Communities and Portals Lan Zhang School of Information University of Texas at Austin

Corporate Portals Corporate 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 approach Data-driven Ignores the information needs and practices of users May have usability problems Poor navigation Inappropriate display of information

The 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.”

Elements An enterprise taxonomy or classification of information categories A search engine Links to both internal and external Web sites and information sources. Advanced features include Access to work group productivity tools, such as , calendar, etc.

Shared Information Work Space A content space Facilitates information access and retrieval A communication space Negotiates collective interpretations and shared meanings A coordination space Supports cooperative work action

Theoretical basis Emphasis on people, the users Information seeking vs. information retrieval Taylor’s value-added model and Information use environment (IUE) Environment settings Sets of people in these settings Problems Problem resolutions Information Ecology How users operate in their information environment Focus on people and information behavior

Behavioral-Ecological framework The information ecology of the organization The information behaviors of users The value-added processes within a portal

Information Ecology Analyzing an organization’s information ecology Organizational mission Corporate portal goals Information management plans Information culture Information politics Physical setting Information staff Information handling

Information behaviors Refer 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 processes Directly support the information behaviors of users Fit or improve the organization’s information ecology Incorporate functions and features which enhance the potential usefulness of information to users.

Communities Internet Communities the 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 path Membership Activities Organizational support Value

Benefits Individual benefits Improved reputation A better understanding of others Increased level of trust Familiar and supportive environment Increased access to experts and valuable information sources

Benefits Community benefits Increased idea creation Increased quality of knowledge and advice, problem solving, and creating a common context

Benefits Organizational benefits Successfully executed projects Increased new business, and product innovation Time saving

Costs Technology investment Participation time for community members Meeting and conference expenses Content publishing expenses Promotional expenses

Internet Communities Computer mediated communication (CMC) How agents interface to the network How discourse occurs within community How resources are discovered and accessed

A punctuated discourse model of CMC Times Origination time Discovery time Response time Response discovery time Awareness Extensional awareness Intensional awareness Resource awareness Chronological awareness

Chronological awareness tools CHRONO WebWatch Katipo URL-Minder

Motivations for participation in virtual communities To gain positive self-image Contribution as an investment in social power Name recognition from peers

Criteria for successful virtual cooperative interactions Establishment of resource awareness for initial encounter Establishment of mutual awareness as a feedback loop for continual virtual cooperative interactions Compatibility between the expected and the actual time cycles of virtual cooperative interactions Properly situated expectations of fairness in terms of collective social exchange Accumulation 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), The corporate portal as information infrastructure Jubert, A., “Developing an infrastructure for communities of practice: the Siemens experience,” Online Information 99 Proceedings, Hinksley Hill, Learned Information Europe, 1999, pp Lee, L.& Gaines, B. (1996) Knowledge Acquisition Processes in Internet Communities. Proceedings of the 10th Knowledge Acquisition Workshops, Banff, Canada November 9-14, 1996Knowledge Acquisition Processes in Internet Communities McDonald, David & Ackerman, Mark. (2000) Expertise Recommender: A Flexible Recommendation System and Architecture. Proceedings of CSCW'00. ACM Press. Expertise Recommender: A Flexible Recommendation System and Architecture. Millen, D., Fontaine, M., Muller, M. (2002) Understanding the Benefit and Costs of Communities of Practice. Communications of the ACM. 45(4), ACM Press.Understanding the Benefit and Costs of Communities of Practice