Positive and negative aspects of online community cultivation: Implications for online stores’ relationship management

We investigated how online community building might affect the development of relationships with customers of online stores. Adopting social identification and relationship marketing perspectives, we examined the positive and negative aspects of online community cultivation and tested the meditating mechanisms involved in member participation processes. A survey-based study, conducted with 913 online consumers, revealed that community interaction can lead to consumer power through community identification and relationship investments. Furthermore, we found that perceived e-tailer support negatively affected the relationship between identification and consumer power. We concluded with a discussion of the key managerial and research implications of our findings.     

Not all posts are treated equal: An empirical investigation of post replying behavior in an online travel community

The post replying behavior in online communities (OCs) has garnered little consideration, even though the feedback behavior represents the central social dynamic of OCs and greatly determines the vibrancy of OCs. To fill this gap, this study aims to identify major sharing post-related variables that explain the heterogeneity in the post replying behavior in knowledge sharing OCs. The research model is validated through a panel dataset assembled from an online travel community. The results reveal that sharing post length and vividness, contributors’ expertise and degree centrality, and members’ social interactions have significant associations with the number of replying posts.     

Non-public and public online community participation: Needs, attitudes and behavior

Nonpublic participation within an online community, often called lurking, occurs when an individual joins a community, but does not post. This study examines the nature of lurking, why people lurk and the differences in attitudes between lurkers and posters. The results indicate significant differences between people who lurk and those who post in an online community. We conclude that when people lurk they are observing, which in no way is a negative behavior. This introverted or passive behavior affects lurkers' attitudes about the benefits of the community, their expectations, and opinions of themselves and others who lurk. In general lurkers are less optimistic and less positive than those who post. Blair Nonnecke is a usability professional and academic with a particular interest in user-centred design and online communities. Blair is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph where he studies participation in online communities and the usability of in-vehicle navigation devices. His recent research focuses on three areas: survey methods for hard to reach participants, the role participation plays in online learning environments, and factors leading to participation in communities of practice. Dorine Andrews D.C.D. As a specialist in communications design, Dr. Andrews' research and publications focus on both online communities and the implementation of major technology change in organizations. She has taught at Georgetown University's Communications, Culture and Technology program and at the University of Baltimore's School for Interaction Design and Information Architecture. She is now a principal change consultant for RWD Technologies, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, MD. She can be reached via e-mail at dandrews@rwd.com Jennifer Preece is Professor and Dean of the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, USA. Her research and teaching interests focus on human-computer interaction, online communities and social computing. She has authored many papers and books on these topics. Her two most recent books are: Online Communites: “Designing usability, supporting sociability”, and a coauthroed book with Helen Sharp and Yvonne Rogers entiled “Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction”. Both books are published by John Wiley & Sons.     

在线电子地图服务系统的研究与实现

为了提高在线电子地图传输速率,提出了一种基于数据库预处理的快速传输方法。通过对电子地图做预处理,重构电子地图数据结构之后存储于数据库中。服务器直接从数据库里读取电子地图数据,传输给客户端。由于服务器不用对电子地图再做处理,提高了电子地图处理效率。实验结果表明,该方法在正确传输电子地图数据前提下,提高了传输效率,保证了在线电子地图传输的实时性。     

Mediating roles of self-presentation desire in online game community commitment and trust behavior of Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), which allow simultaneous participation of several gamers, have attracted a great deal of attention recently. Since MMORPGs can be categorized as a type of online community, the behavior of MMORPGs users needs to be considered as the general behavior in online communities. However, previous studies of online communities did not pay enough attention to MMORPGs, in which users can express themselves by interacting actively through games and game avatars. Understanding the characteristics of MMORPGs as online game communities where users communicate and interact will allow games to be vitalized and users to be immersed in games in a more positive way. Hence, using self-presentation theory and social identity theory, this study examined the factors influencing self-presentation desire and the mediating role of self-presentation desire examined in terms of trust of and commitments to online game communities. The results showed that the interactivity in the spaces of MMORPGs had the biggest impacts on self-presentation desire; personal innovativeness and game design quality also was influential. The results also indicated that self-presentation desire caused trust of online games and eventually led to even stronger commitments to gamers.     

The CSCL community in its first decade: development, continuity, connectivity

Ten years of international CSCL conferences (1995–2005) provide an occasion to reflect on the formation of the CSCL community. Based on quantitative analysis of conference proceedings, lists of participants and program committee members, and on qualitative study of policies and motives, this paper offers insights into the growth of the CSCL community in its first decade. The analysis focuses on participation at different levels of the community. In particular, focus is on the continuity of active and passive membership, the geographical distribution, and the international connectivity of the community. Contrary to expectations, only a relatively small number of people have participated continuously in the community. Concerning the geographical distribution, we found that the community is increasingly international in conference participation, authors, and program committees. The international connectivity of the community is also increasing, which can be seen in a growing number of citations and co-authorships across different countries. In order to interpret the results of our quantitative study, we conducted a qualitative, e-mail-based survey. In this survey we wanted to elaborate the policy of the conference organization, the reasons for international co-authorships and the motivations for participation in CSCL conferences. We contacted 84 members of different target groups (organizers, members of international co-authorships, and randomly selected participants on different levels of participation). The findings are suggestive for the further development of the CSCL community.     

Analysing successful massive open online courses using the community of inquiry model as perceived by students

This research examines the characteristics that contributed to the success of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the fields of software, sciences, and management using data mining and semantic analysis together with content analysis. A total of 3,460 reviews regarding 5 different MOOCs that received a 5/5 grade were extracted from the CourseTalk website and analysed according to the community of inquiry model. It was found that, as well as in academic online courses, the characteristics that contributed to MOOCs' success were distributed between all 3 presence elements according to the community of inquiry model: teaching (36%), social (23%), and cognitive (36%; and technological [5%]). This is contrary to the perception that MOOCs mostly contain teaching presence elements. The four leading characteristics were teacher, exercise, atmosphere, and workload. Cluster analysis resulted in 5 types of students with similar presence element preferences. This shows that successful MOOCs enable students with different preferences to consume content and activities according to their individual preferences. These findings could be the base of future research on the subject of adapting MOOC activities and content to students' varied preferences, as well as further understanding the characteristics that contribute to successful MOOCs or other fully online courses.     

Perspectives on the evolution of online communities

The rapid growth of social networks opens interesting research opportunities to make use of the massive information exchanged in day-to-day communication. One of the active research issues related to this aspect is the study of online community formation and evolution in dynamic social networks. As community structure is usually ambiguous, then defining how it evolves over time becomes a challenge in terms of tracking mechanism and evaluation method. In this study, we review the online communities and their evolution tracking mechanisms and discuss the main categories of approaches for tracking community evolution and how they work. We analyse the different solutions proposed under each community evolution tracking category and provide an assessment of their projected performance. Finally, a discussion of analysis insights concerning community evolution and its influence is introduced.     

The role of message-sequences in the sustainability of an online support community for older people

This article presents an investigation of an online support community for older people, analyzing a data-set of messages posted over the period of six years. We studied messages that are related to each other which we call "message-sequences". We investigated the content of message-sequences and linked our findings to the level of activity of the online support community over time. We show how certain sequences of messages within the online community are related to the level of activity thus providing valuable insight into the role of message-sequences in sustaining online support communities for older people. We conclude that the mutual exchange of personal information and receiving support after talking about personal problems are basic components for the sustainability of the online community, whereas conversations that go off the topic of the online community seem to be related to a decrease in the level of activity.     

Community of inquiry as a theoretical framework to foster “epistemic engagement” and “cognitive presence” in online education

In this paper, several recent theoretical conceptions of technology-mediated education are examined and a study of 2159 online learners is presented. The study validates an instrument designed to measure teaching, social, and cognitive presence indicative of a community of learners within the community of inquiry (CoI) framework [Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2, 1–19; Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education. American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 7–23]. Results indicate that the survey items cohere into interpretable factors that represent the intended constructs. Further it was determined through structural equation modeling that 70% of the variance in the online students’ levels of cognitive presence, a multivariate measure of learning, can be modeled based on their reports of their instructors’ skills in fostering teaching presence and their own abilities to establish a sense of social presence. Additional analysis identifies more details of the relationship between learner understandings of teaching and social presence and its impact on their cognitive presence. Implications for online teaching, policy, and faculty development are discussed.     

基于社群发掘构建在线社交网络的高层架构

针对在线社交网络的巨大规模和复杂结构造成的网络分析困难问题,提出建立简明的在线社交网络的高层架构。定义在线社交网络高层架构由社群、链接中心及其它们之间的关联关系组成,提出一种基于社群发掘的在线社交网络高层架构构建方法。通过建立定量属性图来表达在线社交网络,综合利用节点和边的属性进行社群发掘。基于社群发掘结果辨识连接中心,生成社群和连接中心之间的关联关系,从而构建起在线社交网络的高层架构,实现对复杂在线社交网络的高层次的简明表达。将该方法用于建立一个商业电子公告板(BBS)在线社交网络的高层架构,在关联强度和社群尺度分别为0.5和3时可获得良好的社群发掘结果,建立的高层架构与实际情况比较一致。     

Factors influencing the popularity of customer-generated content in a company-hosted online co-creation community: A social capital perspective

With the current trend of co-creation, companies and consumers increasingly take advantage of online co-creation communities to share and exchange product-related information. In response to the knowledge exchange and collaborative nature of online co-creation, we advance the theoretical understanding of consumer co-creation by considering it as mutual effects and interactions with other consumers. Based on social capital theory, we developed a research model to examine the factors influencing the popularity of customer-generated content using objective data collected from the MIUI online co-creation community in China. A key result of this study is that social networks ties among consumers enable the norm of reciprocity and shared language, which, in turn, influence the popularity of customer-generated content. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

How virtual community participation influences consumer loyalty intentions in online shopping contexts: an investigation of mediating factors

Extant studies generally recognise that virtual community building is an effective marketing programme for forging deep and enduring affective bonds with consumers. This study extends previous research by proposing and testing a model that investigates key mediating processes (via trust, satisfaction and identification) that underlie the relationship between virtual community participation and consumer loyalty intentions. The authors test the hypotheses using data obtained from three large online retailing stores. Virtual community participation significantly enhances loyalty intentions, through both social mechanisms (via community identification) and psychological mechanisms (via trust and satisfaction). Moreover, the findings provide insights into the complex relationship between the two mechanisms in online shopping settings. Community identification is a pivotal factor for enhancing customer loyalty intentions. The results advance understanding of the process by which virtual community building facilitates the development of business-to-consumer relationships in the computer-mediated environment. The authors discuss the managerial implications of the findings, as well as avenues for further research.     

手机产品的差异性对手机在线阅读行为的影响

本文研究的是手机产品的差异性对手机在线阅读行为的影响.通过分析用户的手机在线阅读行为,从“手机观感”,“手机性能”,“网络情况”三大基本影响因素进行探讨分析,通过相关理论研究以及问卷调查的方式得出手机性能、显示舒适度对手机在线阅读行为的影响最大,以及阅读平台的性能、版面设计、附加功能丰富度对其关系都具有一定的调节作用,且调节作用的大小不一.     

The social influence of online collaborative community: the moderating effect of achievement

Online collaborative communities become particularly influential in contemporary Internet economy. However, these communities are often characterised by limited liability. Following the perspective of social influence, this study examines the impacts of three social influence modes in online collaborative communities of a famous online game. The moderating role of a player’s game achievement is also explored. Our results show that community identification is the most influential on online game continuance intention, especially for high achievement players. Community value congruence is likely to affect online game continuance intention for low achievement players. The impact of community normative influence on online game continuance intention appears to be curvilinear. This is more obvious for low achievement players. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.     

A longitudinal study of leader influence in sustaining an online community

Previous research suggests that online leaders play an important role in sustaining community activities. Although the research has contributed to our understanding of how leaders develop effective ways to operate a community, most only provide a snapshot view of online leadership, thus paying little attention to changes in leaders in a communal context. In this study, we adopt the theory of networked influence to investigate the dynamics of online leadership using a longitudinal analysis. Data were collected from an online community in operation for 10 years. By conducting social network analysis using qualitative methods, we identified several types of emerging and coexisting online leadership, i.e., responsive expert leader, multiboard connectors, and social bond leader. The community’s sustainability did not rely on the same leaders throughout its temporal development but rather a “relay event” involving passing on the baton among different leaders with their specific leadership styles, which had a significant positive impact on the sustainability of user participation.     

ICSSSS: An intelligent channel selection scheme for cognitive radio ad hoc networks using a self organized map followed by simple segregation

In Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks (CRAHNS), several spectrum bands with different channel characteristics may be available over a large frequency range. It is essential to identify the most appropriate spectrum band correctly which allow the Secondary Users (SUs) to exploit the band without disturbing the Primary Users (PUs). Many channel selection solutions, based on cooperative spectrum sensing, have been employed for this purpose depending on their prediction models for primary users’ activities. In practice, cooperative spectrum sensing cannot completely solve the sensing problems which are false alarm and miss detection, especially in heavily shadowed or fading environment. This paper presents, ICSSSS, as an Intelligent Channel Selection Scheme for cognitive radio ad hoc network using Self organized map followed by simple Segregation. The contribution of the proposed scheme is twofold: using an unsupervised learnable Self Organizing Map (SOM) method to efficiently minimize the probability of the sensing errors (false alarm and miss detection), in addition to segregated channel selection strategy to speed up the search for the available best channel. Simulation results based on NS2 simulations show that the proposed scheme can be used with the advantage of better performance than other existing channel selection strategies.     

Understanding online regret experience using the theoretical lens of flow experience

Recent research has emphasized the exponential increase in the online regret experience among online users. Such experience results in poor satisfaction, brand switching, and even service discontinuity. However, little prior research has investigated the relative influence of online platform characteristics and individual differences (such as demographics) in predicting the online regret experience. To address this gap, a pen-and-paper cross-sectional survey was organized with 804 adolescent (aged 13–17 years) Facebook users. The study utilized a theoretical framework of flow experience to understand the online regret experience and investigated the relative influence of demographic variables (age, gender, time spent, and service use experience) and flow experience components in predicting the online regret experience. Older adolescents and those spending more daily time on Facebook were more likely to experience higher online regret than their younger counterparts and those spending less daily time on Facebook. There were no significant gender-related or Facebook use experience-related differences in the tendency to experience online regret. The increase in playfulness and users’ focused attention on Facebook led to higher levels of online regret experience. The practical and theoretical implications of this study for both practitioners and researchers are discussed.     

Behavioral simulation and optimization of generation companies in electricity markets by fuzzy cognitive map

Simulation can be used in a wide range of applications in an electricity market. There are many reasons that market players and regulators are very interested in anticipating the behavior of the market. Behavior of a generation company (GENCO) in electricity market is an important factor that affects the market behavior. Several factors affect the behavior of a GENCO directly and indirectly. In this study, a new approach based on fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) is introduced to model and simulate GENCO’s behavior in the electricity market with respect to profit maximization. FCM helps the decision makers to understand the complex dynamics between a certain strategic goal and the related factors. This paper examines how effective factors affect on a GENCO’s profit. To identify key factors relevant to the goal, a FCM is built and then analyzed. To analyze this problem, two cases as simple FCM and weighted FCM are considered. Simple FCM shows how the determined factors affect on goal. A hidden pattern is obtained by this case. Weighted FCM helps sensitivity analysis of the model. In addition, the weighted FCM is used usefully to clearly measure the composite effects resulting from changes of multiple factors. This application is shown by two different case studies. This is the first study that models and simulates the behavior of GENCO in electricity market with respect to profit maximization.