Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / AENGLISH ABSTRACT: With the advent of the internet a few years ago many online communities have been formed from traditional communities. The ability of a traditional community to transform into an online community depends on the type of interaction that is required by that particular community. Based on the arguments of various critics of the online community, this study will focus on the feasibility of transforming the golfing fraternity from a traditional to an online community. The study project therefore proposes to understand online communities as a subset within the general concept of community. It will be determined if the golfing community that currently falls into the traditional framework is open to create itself into a modern online community. The characteristics of traditional communities include bonding, sharing of information and other items of common interest which is similar for online communities. It is within this objective that the characteristics of online communities and the relationship between traditional and modern communities will be discussed. The first phase was to develop a questionnaire based on desirability and expectations of an online golfing community and for the purposes of this study, the research population comprised of the registered golf members of golf clubs in the Western Province Golf Union (WPGU) in the Western Cape. Furthermore there is within the Western Cape golfing community, possibly scope for a universal understanding of this community as a whole. Golfing communities can be defined through their unique characteristics. Golf communities are traditional communities that have evolved over time. Since modern communities are no longer constrained by geography the question arises whether, golf which has all the characteristics of a traditional community would be able to migrate to a modern online community. From the empirical study it became evident that the current golf community is open to using the internet to gain information on golf. The potential for the success of an online golfing community especially an interactive one in the future is great as the survey results show that the current membership are open to the idea of an online community.FRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Met die koms van die internet 'n paar jaar gelede, is baie aanlyn gemeenskappe vanaf tradisionele gemeenskappe ontwikkel. Die vermoe van tradisionele gemeenskappe om na aanlyn gemeenskappe te verander, is afhanklik van die tipe interaksie wat in daardie spesifieke gemeenskap benodig word. In die lig van 'n literatuurstudie oor die verskillende standpunte oor aanlyn gemeenskappe, is 'n ondersoek gedoen na die aanneemlikheid van die verandering van 'n tradisionele gemeenskap, naamlik die gholf gemeenskap, na 'n aanlyn gemeenskap. Die studie het daarom ten doel om aanlyn gemeenskappe te ondersoek as 'n sub-afdeling van die algemene gemeenskap konsep. Deel van die ondersoek behels die openheid van die gholf gemeenskap, 'n tipiese tradisionele gemeenskap, om 'n moderne virtuele gemeenskap te vorm. Die samestelling van 'n tradisionele gemeenskap beskik oor soortgelyke eienskappe as die van 'n aanlyn gemeenskap soos verbondenheid, die deel van inligting en ander items van gemeenskaplike belang. Dit is die doelwit van hierdie studie om die eienskappe van die aanlyn gemeenskap en die verwantskap tussen tradisionele en aanlyn gemeenskap te bespreek. Die eerste fase, was die ontwikkeling van 'n vraelys met klem op die wenslikheid en behoeftes van 'n aanlyn gholf gemeenskap. Die populasie vir die studie was lede van die Westelike Provinsie Gholf Vereniging (WPGU) in die Wes Kaap. Die data wat ontgin is uit die navorsing van die WPGU kan ook moontlik bydra tot 'n verstaan van die universele gholf gemeenskap in Suid Afrika. Gholf gemeenskappe kan gedefinieer word deur hulle unieke eienskappe. Hulle is tradisionele gemeenskappe wat ontwikkel het deur die jare. Sedert moderne gemeenskappe nie langer geografies beperk is nie moet die vraag gestel word of 'n tradisionele gholf gemeenskap tot 'n moderne aanlyn gemeenskap kan ontwikkel? Uit die literatuurstudie het die duidelik geword dat die huidige gholf gemeenskap oop is vir die gebruik van die internet om inligting oor gholf in te win. In die lig van huidige lede se aanvaarding van aanlyn gemeenskappe lyk die potensiaal en moontlikheid vir die sukses van 'n aanlyn gholf gemeenskap in die toekoms belowend.

Information technology (IT) is empowering consumers, service providers, and inventor teams with superior services. Various IT innovations are enabling diverse groups of people to search, exchange, and learn from information. In healthcare services, the context of the three essays of this dissertation, information resources are often not equally accessible to consumers, not transparent between patients and physicians, and hard to locate across technological domains that may be relevant to the development of breakthrough innovations. Focusing on empowering roles of IT in healthcare services, I develop a three-essay dissertation to study how IT can enable information access to (i) address health inequalities in developing regions of the world, (ii) strengthen the physician-patient relationship where patient trust in the physician has atrophied, and (iii) energize inventor teams in the development of medical device innovations. Essay 1 examines consumers’ awareness and use of mobile health that can empower consumers to access health advice information. Essay 2 investigates how online health consultation communities can empower physicians to build trust with patients, and gain social and economic advantages in competitive healthcare services. Essay 3 studies the role of digital capabilities to empower inventor teams in medical device companies by converting expertise of inventor teams into broad and deep knowledge capital and expanding knowledge production regarding medical device innovations. I adopt a pluralistic approach to collect data (surveys administered in multiple languages for Essay 1, scraping web data from online communities for Essay 2, and constructing a multisource archival panel dataset for Essay 3) and analyze data (multivariate analysis for Essay 1, multilevel modeling and econometrics for Essay 2 and Essay 3). The essays contribute to our understanding about the acceptance of empowering IT innovations, the empowering role of user-generated content in online communities for providers of credence services, and the empowering role of IT for inventor teams of healthcare innovations.

Traditional communications media has been transformed and reshaped with the introduction of the Internet and its technologies. The Internet has massively evolved over time, and the World Wide Web or otherwise referred to as Web 1.0 has developed to what is so called Web 2.0. The explosive diffusion of this global system has fostered the emergence of Web-based communities supported by the existence of globally connected individuals. As both the number of World Wide Web virtual community sites and users has expanded and grown quickly, these communities have become a subject of study to researchers of multiple disciplines. However, sustaining a successful operation of any Web 2.0 community depends on the continuous participation of its own users. It is massively important to maintain committed members in terms of continuous participation. Yet, their level of participation might vary depending on one‘s personal, social, situational, and cultural influences that eventually affect their intentions and behaviour on whether to continue or discontinue participating in that community. Facebook as a particular Web 2.0 community has been used as an exemplary case study in this research reflecting the drivers of its continuous usage in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Moreover, very few studies on Web 2.0 communities covered the Middle East area and more specifically there is almost absence of research in Jordan on how users of Facebook along with their cultural and behavioural influences would continue using this Web 2.0 community or not. Therefore, this study tackles this issue to investigate the influences affecting the continuous participation in these communities This research develops a conceptual framework that can be used as an instrument to guide empirical work in the field of Web 2.0 communities. The empirical context of the research is random Facebook users in Jordan, where data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Results and findings show that Personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control has shown to be all significant and highly influential on affecting users‘ intentions to continue participating on Facebook, perceived behavioural control (i.e. facilitating conditions, controllability) ranked the highest in its significance towards examining users’ intentions to continue participating on Facebook. Followed by the subjective norms (i.e. critical mass, compliance, and informational influences), then ranked the personal attitude (i.e. satisfaction, compatibility). Results have proved that most Facebook users in Jordan do participate on this site in the first place to deliver epistemic value elements, not with a much difference came the social value after, then ranked the hedonic third. The utilitarian value proved to be insignificant by all means, therefore, users intend to continue participating on Facebook despite of the perceived value elements to be delivered. Interestingly, analysis have proved the insignificance of the three cultural dimensions (i.e. masculinity vs. Femininity, individualism vs. Collectivism, and long-term vs. Short-term orientation), therefore, it has not been considered moderating in the framework of this research. Furthermore, the study concludes with specific implications for relevant theories, and useful findings on the individual, organizational, and the societal levels. Additionally, researchers in similar areas can find this work useful as a way to approach new streams in studying participation in Web 2.0 communities.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasing relevant in policy making and governance activities. However, the broad effects of digital governance have not been adequately conceptualised; conflicting assumptions vary from rather optimistic accounts of empowered citizens to even completely dismissing the potential of engagement through technical means. This research attempts to reposition the impact of ICTs on policy making and political communities. Drawing from institutional studies, an integrated perspective is synthesised to guide case investigations in three main directions: (1) the way influences from the institutional environment are understood and balanced locally, (2) the co-evolution of institutional and technological configurations and (3) the dynamic response of institutional actors to the challenge of online engagement. The empirical part focuses on two different contexts (local government authorities and a trade union federation) that cover the holistic objective of this study. The findings inform on the extent to which ICTs are actually merging with existing governance structures. Both studies show that policy making is fundamentally different from other activities at the general intersection of Internet and politics. Citizens form online communities to organise ad hoc around single issue movements. However, this does not necessarily translate into sustainable and meaningful participation in formal politics. Hence, adapting institutional structures emerges as a complicated challenge beyond fitting technical means into existing engagement activities. On this basis, the thesis questions the extent to which policy making mechanisms are able to enact engagement from the grassroots, as for example encouraged by the social media collaboration philosophy. Implications for practice show how the alignment between new tools and the existing norms has the potential to identify paths of least resistance, and then exploit them to accomplish positives changes whose beneficial effects should not be taken for granted.

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between author, text and user-generated modifications in the context of the computer game Civilization 4. These relationships are studied in part by analyzing how the game mechanics have been modified, and in part through analyzing the communication taking place between players of Civilization 4 in the CivFanatics online forums. The study concludes that fans as creators are increasingly leaning on each other and their self-produced accumulated body of knowledge in the generation of new and further changes to the narrative universe, and that the original creators of the game have all but faded from view. This suggests that fan creativity is not situated against or directed at particular authors (original or otherwise), but a community effort quite independent from original intent.

This study seeks to understand ways in which members’ experience a sense of belonging within Sephora’s own commodified community: Beauty Insider. Three research questions are presented, the final one being of highest importance: in which way do members of Beauty Insider experience a sense of belonging? To be able to understand the members, previous research is presented where Muniz & O’Guinn’s (2001) study on Brand Communities is essential, as well as the study conducted by Dholakia et al. (2004) on participation within communities. To better understand what activities members engage in within communities, a theoretical framework based on fan cultures, consumer culture and participatory culture is presented to gain a better understanding of the aspects of a community. This study will approach the research questions mainly using focus group interviews, as well as a necessary description of the discourse content of the platform to better understand the context of the study. The study concludes by presenting a result and an analysis that is, mostly, in line with previous research as well as discovering new aspects of members attitudes towards Beauty Insider and which meaning members experience as a result of participating in different activities within the community.

With the expansion of online communities, extant research in multiple disciplines has attempted to investigate its adoption and use among individuals. However, the biggest challenge encountered by managers of these communities is supplying knowledge, particularly, the willingness to share knowledge among the members. It is extremely important to maintain committed members in terms of active participation. Yet their level of participation might vary based on some social, behavioral and environmental factors that eventually affect their intentions on whether to participate actively or not, in fact some users choose to discontinue participating totally in the community. Cancers figure among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012. The number of new cases is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 2 decades. Among men, the 5 most common sites of cancer diagnosed in 2012 were lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer. According to the world cancer report, among women the 5 most common sites diagnosed were breast, colorectal, lung, cervix, and stomach cancer. For this reason, there is an ever-increasing need to establish communities to offer empathic support to patients. Though peer support groups have been known to offer adequate support to patients with cancer and are considered to be an important complement to the formal health care system, however, practical barriers such as time, mobility and geography limit their use, this is where the online communities serve an advantage, as they have the potential to overcome barriers posed by regular offline communities. To achieve its objectives, this study mainly adopts the Social cognitive theory and two components of the social influence theory. According to the SCT, user behaviour is influenced by two factors: personal cognition and environment. Social influence model postulates that individual behaviour in a community can be affected by the social environment and three factors constitute this, they are compliance, identification and internalization. The study aims to provide insights on how and why patients diagnosed with cancer (and their relatives) seek social support using the Internet and social media. In particular, we seek to understand the motivation for joining these groups and the values derived from the community for the users both active and non-active.

隨著網際網路的蓬勃發展，虛擬網路社群的概念興起，高中圖書館開始應用社群網站的功能特性來拓展圖書館各種服務，讓讀者進行討論、交流，提供更便利的溝通管道與讀者互動。近年來國內外均有高中圖書館應用blog、facebook、plurk、twitter等社群網站建立家族、社團、粉絲專頁，發佈圖書館最新消息、活動公告、相簿與影音等應用程式，而粉絲讀者亦可藉此管道發表意見、增加社群粉絲間互動。 本研究之目的在瞭解國內高中圖書館網路社群之設置與經營之情形，探討讀者利用圖書館網路社群參與推廣服務之經驗，瞭解館員對於應用高中圖書館網路社群行銷服務之看法等，並透過問卷和訪談調查高中圖書館應用網路社群行銷推廣服務，進而歸納建議高中圖書館應用社群網站推展行銷圖書館服務的方向。 本研究透過內容分析法瞭解國內圖書館應用網路社群行銷情形與讀者互動情況；採用問卷調查法分析高中圖書館讀者利用網路社群參與之經驗及對於圖書館應用網路社群的看法，經由Google文件網路問卷的發放，共回收796份有效問卷。最後，並透過訪談探討高中圖書館經營網路社群之困境。 研究結果發現高中圖書館網路社群設置比例偏低、社群功能特性尚未充分發揮，圖書館館員人力資源配置不足、專業背景人才缺乏，facebook的社群互動性較blog、plurk、twitter為高；多數讀者較喜歡瀏覽blog或facebook了解圖書館最新動態，對於圖書館的回應速度與內容表示滿意，但讀者不一定會透過網路社群向圖書館提問。多數館員認為網路社群有助於圖書館服務之行銷，未來圖書館結合虛擬社群平台是時代趨勢；資訊素養影響圖書館網路社群行銷推廣服務品質。 最後建議高中圖書館擴大行銷推廣服務，應用不同行銷模式並增加不同網路社群平台工具，滿足讀者的需求，積極回應讀者的提問。 關鍵字：blog、facebook、plurk、twitter、網路社群、社群網站 / In recent years, both domestic and abroad, high school libraries have used blogs, facebook, plurk, twitter, and other social-networking sites to establish specially designed pages for families, communities, and fans (e.g., Disseminating news, event announcements, photo albums, videos, etc.). Furthermore, fans can also use the channels or sites to express their opinions for the purpose of increasing community interaction among other fans or members. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the settings and operating conditions of the Internet communities within senior high school libraries. Specifically, this study evaluated the experiences of readers who participated in these activities which promoted community services through libraries. In addition, this study evaluated the perceptions of high school librarians about the application of marketing services via the Internet community within high school libraries. Furthermore, the study investigated the efficacy of high school libraries at promoting marketing services through the Internet community. Based on the summarized results of the data, suggestions were made for high school libraries regarding how to apply Internet community sites to promote and market services. The survey showed that the number of Internet communities within high school libraries has grown. Promoting library extension services by using Internet communities has become a mission for many high schools. Using “content analysis,” this study attempted to analyze the interaction between the situation of applied marketing by the Internet community within libraries and the readers’ experiences. The study utilized a questionnaire to understand the participating experiences for high school library readers utilizing the Internet community and the perceptions regarding library applications of the Internet community. Through the release of a “Google Docs” online-questionnaire, 796 valid-questionnaires were yielded for the study. The results showed that the proportion of high school library network-groups is low; community features are not well-developed; libraries lack human resources and librarians lack professional background regarding Internet community services. The interaction of the facebook community is higher than that of a blog, plurk, or twitter. Most readers prefer to gain the latest news by browsing a blog or facebook. In general, readers are satisfied with the speed and contents of Internet responses, but may or may not ask questions of the library through the Internet community. Most librarians believe that the Internet community helps in the promotion of library services. The trend is for libraries to incorporate a platform of Virtual Internet Community. Information literacy will affect the quality of promotional and marketing services of a library within the Internet community. In summary, this survey-study suggested that high school libraries should set up social network communities to meet readers’ needs, actively respond to readers’ questions, expand the services of marketing and promotion, use a variety of different marketing models and increase various community platform tools. Keywords: blog, facebook, plurk, twitter, online communities, social networking site

The Internet represents a unique opportunity for people to interact with each other across time and space, and online communities have existed long before the Internet's solidification in everyday living. There are two inherent challenges that online communities continue to contend with: motivating participation and organizing information. An online community's success or failure rests on the content generated by its users. Specifically, users need to continually participate by contributing new content and organizing existing content for others to be attracted and retained. I propose both participation and organization can be enhanced if users have an explicit awareness of the implicit social network which results from their online interactions. My approach makes this normally ``hidden" social network visible and shows users that these intangible relations have an impact on satisfying their information needs and vice versa. That is, users can more readily situate their information needs within social processes, understanding that the value of information they receive and give is influenced and has influence on the mostly incidental relations they have formed with others. First, I describe how to model a social network within an online discussion forum and visualize the subsequent relationships in a way that motivates participation. Second, I show that social networks can also be modeled to generate recommendations of information items and that, through an interactive visualization, users can make direct adjustments to the model in order to improve their personal recommendations. I conclude that these modeling and visualization techniques are beneficial to online communities as their social capital is enhanced by "weaving" users more tightly together.

The notion of social capital (SC) is increasingly used as a framework for describing social issues in terrestrial communities. For more than a decade, researchers use the term to mean the set of trust, institutions, social norms, social networks, and organizations that shape the interactions of actors within a society and that are considered to be useful and assets for communities to prosper both economically and socially. Despite growing popularity of social capital especially, among researchers in the social sciences and the humanities, the concept remains ill-defined and its operation and benefits limited to terrestrial communities. In addition, proponents of social capital often use different approaches to analyze it and each approach has its own limitations. <p>This thesis examines social capital within the context of technology-mediated communities (also known as virtual communities) communities. It presents a computational model of social capital, which serves as a first step in the direction of understanding, formalizing, computing and discussing social capital in virtual communities. The thesis employs an eclectic set of approaches and procedures to explore, analyze, understand and model social capital in two types of virtual communities: virtual learning communities (VLCs) and distributed communities of practice (DCoP). <p>There is an intentional flow to the analysis and the combination of methods described in the thesis. The analysis includes understanding what constitutes social capital in the literature, identifying and isolating variables that are relevant to the context of virtual communities, conducting a series of studies to further empirically examine various components of social capital identified in three kinds of virtual communities and building a computational model. <p>A sensitivity analysis aimed at examining the statistical variability of the individual variables in the model and their effects on the overall level of social capital are conducted and a series of evidence-based scenarios are developed to test and update the model. The result of the model predictions are then used as input to construct a final empirical study aimed at verifying the model.<p>Key findings from the various studies in the thesis indicated that SC is a multi-layered, multivariate, multidimensional, imprecise and ill-defined construct that has emerged from a rather murky swamp of terminology but it is still useful for exploring and understanding social networking issues that can possibly influence our understanding of collaboration and learning in virtual communities. Further, the model predictions and sensitivity analysis suggested that variables such as trust, different forms of awareness, social protocols and the type of the virtual community are all important in discussion of SC in virtual communities but each variable has different level of sensitivity to social capital. <p>The major contributions of the thesis are the detailed exploration of social capital in virtual communities and the use of an integrated set of approaches in studying and modelling it. Further, the Bayesian Belief Network approach applied in the thesis can be extended to model other similar complex online social systems.