Online communities are among the most obvious manifestations of social networks based on new media technology. Facilitating ad-hoc communication and leveraging collective intelligence by matching similar or related users have become important success factors in almost every successful business plan.
Researchers are just beginning to understand virtual communities and collaborations among participants currently proliferating across the world. Virtual Communities, Social Networks and Collaboration covers cutting edge research topics of utmost real-world importance in the specific domain of social networks. This volume focuses on exploring issues relating to the design, development, and outcomes from electronic groups and online communities, including:

• The implications of social networking,
• Understanding of how and why knowledge is shared among participants,
• What leads to participation, effective collaboration, co-creation and innovation,
• How organizations can better utilize the potential benefits of communities in both internal operations, marketing, and new product development.

Covers cutting edge research topics of utmost real-world importance in the specific domain of social networks Addresses what leads to participation and effective collaboration in online communities Presents studies from leading researchers and practitioners in the field Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt

Health Related Virtual Communities and Social Networking Services.- Emergent Evaluation Criteria for Collaborative Learning Environment.- Evaluating and Enriching Online Knowledge Exchange: A Social Epistemological / Lay Epistemics Perspective.- Organizational Design of Online Communities.- A Security Model for Virtual Healthcare Communities.- Cybernationalism: Terrorism, Political Activism, and National Identity Creation in Virtual Communities and Social Media.- E-Government and Data Protection in the Public Sector.- Building SCIENAR, A Virtual Community of Artists and Scientists: Usability Testing for the System Improvement.- User-Generated Content for Location-Based Services: A Review.- Generating Social Awareness through Social Network Sites.- Markov Random Field and Social Networks.- Mobile Communities Current Status and Challenges.- Social Networks in Environmental Epidemiology.