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This presentation by Christopher Lueg from the University of Tasmania delves into the dynamics of online communities focused on tourism. It highlights how these platforms, which transcend geographic boundaries, serve as spaces for individuals to share insights and experiences, ultimately aiding each other in planning trips. The talk also addresses the limitations posed by everyday technology, explores the challenges of fostering interaction and collaboration, and emphasizes the need for innovative approaches in encouraging participation and the sharing of information within these unique communities.
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Interactive Aspects of the “Problem Solving” Processin Online CommunitiesChristopher LuegSchool of ComputingUniversity of Tasmania&ARC Research Networkin Enterprise Information Infrastructure (EII)
Background (I) Online communities • Independent of geographic boundaries • New “tribes”(Usenet/NetNews, Web forums but also social networking sites such as MySpace, FaceBook) • Different types including communities of practice, communities of interest (e.g., Carutenuto et al. 1999)
Background (II) Focus: Online tourism communities • People voluntarily helping other people make the most out of their trip • $$$$$Growing influence on Australia’s multi billion dollar tourism industry:--What places are worth going to? --How much time to spend at <some place>?--Worth spending $$$ on harbour bridge climb?
Collaboration Issues (I) Online tourism communities • Predominently communities of interest • “Intense collaboration” not an issuealso little technology support available:standard internet access at home, internet cafes while travelling,limited mobile internet access etc.(“everyday technology”) • ... but other distinct challenges!
Collaboration Issues (II) • Preliminary research suggests “problem solving” metaphor often inadequate: it’s about supporting information sharing & interaction! • How to encourage participation?(well-researched topic in the social sciences) • How to enable & support interaction within given technological constraints?
Interaction Challenges Given the constraints of everyday technology eg • How to identify / represent shared understanding? (eg emerging schedules) • How to represent alternatives? • How to utilize different types of media?(textual, graphic, movies, G**gle Earth, etc.) • ...
Relevance Beyond Tourism “supporting directed voluntary interaction” Examples: • Classic: Open Source software dev. • Research collaborations • Community development • ... Related areas: distributed decision making, distributed cognition, situation awareness, etc.
ARC Research Network in Enterprise Information Infrastructure • Activities framed in terms ofResearch Programs and Taskforces • Currently co-ordinating (with Jennie Carroll, Univ. of Sydney) Taskforce in “Mobile Information Access” • Just proposed (with Amanda Spink, QUT) “Information Use” Research Program • Join us!!! :-)
Thanks for listening! Christopher Lueg christopher.lueg@utas.edu.au