One way to strengthen the bond between popular applications and their online user communities is to integrate the applications with their communities, so users are able to observe and communicate with other users. The result of this integration is a Multiuser Online Application (MOA). The problem studied in this thesis is that MOA users and systems will be overloaded with information generated by large communities and complex applications. The solution investigated was to filter the amount of information delivered to users while attempting to preserve the benefits of dwelling in a MOA environment. This strategy was evaluated according to the amount of information it was capable of reducing and the effects as seen by MOA users. It was found that filtering could be used to substantially reduce the information exchanged by users while still providing users with the benefits of integrating application and community.

Content Management Systems (CMSs) are widely used to create online communities supporting organizations, classes, and groups. These communities provide various functionalities, e.g. discussion forums, shared repositories for documents and links, collaborative spaces, and different communication channels, like chat or instant messaging. Often the range of functionalities offered is unnecessarily rich, and some remain unused, leading to cluttered users workspaces and difficulties in finding information. Currently, communities that are developed with CMS do not allow user customization. Even for the community owner (e.g. a teacher, a group manager), it is hard to customize the functionality and interface of a community, because this requires some programming skills. I have designed new CMS allowing users of an online community (both owners and regular users) to design and configure their personal view of the communitys dashboard by adding the functionalities that are present in the communitys homepage and arranging them on the screen according to their preferences.

This thesis deals with online dating sites. An online dating site is an Internet site with the main objective to mediate between singles. It is a relay service, or dating service, not so different from the services long offered by the contact ads. The main difference is the agency over the Internet. The online dating sites in the sample are: E-kontakt; Match; and Mötesplatsen. The aim has been to clarify the structure of online dating sites. In concrete terms, it was about to discern patterns that can be interpreted as peculiar and common to play on online dating sites. By extension, it was about creating a better understanding of the service offered in the form of various search engines and other tools to find the big love. The thesis overall aim got manageable by three questions: 1) What is the usual treatment of unregistered visitors? 2) What features are offered to registered users? And, 3) what tools are provided to find a date? The thesis used two theoretical standpoints: the modified version of Al Cooper’s Triple-A Engine, which can be found in Christian Daneback’s thesis Love and sexuality on the internet from 2006; and Zygmunt Bauman: Liquid modernity from 2000 and Liquid love: On the frailty of human bonds from 2003. The empirical data was collected by an ethnographic approach. I used and took note of some of the services offered on the Internet sites I had intended to study. The reason is that many online dating sites require registration. The empirical data were analyzed with an analytical method developed by Malin Sveningsson, Mia Lövheim & Magnus Bergquist: Att fånga nätet: Kvalitativa metoder för internetforskning from 2003. The results landed in three answers: 1) The standard treatment is that online dating sites allow unregistered visitors to take part of the basal parts of the Internet sites features, but prevents non-registered visitors from contacting registered users. 2) Online dating sites offer three basic features for registered users: tools to a/ create a personal profile; b/ make contact; and c/ maintain a long-term relationship. 3) Online dating sites offer three basic tools that will facilitate the outreach of dating: a/ simple search engine; b/ advanced search engine; and c/ matchmaking functions. The overall result should be that online dating sites present both opportunities and constraints for users looking for love on the Internet.

Institutions of higher education are harnessing the communication ability of the Internet to offer classes and academic degree programs. This study investigated adult students during their first semester in a distance delivered doctoral program. The purpose of the study was to examine the use of web-based communication tools and their ability to establish a community of practice enabling the new students to share solutions related to distance doctoral study. This case study included the entire cohort of a distance delivered Ed.D. in Agricultural Education administered jointly by Texas Tech and Texas A&M Universities. Data collection methods included a semi-structured telephone interview, containing an adapted Sense of Community Index and postings on a Wiki (editable web page). Data analysis produced a participants’ profile and their use of web-based communication tools. This study found that (a) a variety of web-based tools enabled the students to connect with their cohort on a routine basis, (b) it is possible to establish a community of practice using a variety of web-based communication tools, (c) after one semester the cohort is an embryonic community of practice (d) the students were able to assist each other with concerns that helped them acclimate to learning online and their doctoral program, (e) students appreciate the flexibility that distance education offers but some prefer a traditional education, (f) students were frustrated with the technology during the first few weeks of their program, (g) new doctoral students desire instruction in the use of the course management system, the online library, and scholarly writing, (h) the students feel a strong sense of community, (i) use of web-based communication tools are vital as they assist in the student’s learning, (j) students felt isolated from their cohort until they participated in a group project even though they had the use of web-based communication tools at their disposal. The results of this study suggest that opportunities for students to engage socially with their peers should be built into the design of online classes and degree programs. Future research is recommended to examine the sustainability and desirability of virtual communities of practice.

This qualitative study was designed to investigate the changes that occurred in the lives of women as a result of earning a fully online master’s degree. Eighteen women were asked to describe why they chose to earn an online degree, what barriers they faced in trying to gain an education and advance professionally, how their lives changed as a result of earning the degree, and whether the outcomes met or surpassed their expectations. Constant comparative and narrative analysis of interview data revealed that women who overcame barriers and resistance to their pursuit of education experienced a range of benefits from earning the online degree. Benefits encompassed personal gains in self-confidence, respect, the strength to be a role model, and professional gains such as new career opportunities, connectedness in a professional community, and credibility among peers. Participants reported the online environment uniquely connected them to a more diverse group of peers, provided greater access to instructors and peers, offered highly valued anonymity, introduced them to a more engaged form of learning, and created a safe learning environment. Online learning emphasized students’ writing, reflection, articulation, timely feedback from the facilitator, caring and respect for students, and effective communication. Participants shared that earning the degree had a “domino effect” that led others to emulate their behavior, and some experienced relationship changes. Significantly, several of the women had a transformational learning experience that included: (1) an unexpected discovery leading to heightened personal awareness that resulted from the learning experience; (2) an openness to change and the process of becoming; (3) a willingness to overcome internal or external resistance in order to redefine self; and (4) a retrospective affirmation of altered personality and identity. Participants suggested women still face discrimination in their professional lives, making advanced degrees more critical for women. They recommended that institutions of higher education provide more advanced online degree programs for the benefit of women who have a variety of other demands placed on their lives as they strive to attain their personal and professional goals. Implications and recommendations for future research and policy changes are provided.

A literature review on the potential of computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a medium for conducting psychotherapy via the Internet revealed that CMC may mediate interpersonally rich interactions if participants are allowed sufficient time and repeated opportunities (anticipate future communications) to exchange information and build relationships. To examine the extent to which the process of online therapy resembles face-to-face therapy, online therapy transcripts were examined through a molecular approach and the results were compared to the extant, psychotherapy processes literature. The participants were six dyads formed by college graduate students enrolled in a clinical practicum course and their online adolescent clients. The clients were highschool freshmen and sophomores referred by their school counselors through the Gulf Coast GEAR UP Partnership Project. Trained undergraduate psychology majors coded therapist and client online behavior according to two well established and validated coding methods, the Helping Skills System (HSS) and the Client Behavior System (CBS; Hill & O’Brien, 1999). Although levels of client overall output (grammatical units) remained fairly constant throughout the course of therapy, the ratio of productive to non-productive output per session increased as a function of number of sessions. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) methodology, the results revealed that therapist facilitating skills (approval and reassurance, restatements and rephrasing, and reflection of feelings) predicted higher client productive output, whereas interpretations and informative statements predicted lower client productive output. The results confirmed that online therapy can lead to productive therapist-client interactions and that the associations between these interactions are similar to the associations found in faceto- face therapy interactions.

Due to a rapid expansion of commercial usage on the Internet, on-line auction is showing its growing potential and economic benefit on business competition.¡@On-line auction is a totally new consuming experience for most people. However, though fast and convenient comparing to traditional shopping, social contacts, such as bargaining, are not provided during the process of on-line shopping.Moreover, stereotyped consuming behavior of " seeing is believing" and concerns on Internet security may also be obstacles for many consumers to shop on-line.Through investigating online auction users' expectation ,trying to find influencing factors for users to adopt on-auction shopping.Factors causing users to avoid on-line shopping are also of great interest.¡@Enterprises doing Internet business may find the results of this study useful in their marketing analysis and planning. A web-based questionnaire was employed.Items were grouped into three sections in the questionnaire: on-audtion shopping environment, on-line experience, and demographic information.¡@A total of 1698 questionnaire was collected. The results indicated that male subjects were higher motivated to shop on-line auction than their female counterparts.Subjects with on- line auction shopping experience were found to have significantly higher motivation to shop on-line auction than those without such experience.Security¡@problem of using credit card for payment via Internet still is the most concerns for many subjects. Provision of detail information regarding product description and procedures for making order, as well as a comprehensive after-sell service may largely encourage web users adopting on-line auction shopping.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis--University of Maryland. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-110).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, 1984. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-146).