual community consultation meetings to discuss preliminary findings of recommendations of key components that should be in a post-shelter support program for women. This presentation outlines the current findings and highlights the importance of participatory research. Implementing whole person care in the area of women’s homelessness requires both a comprehensive and individualized approach to help women and children secure home, health, and a sustainable future.

Benefits and Motivations for Virtual Community Participation: A Netnography of the Hogwarts Running Club

Keeping up with technology today can be challenging. As park and recreation agencies increasingly find the need to adapt to and incorporate new technologies to stay relevant, the challenge to maintain membership and attract the ever-growing digital generation cannot be underestimated. Technology has long been considered a tool for agency administration, program registration, and implementation, but new forms of technological interaction should be considered by professionals as a way to reach existing and potential participants as well as a way to build community. The rapid development and growth of technology has spurred the development and popularity of virtual communities. Although these communities have been around for over 30 years, they have not yet been adopted into the professional “tool kit” for program delivery or in reaching out to foster stronger community connections and involvements. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of benefits and motivation among participants of a leisure-based virtual community. This study utilized the qualitative research technique netnography to explore the perceived benefits and motivations of members of the virtual community The Hogwarts Running Club (HRC). The community has the mission of changing the world through physical fitness and charitable giving and has attracted a large, active, and loyal membership. The HRC was an ideal study setting due to its popularity and the leisure-based nature of the community. The HRC virtual interactions included in the dataset took place via a Facebook group where the focus of discussion was on Harry Potter and running. Data analysis revealed three primary categories of perceived benefits and motivations among the Facebook posts collected over a six-month timeframe: improved physical health, improved mental health, and social and emotional support. Participants indicated that their participation in HRC community events and the support and encouragement they received led to these perceived benefits. As many park and recreation agencies have mandates and commitments to improve quality of life for their constituents, facilitating a leisure-based virtual community might be one avenue of doing so. As such, implications derived from the findings for theory and practice are discussed along with suggestions for future research and practice.

Accessibility Monitoring for People with Disabilities

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is a law mandating that organizations in Ontario must comply to accessibility standards for people with disabilities. However, there is no tool to report accessibility complaints and track them. To that effect, mobile applications can be effective to make report and monitor accessibility issues as they arise in private as well as public spaces (e.g. building, sidewalks). An App would provide users with an opportunity beyond the mapping of compliance, it can provide data that addresses the gaps across legislation and embodied experiences. The objective of this paper is to share a novel method associated with the development accessibility monitoring Android App prototype called “ACCESS-ABILITY.” ACCESS-ABILITY is a first-of-its-kind app in the domain of disability informatics, it facilitates the formation of a collaborative virtual community that can be used by people with disabilities, advocacy groups, organizations and official bodies.

Towards an Insight into Customer Behaviors in Virtual Brand Communities

This study aims at exploring the effects of customer’s personal factors and characteristics of brand community on customers’ behaviors in virtual brand community. The data were collected from customers of virtual brand communities in Vietnamese context via a survey. The data show that among the customer’s personal factors, customer ability has the largest impact on customer active behaviors in virtual brand community while customer motivation and opportunity have smaller significant influences on customer behaviors. Regarding the characteristics of virtual brand community, information quality posted in virtual community has the most dramatic effect on customer involvement in active behaviors. System quality is also relevant to customer behaviors, yet virtual interactivity and rewards are unrelated to customer activity involvement. With the findings, research shows useful suggestions for businesses in Vietnam in their efforts to understand the impact of customer behavior in the virtual community.

Artificial Neural Network Research in Online Social Networks

Artificial neural networks are a machine learning method ideal for solving classification and prediction problems using Big Data. Online social networks and virtual communities provide a plethora of data. Artificial neural networks have been used to determine the emotional meaning of virtual community posts, determine age and sex of users, classify types of messages, and make recommendations for additional content. This article reviews and examines the utilization of artificial neural networks in online social network and virtual community research. An artificial neural network to predict the maintenance of online social network “friends” is developed to demonstrate the applicability of artificial neural networks for virtual community research.

Dar ánimo en tiempos de pandemia. Estrategias discursivo-interaccionales utilizadas en los comentarios a los testimonios de los enfermos de Covid-19

The aim of this article is to analyse the discourse-interactive strategies applied by Spanish speakers in YouTube comments addressed to people infected by COVID-19. We are especially interested in the mechanisms that reflect support and solidarity. Our main assumption is that the comments that accompany YouTube videos constitute a special type of communication which, though not fulfilling the prototypical principle of “interactive reciprocity”, demonstrates a considerable level of interpersonal and interactive mutual influence. The strategies analysed (including greetings, expressive vocative forms, verbal empathy and signals of interest, compliments and praise, religious invocations, etc.) seem to indicate that the “pandemic reality” has contributed to the creation of a certain type of virtual community of practice that, in its own way, fulfils the interactive principle of solidarity, whilst simultaneously evaluating the time of the coronavirus epidemic.

Metamorphosis from virtual community to ‘For Benefit’ enterprise: chronicle of PULA and PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd.

Theoretical basis The instructor should discuss the various forms of organization. Particular reference needs to be drawn on “For Benefit” firms. How such firms enable societal development should be stressed upon. Other theories considered are “need achievement theory”, “self-determination theory” and “social cognitive theory.” Research methodology The primary data for the case was from a series of in-depth interviews and interactions with Sonia and her core team members of Bazaar and Approval Teams. Frequent deliberation with the founder and core team led to interesting dialogues on the aspiration to uphold Pune Ladies Association (PULA) Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. as a “For Benefit firm” and developing indigenous women entrepreneurs which was a stimuli for writing the case. Online surveys of the PULA verified sellers were conducted to identify their rationale of starting the venture and also their experiences on the PULA platform. Case overview/synopsis March 2019, the core committee of PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. (the firm) engineered a dialogue. They wanted to expand a new horizon with its mission of “For Benefit”. The firm is an offshoot of PULA, a virtual women’s community in Facebook. Complexity academic level The case may be used for postgraduate students pursuing entrepreneurship and management courses. The case can be used for teaching executive level programs of business strategy and digital media. The case applies to the use of digital media in businesses, social entrepreneurship and innovation strategies.