IMPLEMENTING AN ACADEMIC RESEARCH SOCIAL NETWORK IN THE ARAB WORLD: THE CASE OF “BAHETH” PLATFORM

Abstract

Web 2.0 and 3.0 introduced online social networks to the world, which offered a new and versatile medium of communication and collaboration for different communities over the Internet. The use of specific social networks that targets a certain audience is becoming more accepted today since interactivity and collaboration between members is secured and limited to specific groups. Academic research is a field that can benefit from online social networks. The Arab Conference Network is the first research-based institution in the Middle East to adopt this new technology by creating an online Academic Research Social Network named “Arab Researcher Portal–Baheth”. The network is open to all Arabic-speaking researchers and professors to collaborate on different academic and research fields. The authors investigated the viability of “Baheth” for Arab professors and researchers to collaborate on different academic and research fields An exploratory study of implementing “Baheth” is presented and discussed. The findings showed that only 19% of university professors and researchers who joined the network have completed their online profiles and participated actively in the network. As a result, the level of awareness of the true value of the online academic research social network was very low. Academic rank, specialization, computer, and Internet literacy in addition to online social skills, played a role in adopting this new channel. In conclusion, the research presents steps that can be taken to improve the use of this unique social media channel, and guidelines for motivating professors are suggested on the basis of the research findings. Keywords: Social Networking, Web 2.0, Academic Research DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.2.18