Sense of Community and Political Mobilization in Virtual Communities: The Role of Dispositional and Situational Variables

This paper explores the psychological processes that connect virtual communities to political behavior. Drawing on previous findings in political psychology, I argue that the psychological sense of community may be an important mechanism that dictates people’s behavioral responses toward incoming information or mobilization pressure in the online environment. I then discuss the role of different dispositional and situational variables in: a) contributing to the formation of sense of community in the virtual world, and b) serving as potential moderators to influence the strength of virtual sense of community and its subsequent impact on individuals’ political behavior. Finally, I consider the methodological approaches that may be used as well as the theoretical implications for future research in this area

Online Forums as an Arena for Political Discussions: What Politicians and Activists can Learn from Teachers

This paper discusses the use of online discussion forums in various “e-democratic” practices in light of the lessons learned from the field of education. Informed by a conceptual framework drawn from the role of public sphere in electronic democracy and the ideal learning conditions of a computer-mediated communication environment, the author analyzed two discussion forums maintained by a government and a civil society group. Results suggest that, in both cases, online discussion forums only reflect a few elements of effective online learning and therefore, have yet to reach their full potentials. Implications for future research are discussed

Public service in the information age: A study of e-government in Taiwan

This article reviews the literature on e-government and discusses policy implications stemming from e-government initiatives in Taiwan. Drawing from evaluation frameworks established in previous research, this study surveys the content of 62 websites maintained by the local, secondary and central government. Study findings suggest that, while Taiwan has made significant progress in deploying e-government initiatives across different administrative levels-especially in delivering a single service window model providing one-stop service for citizens and businesses-the technology\u27s overall implementation is hampered by operational inconsistencies at the local level and differential access across the population. The article argues that to fully realise the potential of e-government, the Taiwanese government should adopt systematic measures that reach beyond service delivery to encourage wider citizen inclusion and civic participation

Strong-Tie Social Connections Versus Weak-Tie Social Connections

Discussions regarding the strength of social ties relate to social capital theory. As Robert Putnam describes it, social capital theory suggests that social networks have value at the micro (individual), meso (community), and macro (societal) levels. An individual\u27s social network is comprised of multiple, multiplex social ties of varying strengths. Strong ties exist among individuals connected within densely knit, homogenous networks such as those involving kin and close friends. Weak ties exist among individuals connected within sparse, heterogeneous networks such as those involving acquaintances

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing refers to the application of traditional word-of-mouth marketing to the online environment. Originally developed by Steve Jurvetson and Tim Draper in 1997, the term is used to describe online techniques designed to generate peer-to-peer conversation and buzz about a company, brand, product, or service. A message that contains something of value or appeal is diffused throughout members of a given social network, and ideally across networks, in an exponential fashion, much like the spread of a virus in medical parlance. The rapid adoption of digital and social media tools by politicians has led to an increased visibility and impact of viral marketing efforts in political campaigns, particularly since the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. Common viral marketing techniques include, but are not limited to, a systematic and strategic deployment of viral e-mail messages, You Tube videos, blogs, microblogs (such as Twitter), social networking Web sites, podcasts, online games, and text messages

Changes in the Protein Profile of Streptomyces griseus during a Cycloheximide Fermentation

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75202/1/j.1749-6632.1987.tb23846.x.pd

The Paradox of Public Diplomacy on the Web: An Empirical Analysis on Interactivity and Narratives of Nation-States\u27 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web Sites

Against the backdrop of Habermas’ theory of communicative action, we empirically analyzed the level of interactivity and narratives offered in nation-states’ ministry of foreign affairs Web sites. A multiple regression analysis was performed in an attempt to identify factors affecting the level of interactivity in such Web sites. Findings revealed that the level of economic development is the sole significant factor in regards to the level of interactivity. Further, self-interested, goal-directed, and strategic purposes behind the allegedly transparent, engaging, and interactive public diplomacy were evidenced through a critical analysis of the objectives, key issues, and target publics addressed and highlighted in the public diplomacy narratives on the Web. The results suggested a possible digital divide in the interactive adoption of Web public diplomacy as well as strategic motives and interests embedded in the public diplomacy communication on the Web. This study helps increase our understanding of the paradox of public diplomacy in the digital age

Media Versus Individual Frames and Horizontal Knowledge Gaps: A Study of the 2010 Health Care Reform Debate Online

This study explores the relationship between online news coverage, media use, and political knowledge in the contemporary media environment. Using the debate over health care reform legislation in 2010 as the backdrop, content analysis was performed on 1,268 stories from 10 online news outlets over a 1-month period to identify the media frames being perpetuated by more ideologically partisan versus nonpartisan media organizations. A survey was then conducted with 333 participants to investigate media audience news consumption patterns and their individual frames regarding the issue of health care reform. Results suggest that a person’s individual frames held concerning health care reform often match up with the media frames offered by his or her preferred news outlets. Consequently, a “horizontal” knowledge gap may be observed as a function of the polarization of news coverage and news consumption. Theoretical contributions and implications for later work are discussed

Morphing content in mobile applications

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2009.Includes bibliographical references.Smart phones are quickly becoming an integral part of our everyday lives. However, the mobile industry is still young, and the full potential of mobile phones has yet to be tapped. In this thesis, I present the design of a new mobile "super-application" called MobileHelp that aims to push the boundaries of how smart phones can make people's lives easier. MobileHelp uses Bayesian inference to determine a user's current purpose. Then, it suggests applications the user may want to use, offers deals and discounts for relevant nearby businesses, shows information about nearby friends and their statuses, and present search results for relevant queries. The power of MobileHelp is that it does all this without actively querying the user for information. It can use past information to make an accurate guess at the user's current purpose, which, if wrong, can be corrected by the user and learned from. I discuss how such a system is conceptually designed and then go into the details of how it could be implemented on the Android platform. The purpose of this thesis is to lay out the framework for a context-aware mobile application that can be implemented as a first-stage demonstration for France Telecom/Orange.by Kevin Y. Wang.M.Eng