Communities and PortalsCorporate PortalsThe traditional approachThe potential of corporate portalsElementsShared Information Work SpaceTheoretical basisBehavioral-Ecological frameworkInformation EcologyInformation behaviorsValue-added processesCommunitiesMajor Community ThemesBenefitsSlide 15Slide 16CostsInternet CommunitiesA punctuated discourse model of CMCChronological awareness toolsMotivations for participation in virtual communitiesCriteria for successful virtual cooperative interactionsSlide 23Communities and PortalsLan ZhangSchool of InformationUniversity of Texas at AustinCorporate PortalsCorporate portals Are single-point Web browser interfaces used within organizations to promote the gathering, sharing, and dissemination of the information throughout the enterprise. Offers organizational users the ability to access a wide variety of information sources directly from the desktop.(Detlor, 2000)The traditional approachData-driven Ignores the information needs and practices of usersMay have usability problemsPoor navigationInappropriate display of informationThe potential of corporate portals“By focusing on user information practice and the contexts in which information is utilized, system developers can provide richer and more robust corporate portals that function as infrastructures for the creation, sharing, and re-use of information throughout the firm.”ElementsAn enterprise taxonomy or classification of information categoriesA search engineLinks to both internal and external Web sites and information sources.Advanced features include Access to work group productivity tools, such as e-mail, calendar, etc.Shared Information Work SpaceA content spaceFacilitates information access and retrievalA communication spaceNegotiates collective interpretations and shared meaningsA coordination spaceSupports cooperative work actionTheoretical basisEmphasis on people, the usersInformation seeking vs. information retrievalTaylor’s value-added model and Information use environment (IUE)Environment settingsSets of people in these settingsProblems Problem resolutionsInformation EcologyHow users operate in their information environment Focus on people and information behaviorBehavioral-Ecological frameworkThe information ecology of the organizationThe information behaviors of usersThe value-added processes within a portalInformation EcologyAnalyzing an organization’s information ecologyOrganizational missionCorporate portal goalsInformation management plansInformation cultureInformation politicsPhysical settingInformation staffInformation handlingInformation behaviorsRefer to the practices of individuals and groups as they go about obtaining and using information to resolve their work-related problem situations.Who are the users?Structure of the problem situations?How users seek and prefer information?Value-added processesDirectly support the information behaviors of usersFit or improve the organization’s information ecologyIncorporate functions and features which enhance the potential usefulness of information to users.CommunitiesInternet Communitiesthe gathering of people, in an online "space" where they come, communicate, connect, and get to know each other better over time. Communities of Practice (CoPs)“A flexible group of professionals, informally bound by common interests, who interact through interdependent tasks guided by a common purpose thereby embodying a store of common knowledge.” (Jubert, 1999)Major Community Themes Development pathMembershipActivitiesOrganizational supportValueBenefitsIndividual benefitsImproved reputationA better understanding of othersIncreased level of trustFamiliar and supportive environmentIncreased access to experts and valuable information sourcesBenefitsCommunity benefitsIncreased idea creationIncreased quality of knowledge and advice, problem solving, and creating a common contextBenefitsOrganizational benefitsSuccessfully executed projectsIncreased new business, and product innovationTime savingCostsTechnology investmentParticipation time for community membersMeeting and conference expensesContent publishing expensesPromotional expensesInternet CommunitiesComputer mediated communication (CMC)How agents interface to the networkHow discourse occurs within communityHow resources are discovered and accessedA punctuated discourse model of CMCTimesOrigination timeDiscovery timeResponse timeResponse discovery timeAwarenessExtensional awarenessIntensional awarenessResource awarenessChronological awarenessChronological awareness toolsCHRONOWebWatchKatipoURL-MinderMotivations for participation in virtual communitiesTo gain positive self-imageContribution as an investment in social powerName recognition from peersCriteria for successful virtual cooperative interactionsEstablishment of resource awareness for initial encounterEstablishment of mutual awareness as a feedback loop for continual virtual cooperative interactionsCompatibility between the expected and the actual time cycles of virtual cooperative interactionsProperly situated expectations of fairness in terms of collective social exchangeAccumulation of positive feedback for reinforcements in virtual cooperative interactions.Detlor, B. (2000). The corporate portal as information infrastructure: Towards a framework for portal design. International Journal of Information Management, 20(2), 91-101. Jubert, A., “Developing an infrastructure for communities of practice: the Siemens experience,” Online Information 99 Proceedings, Hinksley Hill, Learned Information Europe, 1999, pp. 165 - 168.Lee, L.& Gaines, B. (1996) Knowledge Acquisition Processes in Internet Communities. Proceedings of the 10th Knowledge Acquisition Workshops, Banff, Canada November 9-14, 1996 McDonald, David & Ackerman, Mark. (2000) Expertise Recommender: A Flexible Recommendation System and Architecture. Proceedings of CSCW'00. ACM Press. Millen, D., Fontaine, M., Muller, M. (2002) Understanding the Benefit and Costs of Communities of Practice. Communications of the ACM. 45(4), 69-73. ACM