404,815 research outputs found
Personal Communication Networks and Their Positive Effects on Online Collaboration and Outcome Quality on Wikipedia
Online collaborative projects have been utilized in a variety of ways over the past decade, such as bringing people together to build open source software or developing the world\u27s largest free encyclopedia. Personal communication networks as a feature do not exist in all collaborative projects. It is currently unclear if a designer\u27s decision to include a personal communication network in a collaborative project\u27s structure affects outcome quality. In this study, I investigated Wikipedia\u27s personal communication network and analyzed which Wikipedia editors are utilizing it and how they are connected to outcome quality. Evidence suggests that people who utilize these networks are more experienced in editing high quality articles and are more integrated in the community. Additionally, these individuals utilize the personal communication network for coordinating and perhaps mentoring editors who edit lower quality articles. The value of these networks is demonstrated by the characteristics of the users who use them. These findings indicate that designers of online collaborative projects can help improve the quality of outcomes in these projects by deciding to implement a personal communication network in their communities
Open source, collectivism, and Japanese society
This paper is about collectivism in the Network Society. Many\ud
researches about the Network Society evaluate collectivism, citing Japanese\ud
culture and Hacker culture as good models of such collectivism. However, some\ud
researchers, such as K. Abe in his analysis of “Seken,” criticize Japanese\ud
collectivism. Abe’s study pointed out the negative effect of Japanese collectivism\ud
on scientific progress. This paper will criticize Abe’s study and offer a new model\ud
for evaluating collectivism, which has previously been evaluated in earlier studies\ud
about the Network Society. First this paper introduces the previous studies and\ud
considers a model of communication in the Network Society. Then this paper\ud
considers the results of a survey of Japanese engineers in order to test the validity\ud
and shortcomings of this model
Research Agenda for Studying Open Source II: View Through the Lens of Referent Discipline Theories
In a companion paper [Niederman et al., 2006] we presented a multi-level research agenda for studying information systems using open source software. This paper examines open source in terms of MIS and referent discipline theories that are the base needed for rigorous study of the research agenda
The nature of virtual communities
The impressive development of electronic communication techniques has given rise to virtual\ud
communities. The nature of these computer-mediated communities has been the subject of much recent\ud
debate. Are they ordinary social groups in electronic form, or are they fundamentally different from\ud
traditional communities? Understanding virtual communities seems a prerequisite for the design of better\ud
communication systems. To clarify this debate, we will resort to the classical sociological distinction\ud
between small traditional communities (based on personal relations) and modern social groups (bound by\ud
looser, more impersonal links). We will argue that the discussion about virtual communities is often\ud
vitiated by a simplistic assimilation to traditional communities, whereas they may be in fact quite different\ud
and much more impersonal. Virtual communities are often bound by reference to common objects or\ud
goals, and not by personal relations. In this respect, virtual communities are just another example of a\ud
long-term evolution of modern society toward more abstract social relationships
The Information Commons: a public policy report
This report describes the history of the information commons, presents examples of online commons that provide new ways to store and deliver information, and concludes with policy recommendations. Available in PDF and HTML versions.BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE at NYU SCHOOL OF LAW
Democracy Program, Free Expression Policy Project
161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor New York NY 10013
Phone: (212) 998-6730 Web site: www.brennancenter.org
Free Expression Policy Project: www.fepproject.or
Piensa globalmente, actĂşa localmente: mapeo de la cultura libre en un sistema mediático hĂbrido
From the nineties, the Internet has been providing new political hybrid action forms. At the
same time, some communities make a disruptive use of technologies aiming to subvert
network power relationships at the current capitalized and centralized cyberspace.
Addressing a collaborative mapping, we identified 290 free culture communities in
Spain. Their characteristics suggest the relevance of offline spaces and local areas to
deliberate, propose and perform political participation towards a neutral, centralised
and free Internet.Desde los años noventa, el ciberespacio ha propuesto formas acciĂłn polĂtica hĂbrida.
Asimismo, algunos colectivos realizan un uso disruptivo de las tecnologĂas para subvertir las
relaciones de poder en la Red. Mediante un mapeo colaborativo, identificamos 290 grupos
relacionados con la cultura libre en España. Sus caracterĂsticas sugieren la relevancia de los
espacios offline y de los territorios locales para deliberar y activarse polĂticamente a favor
de un Internet libre
The Information Commons: a public policy report
This report describes the history of the information commons, presents examples of online commons that provide new ways to store and deliver information, and concludes with policy recommendations. Available in PDF and HTML versions.BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE at NYU SCHOOL OF LAW
Democracy Program, Free Expression Policy Project
161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor New York NY 10013
Phone: (212) 998-6730 Web site: www.brennancenter.org
Free Expression Policy Project: www.fepproject.or
Social Software, Groups, and Governance
Formal groups play an important role in the law. Informal groups largely lie outside it. Should the law be more attentive to informal groups? The paper argues that this and related questions are appearing more frequently as a number of computer technologies, which I collect under the heading social software, increase the salience of groups. In turn, that salience raises important questions about both the significance and the benefits of informal groups. The paper suggests that there may be important social benefits associated with informal groups, and that the law should move towards a framework for encouraging and recognizing them. Such a framework may be organized along three dimensions by which groups arise and sustain themselves: regulating places, things, and stories
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