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Growing more quickly than we can study or come to fully understand it,social computingis much more than thenext thing. Whether it is due more to technology-driven convenience or to the basic human need to find kindred connection, online communication and communities are changing the way we live.
Social Computing and Virtual Communitiescompiles contributions from international experts to offer the sort of multidisciplinary study that is required in any investigation of communities. Delving fully into theories and methods, application areas, and types of online social environments, this book -

Introduces several theories regarding online social interaction Provides a general overview of methodologies, qualitative and quantitative, for analyzing and evaluating virtual communities Makes an in-depth investigation into e-learning communities and the formation of social networks of learners Examines healthcare communities motivated by physical pain, illness, and burdensome symptoms Discusses intellectual property (IP) issues, including those involving user-generated content Delves into the topic of online trust Introduces virtual communities, in which users immerse themselves in a 3D virtual environment, including MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games) Presents an unusual community of older people of Chinese culture who perceive virtual communities as a place where old beliefs and traditional norms can be preserved Explores the rapid rise of social networking sites (SNS)

Books of this kind are uncommon. This work not only provides case studies of different domains of virtual communities and different types of social technologies but also emphasizes theoretical and methodological aspects required to research and analyze such communities.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface(p. v)
• About the Editors(p. ix)
• Contributors(p. xi)
• Part I Theories and Methods
• 1 Theoretical Foundations of Social Computing and Virtual Communities(p. 1)
• 2 An Overview of Social Networks(p. 21)
• 3 Research Methods 2.0: Doing Research Using Virtual Communities(p. 37)
• Part II Application Areas
• 4 E-Learning Communities(p. 69)
• 5 Technology-Enhanced Health Communities: Research on the Use of Social Computing Applications by Both the Sick and the Well(p. 91)
• 6 Online Support Communities(p. 121)
• 7 Online Content Sharing(p. 151)
• 8 From Online Familiarity to Offline Trust: How a Virtual Community Creates Familiarity and Trust between Strangers(p. 179)
• Part III Types Of Online Social Environments
• 9 Second Life,Ö Immersion, and Learning(p. 205)
• 10 Residency, Relationships, and Responsibility: The Social Side of World of WarcraftÖ(p. 223)
• 11 Perceiving an Internet Community as a "Utopia": Beliefs, Norms, and Resistance among Older Chinese(p. 243)
• 12 Social Network Sites: An Exploration of Features and Diversity(p. 263)
• Index(p. 283)

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Panayiotis Zaphiris, Chee Siang Ang