06th Sep2011

Transforming Lurkers into Posters: The role of the Participation Continuum

by jonathanbishop

Transforming Lurkers into Posters: The role of the Participation Continuum

Jonathan Bishop

Abstract

Increasing participation has long been seen as a way additional to new technology of helping online communities to grow. Online community managers may well advertise their website on other service platforms, but with up 90% of the visitors to their site being non-participants, referred to as lurkers, they could do no better than improving their website to tackle lurker fears. This paper presents the ‘participation continuum’ for understanding why some users are posters, and do participate, and why others are lurkers, and do not contribute. The paper considers lurkers as victims of the failures of those manage online communities to encourage involvement from them by combating the fears they have. The main fears of lurkers are explored and solutions for overcoming them explained and a study is presented using the participation continuum, which confirms the hypothesis of lurkers being similar to those with social phobia.

Full Text

Transforming Lurkers into Posters: The Role of the Participation Continuum

References

Bishop, J. (2011) ‘Transforming Lurkers into Posters: The role of the Participation Continuum’. In: In: V. Grout, R. Picking & D. Oram (Eds.) Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Internet Technologies and Applications (ITA11), 6 September 2011, Wrexham, UK: University of Wales Press. Available online at: http://www.jonathanbishop.com/Library/Documents/EN/docITA11Paper.pdf

Category : DOWNES Publications, Publications
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03rd Sep2009

Increasing membership in online communities: The five principles of managing virtual club economies

by jonathanbishop

Increasing membership in online communities: The five principles of managing virtual club economies

Jonathan Bishop

Abstract

It has been argued that the consumption of club goods, where access to them is excludable and non-rivalrous, requires optimal exclusion as well as inclusion. Increasing membership appears to be a particular concern for providers of online communities and in addition increasing the participation of the membership also seems to be important. This paper defines online communities as virtual club economies, as they often exist to allow their members to share club goods. The paper explores various social networking services, finding that those with the highest number of subscriptions follow the guidelines proposed in an influential book on online communities and proposes five principles of managing these virtual club economies. These require as part of a strategy for providers to know their technology, know their subject matter, know their stratum of the wider virtual economy, know their policies and know their purpose. Each of these principles is elaborated on and the paper concludes that the ultimate purpose of a virtual club economy is to maximise the availability of its club goods, such as content to meet its inward goals of sustaining its existence and providing for its membership and wider objectives that suggest a purpose to outsiders and give insiders the motivation to remain as members.

Full Text

Increasing membership in online communities: The five principles of managing virtual club economies

References

J. Bishop (2009). Increasing membership in online communities: The five principles of managing virtual club economies. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Internet Technologies and Applications – ITA09. Wrexham: University of Wales Press. Available online at: http://www.jonathanbishop.com/Library/EN/docITA09Paper.pdf

Category : DOWNES Publications, Publications
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