Workshop 2: Places for Virtual Communities Presented by: June Ling, S’ng 10011777 Li Ying, Lim 10011498 Wee Leng, Lee 10012464 Wei Yoke, Tan 00126021 Yin Wan, Chin 00125649

Outline Introduction Virtual Communities Characteristic Computer Mediated Communication Asynchronous CMC Synchronous CMC Collaborative Mode Conclusion

Introduction Definition for “Places” “The particular portion of space occupied by or allocated to a person or thing.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Definition for “Virtual Communities” “A group of people who may or may not meet one another face-to-face, and who exchange words and ideas through the mediation of computer bulletin boards and networks.” - Rheingold, H. (1993).

Virtual Communities’ Characteristic Shared interests Shared values Caring and nurturing discourse A moral voice Interactive information exchange that takes into account previous communications A common meeting place More than two communicators

Does anyone know what is CMC?

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Human communication via computer Emphasis on interaction between humans using computer to connect with one other Focus on text based communication CMC software has 3 categories: Asynchronous Synchronous Collaborative

Asynchronous CMC Communication which takes place at different time or over a certain period of time. Types of Asynchronous: Email List Server Bulletin Board System Computer Conferencing Newsgroup Voice Mail

Email Allows users to send and receive messages in an electronic Mailbox Types of information-text, multimedia data files Advantages 24 hour accessibility from multiple locations Cost effective Fast and worldwide communication tool Disadvantages Junk mail Risk of virus transmission

List Server A list server is basically an E-mail list where users can contact others who are on the same E-mail list. Example: ListServ (http://www.lsoft.com/) Advantages Can communicate with large numbers of people with ease. Communication between users with common interest Disadvantages extensive list server activities can flood mailboxes easily.

Bulletin Board System moderated discussion board Provide accessible electronic discussion forum to anyone on the World Wide Web (www). Example: UTS Discussion Board Advantages Keep track of discussion Allow sharing information/common interest Disadvantages Offline application is not available

Computer Conferencing A form of electronic communication, where people communicate with each other using a computer network to transmit text between them Example: Microsoft Outlook Advantages Flexibility of meeting Able to skip irrelevant discussion Disadvantages Need same software

Newsgroup A discussion forum for particular subject consists of written notes to a central internet site and redistributed through Usenet Example: Usenet (found in DejaNews) Advantages Discussion content can remain focused Governed by netiquette Disadvantages Usually not moderated Normally is quite contentious

Voice Mail An interactive computerized system for answering and routing telephone calls, for recording, saving and relaying messages. Example: Optus Voice Mail Service Advantages voice recording allows longer messages ability to leave detailed, private messages Disadvantages Might have difficulty in defining messages

Synchronous CMC requires users to exchange information at the same time, on the same “channel” of communication. Types of synchronous Chatting system / Instant messages Broadcast Video conferencing

Chatting / Instant Messages A synchronized communication between people at the same time and typing messages to each other Example: ICQ, IRC Advantages Real time conversation Traceable conversation history Disadvantages Ambiguous identity Difficulty with inexperience user

Broadcast Transmission of radio / television program for public and general use. Example: RealPlayer Advantages Usually free to customers Up-to-date information Disadvantages Expensive set up & maintenance fees

Video Conferencing Discussion between groups of people at different places being able to see and hear each other Pictures and sounds are carried by the telecommunication network. Examples: POTS, LAN. Advantages Able to deliver information rapidly Increased access to global market Disadvantages Bandwidth limited Incompatible information transmitted will corrupt easily affecting viewing

Collaborative Tools such as textual chats, white boards, shared editors and video conferences allow distributed team members to work in groups, forming virtual teams. Team members interact with each others using different modes of communication – asynchronous / synchronous, unicast, broadcast or multicast. Examples: TeamWave, LiveNet

Conclusion The advances features of SCMC and ACMC have allowed virtual communications to become more efficient and effective. What do you think is the future of CMC? ~ Thank you ~

References Technologies for Computer-Mediated Asyncronous Communications http://learn.it.uts.edu.au/31606/readings/cmc-1.pdf Technologies for Synchronous Communications http://learn.it.uts.edu.au/31606/readings/cmc-2a.pdf Centralised Environments http://learn.it.uts.edu.au/31606/readings/cmc-2b.pdf Examining the Reflective Outcomes of Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Communication on Inservice Techer Development http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/hawkesm/documents/JTATE.pdf