Information communities: Characteristics gleaned from studies of three online networks

Digital network infrastructures such as community networks have heralded powerful new ways for enhancing people's quality of life. We argue that the Internet has further facilitated the creation of information communities: constituencies united by a common interest in building and increasing ac...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the ASIS annual meeting 2003-10, Vol.40 (1), p.298-305
Main Authors: Fisher, Karen E., Unruh, Kenton T., Durrance, Joan C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to Information
Community Learning Networks
Computer Mediated Communication
Connectivity
Cooperation
Information Networks
Information Seeking
Online Systems
Shared Resources and Services
Technological Advancement
User Needs (Information)
Virtual Communities
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Digital network infrastructures such as community networks have heralded powerful new ways for enhancing people's quality of life. We argue that the Internet has further facilitated the creation of information communities: constituencies united by a common interest in building and increasing access to sets of dynamic, linked, and varying information resources. Using data from a two‐year study of three community networks, we describe five defining characteristics of effective information communities: (1) emphasis on collaboration among diverse information providers, (2) capacity to form around people's needs to access and use information, (3) capacity to exploit the information sharing qualities of emerging technologies, (4) ability to transcend barriers to information‐sharing, and (5) capacity to foster social connectedness.
ISSN:0044-7870
1550-8390
1550-8390
DOI:10.1002/meet.1450400137