Diane Maloney-Krichmar
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Abstract
The aim of this research is to develop an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of online group interaction and the relationship between the participation in an online community and an individual's off-line life. The 2½-year study of a thriving online health support community (Bob's ACL WWWBoard) used a broad fieldwork approach, guided by the ethnographic research techniques of observation, interviewing, and archival research in combination with analysis of the group's dynamics during a one-week period. Research tools from the social sciences were used to develop a thick, rich description of the group. The significant findings of this study include: dependable and reliable technology is more important than state-of-the-art technology in this community; strong community development exists despite little differentiation of the community space provided by the software; members reported that participation in the community positively influenced their offline lives; strong group norms of support and reciprocity made externally-driven governance unnecessary; tools used to assess group dynamics in face-to-face groups provide meaningful information about online group dynamics; and, membership patterns in the community and strong subgroups actively contributed to the community's stability and vitality.
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Index Terms
- A multilevel analysis of sociability, usability, and community dynamics in an online health community
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Reviews
Caroline Merriam Eastman
What makes an online community work__?__ What makes it at least viable and hopefully vital__?__ Sharp focus and reliable systems are two of the answers, according to this report on an extended and comprehensive research study of one such community, Bob's ACL WWWBoard. If you don't know what ACL stands for, you would likely pass this board by. However, if you are suffering from a knee injury to your anterior cruciate ligament, you might check out this online self-help community, also known as the Kneeboard. Maloney-Krichmar and Preece report on a multiyear ethnographic study of this community. Their research combined observation of the Kneeboard, detailed analysis of messages in a one-week period, various forms of social network analysis, and online interviews with selected members. The results are clearly presented, with extensive references to related literature. Kneeboard is a text-based online community with minimal structure. There are some organized subgroups, and a modest level of moderation. The participant group is largely self-organizing and self-moderating, however. Members of Kneeboard join for further information on ACL injuries and treatment, and for emotional and social support; most of the messages support these goals. The software used does not have the kinds of bells and whistles often proposed as components of online community systems, such as visualization and filters. However, participants appeared to be quite satisfied with the system as is. The extended research study and insightful analysis in this paper make it an important contribution to our understanding of online communities, especially those within the self-help category. Those involved in research and development in this area should read it. It will also be of interest to anyone with a knee injury. Online Computing Reviews Service
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