Social Computing and Virtual Communities

by Zaphiris; Panayiotis

• ISBN13: 9781420090420
• ISBN10: 1420090429
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-12-23
• Publisher: Chapman & Hall/

Summary

Growing more quickly than we can study or come to fully understand it, social computing is much more than the next thing. Whether it is due more to technology-driven convenience or to the basic human need to find kindred connections, online communication and communities are changing the way we live.

Table of Contents

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