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La thèse s’inscrit dans une visée psycho-ergonomique et s’intéresse au bien-être des individus au travail. L’étude s’intéresse aux échanges entre professionnels en difficulté sur les forums et cherche à comprendre ce qu’ils peuvent apporter aux participants. La thèse principale défendue est que ces échanges ont à la fois une fonction de soutien psychologique et d’acquisition de connaissances. Trois études ont été réalisées sur deux forums pour professionnels de l’éducation. La première étude met en évidence, à l’aide d’une enquête en ligne, huit types de motivations à s’engager sur un forum de professionnels. La deuxième étude vise à identifier la nature des interactions et la dynamique des échanges. Treize discussions ont été finement analysées. Les résultats mettent en évidence des caractéristiques propres aux messages des initiateurs et des réactants. L’étude de l’évolution des échanges révèle trois dynamiques : l’élaboration de sens, de recherche de solutions concrètes et de soutien émotionnel. La troisième étude cherche à explorer le vécu subjectif des participants au moment des échanges sur le forum. Des entretiens d’auto-confrontations avec relances d’entretien d’explicitation ont été menés avec neuf participants aux discussions analysées précédemment, à partir des traces écrites des discussions. On peut observer des décalages entre ce que les participants partagent dans leurs messages et ce qu’ils expriment avoir vécu (en entretien) notamment au niveau des émotions, des attentes et des évaluations du soutien. De plus, les participants craignent que leur anonymat soit levé et censurent certaines informations afin d’éviter d’éventuelles répercussions. / The study focuses on interactions on online forums involving professionals faced with issues in their work, and aims to understand what it is that forums may provide to their participants. The thesis we defend here is that these interactions aim both to provide psychological support to professionals, and to help these professionals acquire knowledge. Three studies were carried out on two discussion forums intended for professionals in the field of education.The first study highlights eight types of motivation for getting involved in a forum for professionals with an online survey. The second study aimed to identify the nature of interactions and the dynamics of interactions. We analysed thirteen discussions. The results highlight the specific characteristics of messages initiators and reactants. The study of the evolution of the interactions highlights three key dynamics: making sense of the situation, searching for concrete solutions, and providing emotional support. The third study aims to explore the subjective experience of participants during exchanges on the forum. We carried out auto-confrontation interviews followed by elicitation interviews with nine participants from the discussions we had analysed previously, based on written traces of these discussions. We observed discrepancies between what the participants share in their messages and the experiences expressed in interviews especially the emotional states, the request for emotional support and the perception of support. Finally, the participants are concerned with their anonymity and censor some information in order to avoid potential repercussions.

In this research, it is suggested that design in text-based virtual worlds can be identified as a series of interactions between users and the virtual environment, and that these interactions for design can be approached using a linguistic perspective. The main assumption of this research is that a parallel can be drawn between the performance of design commands, and the one of speech acts in the physical world. Design in text-based virtual environments can then be articulated using a restricted set of speech acts, as design commands. Virtual worlds, represented as spaces, can be constructed following an architectural design metaphor. This metaphor provides a framework for the organisation of virtual entity relationships, and for the choice of words used to design. A linguistic characterisation is presented, by means of design activities, prototypes and scenarios, which derive from the architectural design metaphor. The characterisation of design is then validated by the analysis of an existing text-based virtual world.

In this research, it is suggested that design in text-based virtual worlds can be identified as a series of interactions between users and the virtual environment, and that these interactions for design can be approached using a linguistic perspective. The main assumption of this research is that a parallel can be drawn between the performance of design commands, and the one of speech acts in the physical world. Design in text-based virtual environments can then be articulated using a restricted set of speech acts, as design commands. Virtual worlds, represented as spaces, can be constructed following an architectural design metaphor. This metaphor provides a framework for the organisation of virtual entity relationships, and for the choice of words used to design. A linguistic characterisation is presented, by means of design activities, prototypes and scenarios, which derive from the architectural design metaphor. The characterisation of design is then validated by the analysis of an existing text-based virtual world.

A thematic analysis was conducted in order to reveal and identify central themes composing the motivational aspects of the popular Let’s Play media phenomenon. Nine informants with various connections to Let’s Plays were interviewed online through the use of a 17-item interview survey developed by the researcher. A total of five major recurring themes were discovered relating to the informants’ motivational reasons for making and viewing Let’s Plays as part of their spare time activities. Based on these discoveries, it can be assumed that the Let’s Play phenomenon contributes to modern-day need fulfillment relating to online socialization, entertainment, technological competence, commercialization and interpersonal relations between the media audience and the media personalities they follow. It was concluded that the Let’s Play phenomenon, and the communities contained within it, holds potential for the future development of videogame industry as a whole as well as being an interesting new arena for media research in general. Implications for further research within the field of Let’s Plays are therefore made in order to ensure the possibility of expanding the scientific knowledge surrounding this media phenomenon.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a estruturação e a manutenção de uma comunidade virtual não-monetária - a Wikipédia lusófona , em consonância com os modelos organizacionais existentes. Com base em um norteamento teórico sobre algumas das mais influentes forças que atuam na sociedade, o trabalho segue de maneira qualitativa utilizando o método do estudo de caso, com o auxílio de observação, entrevistas e questionários como instrumentos de coleta e que foram aplicados aos integrantes e mantenedores da organização, de acordo com uma amostragem qualitativa. Os resultados obtidos indicam evidências de algumas teorias pré-concebidas e suas novas dimensões no contexto do ciberespaço. Há suposições da existência de um opinião pública interna que pode influir no sistema político tradicional. É possível observar uma relação de trocas entre o trabalho do membro da comunidade por necessidades pessoais. Ainda, se sugere que há uma espécie de mercado nessa organização, apesar de não existir intermediação financeira. Outra característica remete ao fato dos membros da comunidade arcarem com os custos transacionais do projeto. Para concluir, se verifica que o trabalho que mantém a organização pode ser uma base para analisar todas os modelos organizacionais em um único feixe teórico. / The aim of this work is to analize the structure and maintance of a non-financial virtual community portuguese language Wikipedia -, in relation to the structure\'s organization already existed. Based on the theoretical direction on one of those most influenced strenghts over the society, the work follows a qualitative way, using the method of case study research, being helped by the observation, interviews and questionaries as collection tool that were applaied on the members and supporters of the organization founded on qualitative sample. The results obtained indicate some evidence of pre-concepted theories and their new dimension on the ciberspace context. It\'s supposed that the public opinion can influence on the tradicional politic system. It\'s possible to observe an exchanging relation between the work of the community member by the personal needs. Than it\'s suggested there is a specific market in this organization although there isn\'t a financial relation. Another caractheristic refers of the fact to the organization\'s members deal with project\'s transation costs.To conclude, it\'s observed that the work which supports the organization can be a base to analyse all the organizations models in a unique theoretical bundle.

Abstract In March 2010, BusinessNext magazine examined Taiwan¡¦s top 100 most popular website, and virtual community websites occupied approximately 25% of the spots. The social networking site ¡§Facebook¡¨ is particularly notable because although it was the first time it entered the rankings, Facebook placed second. Virtual community websites are this year¡¦s most popular type of website. Among 15 to 20 year-olds, network utilization ratios reached as high as 98.3% (BusinessNext, 2010). This majority of this age group studies in high school, and regardless of their course of study, interpersonal relationships, or physical and mental development, this age cohort has an inseparable connection to the Internet. Therefore, we call them the ¡§e-generation¡¨. This research utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its theoretical foundation; TAM predicts that a high-school student¡¦s loneliness will affect that student¡¦s use of virtual community websites. This study utilizes stratified sampling in questionnaire among 500 Kaohsiung high school students from the ages of 15 to 19, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version Three (Russell, 1996) is used in the survey to measure loneliness. Using this methodology, the hope is to confirm the hypothesis that the students¡¦ loneliness is positively linked to their participation in virtual communities. Using SPSS 15.0 for Windows and Amos 7.0 to analyze the survey data and conduct a path analysis for a casual relationship, loneliness has a strong influence on students¡¦ use of virtual community websites, which supports TAM as a theoretical construct. And aims at the different social group type website to implement the AMOS female community the coalition analysis. The data do not show a particular variance in usage among different types of virtual community websites. The implications of this research are helpful to the families, the military, and the managers of virtual community websites, who all benefit from a better understanding of high-school students participation in virtual communities.

Report on a study tour of public library services in the US who are providing first class, cutting edge service to their virtual clients. The study tour was made possible by the award of a Ramsay Reid scholarship from the State Library of Victoria in 2006.

This study examines the dynamics of critical Internet culture after the medium opened to a broader audience in the mid 1990s. The core of the research consists of four case studies of non-profit networks: the Amsterdam community provider, The Digital City (DDS); the early years of the nettime mailinglist community; a history of the European new media arts network Syndicate; and an analysis of the streaming media network Xchange. The research describes the search for sustainable community network models in a climate of hyper growth and increased tensions and conflict concerning moderation and ownership of online communities.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a estruturação e a manutenção de uma comunidade virtual não-monetária - a Wikipédia lusófona , em consonância com os modelos organizacionais existentes. Com base em um norteamento teórico sobre algumas das mais influentes forças que atuam na sociedade, o trabalho segue de maneira qualitativa utilizando o método do estudo de caso, com o auxílio de observação, entrevistas e questionários como instrumentos de coleta e que foram aplicados aos integrantes e mantenedores da organização, de acordo com uma amostragem qualitativa. Os resultados obtidos indicam evidências de algumas teorias pré-concebidas e suas novas dimensões no contexto do ciberespaço. Há suposições da existência de um opinião pública interna que pode influir no sistema político tradicional. É possível observar uma relação de trocas entre o trabalho do membro da comunidade por necessidades pessoais. Ainda, se sugere que há uma espécie de mercado nessa organização, apesar de não existir intermediação financeira. Outra característica remete ao fato dos membros da comunidade arcarem com os custos transacionais do projeto. Para concluir, se verifica que o trabalho que mantém a organização pode ser uma base para analisar todas os modelos organizacionais em um único feixe teórico. / The aim of this work is to analize the structure and maintance of a non-financial virtual community portuguese language Wikipedia -, in relation to the structure\'s organization already existed. Based on the theoretical direction on one of those most influenced strenghts over the society, the work follows a qualitative way, using the method of case study research, being helped by the observation, interviews and questionaries as collection tool that were applaied on the members and supporters of the organization founded on qualitative sample. The results obtained indicate some evidence of pre-concepted theories and their new dimension on the ciberspace context. It\'s supposed that the public opinion can influence on the tradicional politic system. It\'s possible to observe an exchanging relation between the work of the community member by the personal needs. Than it\'s suggested there is a specific market in this organization although there isn\'t a financial relation. Another caractheristic refers of the fact to the organization\'s members deal with project\'s transation costs.To conclude, it\'s observed that the work which supports the organization can be a base to analyse all the organizations models in a unique theoretical bundle.