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Some Research Challenges for Studies of Virtual Communities Using On-Line Tells

Some Research Challenges for Studies of Virtual Communities Using On-Line Tells

Chris Kimble
Copyright: © 2012 |Pages: 8
ISBN13: 9781466615533|ISBN10: 1466615532|EISBN13: 9781466615540
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-1553-3.ch020
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MLA

Kimble, Chris. "Some Research Challenges for Studies of Virtual Communities Using On-Line Tells." Technical, Social, and Legal Issues in Virtual Communities: Emerging Environments, edited by Subhasish Dasgupta, IGI Global, 2012, pp. 299-306. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-1553-3.ch020

APA

Kimble, C. (2012). Some Research Challenges for Studies of Virtual Communities Using On-Line Tells. In S. Dasgupta (Ed.), Technical, Social, and Legal Issues in Virtual Communities: Emerging Environments (pp. 299-306). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-1553-3.ch020

Chicago

Kimble, Chris. "Some Research Challenges for Studies of Virtual Communities Using On-Line Tells." In Technical, Social, and Legal Issues in Virtual Communities: Emerging Environments, edited by Subhasish Dasgupta, 299-306. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2012. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-1553-3.ch020

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Abstract

This article reports on a study of learning and the coordination of activities in a geographically distributed community (a research consortium) using survey / Social Network Analysis methods combined with interviews. This article comments on and expands some of the important issues that were raised. After outlining the wider context, it highlights two broad themes related to research in the area of Virtual Communities: the nature of the communities themselves and the way in which they are studied. Following this, four areas for future research are outlined: the continuing role of face-to-face communication in Virtual Communities; the significance of the dual nature of such groups; the importance (or otherwise) of the structure of such communities; and the role played by exogenous factors. The article concludes with some comments on where this field relates to the debate among social theorists about the role of agency and structure in human activities.

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