Study Of Virtual Communities Research Articles

Communicating Dietary Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Indonesia: A Study of Virtual Community on Facebook

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children need appropriate treatment and intervention as early as possible after the diagnosis was made. Besides therapy, diet is one of the interventions that could be carried out by parents, although the positive effects of diet are still debatable among experts. This study aimed to understand the pattern of seeking information related to dietary interventions for ASD children in a virtual community of parent support group in Indonesia. The data was obtained from a virtual community on Facebook, named LRD Member Suar Autisme. This research was qualitative with virtual ethnographic method. The data collection technique was carried out through participant observation on the LRD Member Suar Autisme Facebook account, by examining 178 uploads, 3,569 comments and interview with community members. The results showed that the pattern of seeking information about dietary interventions by community members began with questions or seeking information regarding certain matters. In addition, it can also be identified patterns of presenting information about dietary intervention by admins. Our study showed that dietary intervention was one of the ways suggested by the community to reduce the improper behaviour of ASD children, especially based on the experiences of admins and members in the virtual community

Learning from the professionals: film tourists’ “authentic” experiences on a film studio tour

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers perceive, experience and engage with the art of filmmaking and the industrial film production process that the film studios present to them during their guided film studio tours.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the author’s own film tourist experiences, observations and participatory interactions with fellow visitors at a major Hollywood film studio, this paper takes an autoethnographic “I’m-the-camera”-perspective and a hermeneutic data analysis approach.FindingsThe findings reveal that visitors experience the “authentic” representation of the working studio’s industrial film production process as an opportunity and “invitation to join” a broader filmmaker community and to share their own amateur filmmaking experiences with fellow visitors and professionals – just to discover eventually that the perceived community is actually the real “simulacrum”.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough using an autoethnographic approach means that the breadth of collected data is limited, the gain in depth of insights allows for a deeper understanding of the actual visitor experience.Practical implicationsThe findings encourage film studio executives, managers and talent agents to reconsider current practices and motivations in delivering film studio tours and to explore avenues for harnessing their strategic potential.Originality/valueContrary to previous studies that have conceptualised film studio tours as simulacra that deny consumers a genuine access to the backstage, the findings of this study suggest that the real simulacrum is actually the film tourists’ “experienced feeling” of having joined and being part of a filmmaker community, which raises question regarding the study of virtual communities.

Are you ready for knowledge sharing? An empirical study of virtual communities

This study aimed to explore the relationship between knowledge sharing intentions and the perceptions of individual technology users who are members of virtual communities. We characterized learner...

An exploratory investigation of the virtual community MySpace.com

PurposeVirtual communities are increasing in popularity and changing the way apparel fashion information is learned and shared by consumers. According to Agins, consumers, as opposed to élite designers, are now dictating fashion trends and pinpointing the ideal places of distribution. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the fashion‐related discussion which is taking place on perhaps the best known of these communities, MySpace.com. The three research questions driving this study include: “What are consumers saying about fashion within this particular virtual community?”; “What commonalities exist among the plethora of fashion‐related information available in this context?”; and “What kinds of insights can marketers draw from the categories of fashion‐related information being presented in MySpace.com?”Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was selected as the method for investigation. Within the forum Fashion and Style, the subgroup FashionLOVERS was selected for investigation because it represented a general discussion of fashion. The first 200 forum topical areas with five or more posts were selected for analysis. A total of 6,623 individual posts were examined and each of the three authors independently reviewed the posts noting the general topical categories of content. Interrater reliability for the coders was computed.FindingsEight recurring categories of fashion related information were identified in the study. The four most popular discussion categories were personal style, brands and designers, tips and advice, and retailers. The prevalence of these four topics suggests that consumer driven marketing is a growing and influential component of fashion marketing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study makes an important contribution to the study of virtual communities. Results provide insight into the complex, multi‐layered, interactive fashion‐related communication that occurs within virtual communities.Practical implicationsFashion marketers and retailers are encountering an untapped resource with these virtual communities. Findings highlight the power of consumers in virtual communities and suggest a need for fashion marketers and retailers to closely monitor communication within virtual communities.Originality/valueThis research is particularly valuable because it provides insight into the popular virtual community, MySpace.com. Detailed investigation into types of fashion information that are shared with community members is presented and discussed.

A Comparative Study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the Usa

The objective of this study is to compare the differences between Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA in terms of website usability, marketing, languages and norms. The two countries were compared because the USA is a more advanced country compared to Bangladesh. Studying their differences would identify possible gaps which can be bridged to improve Virtual Communities of Bangladesh and perhaps other developing countries. Thirty-three Virtual Communities sites from both countries were randomly selected and evaluated based on a set of criteria relating to the above aspects. The data were analyzed using statistical tests to determine any significant difference between Virtual Communities of the two countries. The study found significant differences in the website usability aspects i.e. the use of multimedia; in marketing aspects i.e. the use of electronic catalogs and Web advertisements; and in languages and norms i.e. the inclusion of language options and the use of religious, collectivistic, and structured messages. As a conclusion, useful recommendations were given to Web developers, marketers, and Bangladeshi government to improve Web usability, marketing, and cultural environment of Bangladeshi Virtual Communities. Future studies can be conducted by replicating the study to other developing countries such as China and India.

Exploratory study of virtual communities of apparel retailers

PurposeThis study aims to present a general overview of the characteristics of virtual communities hosted by apparel retailers.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was conducted on 2,521 web sites hosted by apparel retailers. Web sites of apparel retailers were identified from Stores Magazine “top 100 specialty retailers” and “top 100 retailers” listings, and Google search engine directory. Web sites were analyzed in terms of general characteristics of apparel retailers (e.g. apparel product categories, ability to purchase online, presence of brick‐and‐mortar stores). Two coders individually visited each web site and coded the contents.FindingsA total of 13 virtual communities hosted by apparel retailers were found. Apparel retailers selling casual merchandise to the young teen market had the strongest representation. Most of the virtual communities used bulletin or message board tools. About half of the virtual communities had registration requirements and rules or membership policies. Discussion topics of community members varied.Research limitations/implicationsThe small percentage of apparel retailers hosting virtual communities indicates that more evidence is needed to make it a compelling case for retailers to host virtual communities. Virtual communities may be of value to marketers for consumer research and feedback.Originality/valueThis paper examines virtual communities of consumption hosted by companies that sell apparel products.

Book Review: H. Rheingold. 1993. The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-60870-7 H. Rheingold. 2000. The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier (2nd Edition). C

In the past 10 years, alongside the swift expansion of the Internet, scholarly attention to virtual community has grown rapidly. The analysis of virtual social relations has emerged as a clear, key theme in the study of new media. For the foreseeable future at least, studies of virtual community are set to play their part in informing our wider understanding of technological and social change. As such, conducting a retrospective review of Rheingold’s (1993) seminal text The Virtual Community is a timely exercise. No figure has loomed as large, or as controversially, over the study of virtual community as Howard Rheingold. The Virtual Community remains one of the most commonly discussed texts on the subject, and as such remains required reading for anyone interested in online sociability.

Researching the social Web: marketing information from virtual communities

This paper argues that, by focusing on the use of the Internet for one‐to‐one communications, marketers are in danger of ignoring the many‐to‐many communications that are taking place as consumers interact with one another. The authors explore the increasing proliferation of Internet discussion groups and chat rooms that are often market‐orientated in their focus and discuss how the study of virtual communities can provide rich insights for marketers. Detailing how ethnographic research methods can assist the understanding of such online environments, they consider the theoretical and methodological differences between offline and online ethnographic research.

Problems and Promises in the Study of Virtual Communities

SUMMARY This paper discusses several methodological approaches to the study of virtual communities, including comparative designs, statistical approaches, and ethnography. In particular, we present results from one study that exemplifies both the problems and promises inherent in researching virtual communities. This study examines the daily interactions of peace activists in a virtual community devoted to nonviolent solutions to world problems. By analyzing narrative messages exchanged over a four-month period categorically in terms of topic, type, scope, and content, the study explores community design issues of gatekeeping and normative standards in a virtual community.

Gps in Cyberspace: The Sociology of a ‘Virtual Community’

It has been argued that on-line networked communication can enable the establishment of ‘virtual communities’. Empirical data from an electronic discussion group for general medical practitioners (GPs) are used to evaluate these claims, and to explore the similarities and discrepancies between on-line and face-to-face interactions. A distinct social order for this ‘community’ is reported, and the strategies to establish this order in a textual environment are discussed. Participants went through a cycle of integration into membership, and some generated distinctive virtual identities or personae. The notion of a ‘virtual community’ is critically discussed. Participants interacted as if they were part of a community, but it is suggested that the interactions on the list are best understood as extensions of the wider social relations of general practice. The study of virtual communities may thus have relevance for wider issues of social inclusion and citizenship. The paper also includes reflections on ‘cyberethnography’, and suggestions for further research are offered.