This write-up reports a study of e-community from two perspectives. 1) Membership perspective as a member of two e-communities: GRIN publishers [2] and Nairaland [4]. 2) Leadership perspective as a
creator and moderator of e-communities [5, 6, 7, 8]. I participated in the activities of GRIN and Nairaland over a period of time and learned their interaction model. Subsequently, I created two e-communities with
the intention of putting to practice few things I have observed and learned as a member of existing ecommunities.Some guidelines were suggested towards creating a successful online community.
Abstract
This write-up reports a study of e-community from two perspectives. 1) Membership perspective as a member of two e-communities: GRIN publishers [2] and Nairaland [4]. 2) Leadership perspective as a creator and moderator of e-communities [5, 6, 7, 8]. I participated in the activities of GRIN and Nairaland over a period of time and learned their interaction model. Subsequently, I created two e-communities with the intention of putting to practice few things I have observed and learned as a member of existing e- communities. Some guidelines were suggested towards creating a successful online community.
1.0 Introduction
Encyclopedia dictionary defined e-Community as a group of individuals who share a common interest via e-mail, blogs, instant messages, chat rooms or newsgroup [1]. Wikipedia defined virtual community as a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals [10]. Wikipedia further defined online community as a virtual community that exist online [1].
Taking a look at these definitions and views of other researchers, Virtual community, online Community and e-Community are synonymous to one another. They have very similar characteristics, they are virtual, borderless, goal oriented and controlled:
1. Virtual: They are built on a set of infrastructure like network, internet and other communication artifact
2. Borderless : There are no geographic or political boundaries that demarcates territories, time zones and locations
3. Goal Oriented: Members have mutual interest and pursue same or similar goal
4. Controlled: They have voluntary membership, membership are usually not inheritable by birth or colony. They governed by laid down rules and principles.
In carrying out this study, I joined two e-communities: GRIN Publishers [2] and Nairaland [4]. I participated in the activities of these communities over a period of time and learned the interaction model. Subsequently I created e-community with the intention of putting to practice few things I have observed and learned as a member of GRIN and Nairaland. The remaining part of this write-up narrates my findings and recommendations.
2.0 Interacting with existinf e-Communities
Sometime you do some things without even knowing! It is interesting to suddenly realize that I have been an active member of number of e-communities without conscious knowledge of my actions; facebook, twitter, phbTownhall (internal blogging tool at workplace), itslearning, CodeProject [9] etc are good examples. Recently I joined GRIN and Nairaland.
GRIN is an online community of publishers, uploading wide-range of literatures on the internet for free or sale. It is a knowledge centre for researchers and free readers. Nairaland is the largest online community of Nigerians; it is a blogging tool with broad categories of discussion themes and topics. At the moment GRIN has 49,888 authors, 118,643 e-books, 1,939,648 textbooks (also available in soft copies) covering 101 subject areas and Millions of Users [2]. Nairaland has 664,670 members and 577,710 discussion topics [4].
From my interaction in e-communities, I have developed the following set of e- community assessment criteria in questions format:
- What is the goal and objective? : There should be a reason behind every action. This question addresses the goal of the community and how it will be achieved. The goal is usually envisioned by the creator of communities; it varied from community to community and it often informs other assessment areas.
- Who are the target group? : This explains the target membership of an e- community; CodeProject was has programmers as its primary members while GRIN has publishers as main members.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main topic of this document?
This document discusses e-communities from two perspectives: membership and leadership. It explores the author's experiences as a member of GRIN publishers and Nairaland, and as a creator/moderator of e-communities.
How does the document define "e-Community"?
The document defines "e-Community" (along with "Virtual community" and "Online community") as a group of individuals who share a common interest and interact through digital media, crossing geographical and political boundaries to pursue mutual goals. Key characteristics include being virtual, borderless, goal-oriented, and controlled.
What are the characteristics of e-Communities as described in the document?
E-Communities, according to this text, are characterized as: Virtual (built on network infrastructure), Borderless (without geographic or political limitations), Goal-Oriented (members share mutual interests), and Controlled (governed by rules and voluntary membership).
Which e-communities did the author join as part of this study?
The author joined GRIN Publishers and Nairaland to study e-community interaction models.
What is GRIN Publishers, as described in the document?
GRIN Publishers is described as an online community of publishers who upload literature for free or for sale. It serves as a knowledge center for researchers and readers.
What is Nairaland, as described in the document?
Nairaland is described as the largest online community of Nigerians, functioning as a blogging tool with diverse discussion topics.
What e-community assessment criteria were developed by the author?
The author developed a set of e-community assessment criteria based on questions: What is the goal and objective? Who are the target group? What is the Control model?
What is the significance of the "Control model" in e-communities, according to this document?
The control model refers to the set of tools used to effectively monitor and control the activities of community members, including access rights, role definitions, and exception reporting.
- Citation du texte
- Owoseni Adebowale (Auteur), 2011, E-Communities: Membership and Leadership Perspectives, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/170314
