Information exchange in virtual communities: a typology
While there is wide agreement that virtual communities - and other phenomena utilizing CMC technologies - have the capability to provide both interpersonal and informational interactions, the degree to which they can be seen as specifically information-oriented social spaces has been open to some qu...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Borås
2000-01-01
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| Series: | Information Research: An International Electronic Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://informationr.net/ir/5-4/paper82.html |
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| Summary: | While there is wide agreement that virtual communities - and other phenomena utilizing CMC technologies - have the capability to provide both interpersonal and informational interactions, the degree to which they can be seen as specifically information-oriented social spaces has been open to some question. Drawing upon theoretical and empirical work that emphasizes an environmental model of human information behaviour, a foundation is developed for a model of information exchange in virtual communities, and a typology of the varieties of information behaviour to be found in virtual communities is proposed. This typology will provide a mechanism for assessing the characteristics of virtual communities in terms of their support for information exchange, and has the potential to enhance our understanding of virtual communities as information environments. |
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| ISSN: | 1368-1613 |