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Eine virtuelle Gemeinschaft (VG) versteht sich primär als Medium zur Begegnung zwischen Individuen. Mit der Ausnahme von künstlichen Agenten, insbesondere derer mit adversarialen Problemstellungen im unbekannten Zustandsraum, sind diese Individuen zumeist menschlicher Natur. So versteht es sich, in diesen Bereich mit menschlichen Maßstäben zu messen.

Die Internettechnologie schafft neue Möglichkeiten menschlicher Zusammenarbeit. Auf der Basis räumlich und zeitlich verteilter Kommunikationsprozesse können virtuelle Gemeinschaften gebildet werden, die nicht nur im Hinblick auf die Transaktionskosten, sondern auch im Hinblick auf die Ausdehnung und Flexibilität des Verbunds viel versprechende Potenziale einer Internetökonomie bieten. Mit der Virtualisierung geht jedoch der Verlust des „natürlichen“ Kontextes zwischen den kooperierenden Menschen verloren, der aber für den Erfolg von Kooperationen entscheidend ist. Informationssysteme für virtuelle Gemeinschaften haben daher Techniken bereitzustellen, mit denen gewisse Formen eines Kontextes (re-) konstruiert werden können.

Virtuelle Gemeinschaften im Gesundheitswesen (VGGW) können – theoretisch – eine ganze Reihe von Aufgaben im Gesundheitswesen übernehmen. Das „Cancerforum“ von compuserve wird wiederholt als Beispiel in der Literatur genannt (Rheingold 1994; Hagel III and Armstrong 1997; Schubert 1999). Andere Virtuelle Gemeinschaften finden sich im Bereich der Brustkrebspatientinnen oder chronisch kranker Patienten (Krcmar, Arnold et al. 2002; Josefsson 2004; Leimeister, Daum et al. 2004). Unabhängig davon gibt es allein im Bereich Gesundheit („Health & Wellness“) bei Yahoo (Yahoo 2005) mehr als 74.000 Gemeinschaftsforen. Man stellt jedoch fest, dass es im Bereich der virtuellen Gemeinschaften im Gesundheitsweisen eine Diskrepanz zwischen der Realität einerseits und dem in der Literatur zugeschrieben Potential andererseits besteht: Gemeinschaften von Patienten beschränken sich heute im Wesentlichen auf wechselseitige Unterstützung und Information. Die Gemeinschaften sind häufig klein und nutzen nur wenige Arten von Diensten der Selbstorganisation (Dannecker and Lechner 2004).

Seit mittlerweile 20 Jahren widmet sich die GeNeMe der Untersuchung des Themengebietes der virtuellen Gemeinschaften. Dies war Anlass genug, um einen kritischen Blick auf die Historie der Tagung zu werfen. Dazu wurden in der aufgezeigten Studie insbesondere die Aspekte Internationalität, Interdisziplinarität sowie Praxisorientierung betrachtet. Als quantitative Datengrundlage der bibliometrischen Analyse dienten dabei die Autorinnen und Autoren der 18 verfügbaren GeNeMe-Tagungsbände. Die aufgezeigten und diskutierten Ergebnisse sollen einen möglichen Ausgangspunkt zur Auseinandersetzung mit der gegenwärtigen Situation der Tagung liefern.

No description available.

In this thesis, we present a review of the current practices of user involvement. Different methods and tools have proliferated for user-involvement, however, to comprehend the explicit features of a small and medium-sized web-based platform service companies, we contrast our findings with previous experiences and research of user involvement in big companies. In the basis of the aforementioned, we identify methods and contexts that may be appropriate in the context of small and medium-sized web-based platform service companies. Mainly, we reviewed the research field of: user-involvement and new service development.   The central purpose of this study is to determine how do small and medium-sized web-based platform service companies utilize the process of the user involvement across the stages of new service development. Building on previous researches, we suggested that there are different methods to consider under the service development stage (i.e. ideation, development and testing). These methods are grouped under the following terms user-involvement ecosystem, user-involvement interactions, user-involvement platform and user-involvement personnel. The aforementioned methods are suggested to help web-based platform service companies utilize user involvement across the new service development stages. This study is of qualitative nature with a deductive approach. We conducted eight semi-structured interviews in order to get insights from high-level managers responsible of the user-involvement process. All the small and medium-sized companies operated in the service sector and provided a web-based platform. The theoretical framework was utilized in order to analyze the empirical data gathered. We used thematic analysis for our deductive study approach, to interpret the gathered material in order to conclude the results and answer the research question.   Our results revealed that in the ideation and development stages the following is vital: involving lead-users or those who are tech-savvy and tolerant to ambiguity, educating users to familiarize them with the company’s system, moderate rules and structure, mixing focus groups, encouraging user-to-user communication, small number of participants, multi-media approach and online tools, and encouraging idea hunting culture among company’s staff. However, in testing the following is recommended: involving average-users or those who are open-minded and tolerant to risk and innovation, unifying goals and common view by tangibilizing the service, setting rules and regulations for testing the service, having permanent interactions with users, and large number of participants. Finally, it is important to ensure a close relationship, transparency, motivation, face-to-face interactions, and to have an entrepreneurial leader to oversee the whole process across all the former three stages of NSD. To improve on this study, we would recommend the investigation on the user perspective to gain insights on their views of the process of user-involvement across the NSD, as they are directly involved in the development of a new service. Hence, a more extensive research on the user-involvement in web-based platform service companies on both, internal and external facets instantaneously would be of great significance.

The Thesis Role of Virtual Friendship and Community Networks in the Life of Adolescents is dealing with rather new phenomena of virtual friendship on the internet social network that is connected with young generation to 20 years old. The text consists of two main parts. In the introducing section the main characteristics of comunity social networks in connection to adolescents described on the basis of teorethical analyse, interpretation of literature and description of their main functions. Especially social networking site Facebook is detailed characterized, because virtual friendship is mainly connected with it. The practical part contains research on theme of online communities in the life of adolescents. A public iquirry and a questionnaire were used as research tools. Four goals and six hypothesis were defined. Two hyphothesis were verified.

Ce travail aborde la question du rôle des communautés virtuelles d'intérêt dans la communication et la co-création de valeur pour les énergies renouvelables en tant qu'innovation. Malgré la multiplicité et diversité des études portant sur les communautés virtuelles, la connaissance, à la fois théorique et pratique, de la manière avec laquelle les membres de ces communautés virtuelles communiquent et co-créent de la valeur pour les innovations demeure limitée. Deux champs théoriques complémentaires ont été mobilisés, la théorie de l'acteur-réseau et la théorie du Lead user, afin de mieux comprendre comment s'effectue cette communication et co-création de valeur pour les énergies renouvelables au sein des « réseaux des communautés virtuelles » et d’élaborer un cadre d'analyse et conceptuel appropriés. Pour ce faire, trois études ont été menées. Une première étude documentaire a été réalisée pour identifier et recenser les diverses parties prenantes dans la communication et la gestion de valeurs co-créées au sein des réseaux de communautés virtuelles d'intérêt pour les énergies renouvelables. Une seconde étude à été menée sur la base de trois « réseaux des communautés virtuelles d'intérêt pour les énergies renouvelables » dans le but de montrer comment les membres-actants de ces réseaux communiquent et co-créent de la valeur pour cette innovation. Une dernière étude a été réalisée sur la base de 28 entretiens semi-directifs afin de montrer comment les diverses parties prenantes communiquent et gèrent les divers types de valeurs co-créés au sein de ces réseaux. Les résultats obtenus ont permis de conceptualiser deux processus. Un premier processus a été mis en oeuvre afin de montrer comment les membres-actants des communautés virtuelles communiquent et co-créent de la valeur au sein de ces réseaux : le « processus en ligne de communication et de co-création de valeur pour les innovations centré sur l’utilisateur ». Un second processus a été conceptualisé dans le but de mettre en oeuvre la stratégie de communication et de gestion de valeurs cocréées via ces réseaux: le « processus stratégique de communication et de gestion de valeurs co-créées pour les innovations au sein des réseaux des communautés virtuelles ». Par ailleurs,l'implication mutuelle et l'intégration des divers acteurs/actants au sein des réseaux de communautés virtuelles (à savoir les utilisateurs, le réseau en tant qu'actant, les contributions, les valeurs co-créées, ainsi que les community managers) permettent de communiquer, de diffuser, de co-créer collectivement et de redéfinir l'innovation en tant que résultat d'un système d'interactions sociotechniques, favorisant la stabilisation de cette innovation et sa mise en boîte noire. / This work addresses the issue of the role of virtual communities of interest in the communication and the co-creation of value for renewables as an innovation. Despite the multiplicity and diversity of studies based on virtual communities, both theoretical and practical knowledge of how members of these virtual communities communicate and co-create value for innovation remains limited. In order to better understand the way of communicating, value co-creating and building an approriate analytical and conceptual framework, two complementary theoretical fields were mobilized : the actor-network theory and the lead user theory. Three studies were conducted. A primary study was conducted to identify the various stakeholders in the communication and the management of co-created value within virtual communities’networks of interest in renewables. A second study was conducted on the basis of three « networks of virtual communities of interest in renewable energies » in order to highlight how members of these networks communicate and co-create values for this innovation. A final study based on 28 interviews was conducted to understand how the various stakeholders communicate and manage diverse types of co-created values within virtual communities’networks related to renewables. Results enable to conceptualize two diverse processes. A first process was implemented to show how members of virtual communities communicate and co-create value within virtual communities’networks of interest in renewable energies: the « online user centred co-creation of value and communication of innovation process ». A second process was established in order to implement the strategy of communication and management of co-created value through virtual communities’networks of interest in innovation: the « strategic process of communication and co-creation of value to innovation management within virtual communities’networks ». Moreover, mutual involvement and integration of various actors within virtual communities’networks (such as : users, networks, contributions, co-created values and community managers) enable to communicate, to diffuse, to co-create collectively,to redefine the innovation as a result of a socio-technical system and to foster the «stabilization» of this innovation.

A presente tese tem como objetivo produzir subsídios para a construção de um referencial teórico-metodológico sobre a utilização dos objetos de aprendizagem no contexto das comunidades virtuais auto-organizadas para a produção de software livre e de código aberto. Utiliza-se como metodologia a etnografia virtual (HINE, 2000) em conjunto com a teoria analítica da ação mediada (WERTSCH, 1991) e a análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 2000). A coleta de dados foi efetuada, em duas fases, nos fóruns de discussão de quatro (4) comunidades, além de uma comunidade incubadora de desenvolvimento de projetos de software livre e de código aberto. Constata-se que os objetos de aprendizagem mediam o processo de solução de problemas, uma vez que 100% dos problemas da amostra analisada foram resolvidos, apesar da ausência de um padrão de conformidade desses objetos. Esta limitação é superada em razão do perfil específico imperante dos membros ativos da comunidade, pois estes possuem elevado nível de comportamento colaborativo/cooperativo, iniciativa voluntária, desprendimento, obstinação, capacidade de autoaprendizagem, autonomia, independência, disciplina, responsabilidade e comprometimento com prazos, qualidade dos produtos e outras exigências estabelecidas pela comunidade. Outro fator de relevância é que as comunidades são ricas em interação humana, o que qualifica o processo do significado da mediação e o ambiente de colaboração, nas ações referentes à localização, montagem e contextualização dos objetos de aprendizagem. Os significativos resultados atingidos por estas comunidades têm impactado, sobremaneira, as grandes organizações de produção de software, levando-as a rever suas estratégias corporativas, boas práticas de desenvolvimento, gestão de pessoas, equipes e projetos. Por outro lado, infere-se que a sustentabilidade de tais comunidades não pode estar assentada somente em atributos e habilidades pessoais, principalmente pelo fato de que a localização dos objetos de aprendizagem para a solução de problemas baseia-se no conhecimento tácito de seus membros. Necessário se faz agregar inovações na forma e funcionalidade de tais comunidades (padrão de conformidade, métodos e ferramentas tecnológicas), com vistas a possibilitar uma efetiva e universal acessibilidade do conhecimento produzido para a solução mais eficiente dos problemas, bem como incorporar membros com comportamentos e habilidades diversos. Os resultados desta pesquisa contribuem para as inovações futuras, no campo teórico e prático, na definição de um padrão de conformidade para a especificação, indexação, uso, combinação e avaliação dos objetos de aprendizagem, além de motivar a mudança de comportamento, cultura e forma de aprender. / The present thesis aims to produce subsidies for the development of a theoreticalmethodological referential on the use of learning objects in the context of self-organized virtual communities for the development of free and open source software. The methodologies used were the virtual ethnography (HINE, 2000), together with the mediated action analytical theory (WERTSCH, 1991) and content analysis (BARDIN, 2000). Data was collected in two phases: from the discussion forums of (4) four communities, and from an incubator community for the development of free and open source software projects. The learning objects appear to mediate the problem solution processes, since all the problems of the analyzed sample were solved, despite the lack of a standard of compliance of those objects. This limitation is overcome due to the specific dominant profile of the active members of the community, who display a high level of collaborative behavior, voluntary initiative, detachment, obstinacy, auto-learning capacity, autonomy, independence, discipline, responsibility and commitment to deadlines, product quality and other requirements established by the community. Another relevant aspect is that the communities are abundant in human interaction, what qualifies the mediation significance process and the collaborative environment in the actions referring to location, assembling and contextualization of the learning objects. The meaningful results obtained by those communities have led great software production organizations to review their corporate strategies, good developmental practices, staff, people and project management. On the other hand, it is inferred that the sustainability of those communities can not be maintained only by personal attributes and abilities, specially because the location of the learning objects for problem solution is based on the tacit knowledge of their members. It is necessary to aggregate innovation into the nature and functionality of those communities (standard compliance, technological methods and tools), to not only enable an effective and universal accessibility to knowledge leading to more efficient problem solution, but also to incorporate members with diverse behavior and abilities. The results of the present research contribute to future innovation in both theoretical and practical fields in the definition of a pattern of conformity for the specification, indexation, use, combination and evaluation of learning objects, in addition to motivating a change of behavior, culture and way of learning.