IT Applications Theory Slideshows By Mark Kelly Vceit.com Online community & their tools

People who work together or socialise because they share an interest. They use ICT* tools to assist with: collaboration knowledge sharing collective identity What is an Online community? *Information and Communication Technologies

Community Types Social Work-based Project/interest-based Open – anyone can access material on the site Closed – registration or membership is required to enter the site (Most sites have some open content and some closed content)

Online Community Characteristics Shared interest Desire to share information, ideas on that interest Cooperative Members may be widely-separated geographically Can be broad cultural differences between members

Characteristics Members often speak different languages, and come from different cultures – May lead to misunderstandings or difficulties with understanding accents or local slang Translation is not always easy or accurate …

Needs of online communities Security – to keep out vandals, enemies Public access – to spread their interests Privacy - e.g. using avatars, nicknames Sharing information & resources Ego – a way to earn recognition for skill Socialising A way to be heard Making community decisions Participating in projects

These needs affect their sites Some sites are heavily secured, closed sites Some are open to all visitors More or fewer info sharing tools (e.g. Wikis, forums) depending on what their aims are.

Tool categories: - Synchronous (in real time, e.g. live chat, phone call, videoconference) - Asynchronous (not in real time, e.g. , web forum) Common online tools

Synchronous good! Immediate, good for emergencies Issues sorted quickly

Synchronous bad! Has to be attended to immediately. Disrupts other tasks. Hard to coordinate a good time for both parties to talk (especially if in different time zones) Instant responses or decisions may be required: it can result in poorly-thought out or badly-worded or impulsive and regrettable comments.

Asynchronous good! Can spend time contemplating a response and carefully crafting a reply. Can collect and deal with a message when it's convenient for you.

Asynchronous bad May be a considerable time lag between sending a message and getting a reply. Unable to do quick follow-up questions as you can with real-time communications. Discussions may take a lot of slow back-and- forth correspondence Lacks a ‘human touch’ – not good for team solidarity or seeing colleagues as real people.

Common Tools mailing lists web forumsSocial networking Live chatinstant messaging web sitesblogs networked databasesshared calendars project management toolsWikis Content-management systemsWhat do these do?

The right tool No one tool is perfect for everything- need a selection. Synchronous tools need people to be available at the same time, regardless of time zone Visual tools allow extra non-verbal information e.g. facial expressions, body language allows attachments and time to reflect and compose a thoughtful reply, but lacks subtle non-verbal cues

Security Encrypted documents SSL (secure websites) Virtual Private Networks (VPN - secure internet channels) Virus / malware / trojan / spam filters

Online communities may need 1. Shared Access to Data / Files A secure place for storing data, documents, discussion threads etc so members can access the shared data, and add to it or edit it. Different privileges for different members, depending on their status or data needs.

Building Social Engagement Blogs and Instant Messaging Systems display the real-time presence of others Enable real time discussions Help build community solidarity via spontaneous face-to-face teamwork.

By Mark Kelly vceit.com These slideshows may be freely used, modified or distributed by teachers and students anywhere on the planet (but not elsewhere). They may NOT be sold. They must NOT be redistributed if you modify them. IT APPLICATIONS SLIDESHOWS