(2007)

In this exploratory study, Cocciolo, Chae and Natriello investigate the extent to which the communicative processes exhibited within a large digital repository illustrate the emergence of an online community of practice (CoP). In order to make this claim, we present a method for identifying the emergence of an online CoP using Social Network Analysis (SNA) on communication data (i.e., uploads and downloads) and institutional role (i.e., expert/faculty vs. novice/student). The analysis reveals that the online repository provides opportunities for novices to perform the role of the expert knowledge facilitator. We posit

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Journal of Digital Information,, Vol. 9, No. 27. (2008)

In this paper, an empirical study of tagging behaviour in web-based bibliographic annotation systems is presented. Starting from an initial category finding phase in which tags attributed to selected articles from Connotea were classified we have set up a category model for linguistic and functional aspects of tag usage as well as for the relationship between tags and document full text. In a second phase this model is applied to approx. 500 tagged articles from the information and computer technology domain randomly selected from Connotea. Our findings show significant differences to other tagging research which was primarily conducted using popular (non-scientific) tagging platforms like Flickr or Delicious. We observe a great overlap of tag material and document text and rather few non-content related tags. The comparison of user tags with author keywords shows that users tend to use less and more general tags. Finally, system functionality seems to play a role for users’ tagging behaviour.

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Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress (2006), pp. 61-95.

The Drupal core modules cover a wide range of basic functionality, from advanced user profiles to statistics collection. Many types of web sites can be completely served with only the modules delivered with the standard Drupal download. Core modules can all be activated or deactivated without downloading other packages or adding extra database tables.Drupal would be only a fraction as popular as it is, though, without the contributed modules. A quick look at the available module downloads (http://drupal.org/project/Modules) reveals the diverse range of contributed modules available. At the time of this writing, 120 contributed modules are available, with the number growing every week. The reason for the enormous number of modules is Drupal’s highly extensible architecture and accessible programmer’s API. In Chapter 4, you will look at a number of important contributed modules that can add diverse functionality and ease of use to your site.

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(2007)

Social networking cemented its status as a bona fide Internet phenomenon in 2007. The question for businesses taking a long, hard look at this trend is whether its growth is sustainable, and if so, how can it really support through-the-line marketing? This Experian-Hitwise report looks in detail at the key social networking learnings from 2007, the trends that are most likely to play out in 2008, and the critical areas that brands need to consider when developing their social media marketing strategies. Key insights and in-depth analysis of the social networking environment in the UK is provided by Robin Goad, Director of Research for Hitwise. Tony Mooney, Managing Partner at Experian ClarityBlue, the specialist consulting division at Experian Integrated Marketing, recommends the key areas to focus on in 2008 when looking to capitalise on the opportunities social media marketing presents. www.hitwise.co.uk www.experianim.com

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(April 2008)

The rapid growth of social networking that has been observed over the last two to three years is indicative of its entry into mainstream culture and its integration into the daily lives of many people. In parallel with this, there has also been considerable media coverage of the growth of social networking, its potential positive outcomes and concerns about the way that some people are engaging with it. Social networking sites offer people new and varied ways to communicate via the internet, whether through their PC or their mobile phone. They allow people to easily and simply create their own online page or profile and to construct and display an online network of contacts, often called ‘friends’. Users of these sites can communicate via their profile both with their ‘friends’ and with people outside their list of contacts. This can be on a one-to-one basis (much like an email), or in a more public way such as a comment posted for all to see. For the purpose of this research report we have purposely focused on the social and communications aspects of social networking sites. We have deliberately not included either online networks dedicated to business networking, or user-generated content (UGC) sites (as the latter’s primary focus is on content creation and sharing rather than the development of online social networks).

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(2005)

A junior at the university, Eric wakes up and peers at his PC to see how many instant messages (IMs) arrived while he slept. Several attempts to reach him are visible on the screen, along with various postings to the blog he's been following. After a quick trip to the shower, he pulls up an eclectic mix of news, weather, and sports on the home page he customized using Yahoo. He then logs on to his campus account. A reminder pops up indicating that there will be a quiz in sociology today; another reminder lets him know that a lab report needs to be e-mailed to his chemistry professor by midnight. After a few quick IMs with friends he pulls up a wiki to review progress a teammate has made on a project they're doing for their computer science class. He downloads yesterday's chemistry lecture to his laptop; he'll review it while he sits with a group of students in the student union working on other projects. After classes are over he has to go to the library because he can't find an online resource he needs for a project. He rarely goes to the library to check out books; usually he uses Google or Wikipedia. Late that night as he's working on his term paper, he switches back and forth between the paper and the Internet-based multiplayer game he's trying to win.1 Information technology is woven throughout Eric's life, but he probably doesn't think of it as technology. One generation's technology is taken for granted by the next. Computers, the Internet, online resources, and instantaneous access are simply the way things are done. Eric is a member of the Net Generation; he's never known life without the Internet.

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Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Vol. 4, No. 2. (June 2008)

The proliferation of immersive, three dimensional virtual environments presents educators with a moment of creative possibility in designing the next generation of computer-assisted learning. At the same time, the fact that these environments may be inscribed with particular value sets and power relations presents educators with a burden of pedagogical responsibility. This paper attempts to begin a conversation about some of the hidden considerations that may be confronted as virtual learning environments become more accessible, acceptable, and assessable. The author challenges the view that virtual environments are reliably neutral venues for the creation of virtual identities that escape the culturally constructed power configurations of the offline world. Indeed, the very dichotomy between real and virtual is itself questionable. While the promise of virtual learning environments is real, it is often unrealized. Educators have a responsibility to critically engage the implicit assumptions embedded in the technology they would ask students to use.

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