Implicit Many-to-One Communication in Online Communities Mu Xia University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (with Wenjing Duan@GWU, Yun Huang and Andy Whinston@UT Austin)

Agenda Growth of online sharing communities Definition of Ballot-box Communications How BBC differs from CMC A case study of BBC Challenges in understanding BBC communities

Growth of online sharing communities

Definition of Ballot-box Communications

How BBC differs from CMC

A case study of BBC

Challenges in understanding BBC communities

What Do These Sites Have in Common?

What Do These Sites Have in Common? Web 2.0 technologies Social computing concepts Aggregation of common experience and opinions User communication choice is often non-message-based and limited

Web 2.0 technologies

Social computing concepts

Aggregation of common experience and opinions

User communication choice is often non-message-based and limited

Aggregation and Simplification Access statistics (YouTube, Last.fm): Total views, total comments, number of unique visitors Rating/Voting (Digg, Reddit): Revealing aggregate user opinions Tagging/Folksonomy (Flickr, Del.icio.us): Metadata from individuals and published as tag clouds, or search results Social Searching (Jookster, Newstrove): Recommending the most relevant results based on other people’s searches and feedback

Access statistics (YouTube, Last.fm):

Total views, total comments, number of unique visitors

Rating/Voting (Digg, Reddit):

Revealing aggregate user opinions

Tagging/Folksonomy (Flickr, Del.icio.us):

Metadata from individuals and published as tag clouds, or search results

Social Searching (Jookster, Newstrove):

Recommending the most relevant results based on other people’s searches and feedback

A New Way to Participate Ballot-box Communication: user aggregation mechanism enabled by new technologies Before, two extremes of participation: Contribute: upload/comment “ Play in the game” Watch/lurk: no communication “ Watch from sidelines” Now, you can express your opinion through BBC and the collective preferences can be heard: “ Shouting from the stands” A special case of Computer-Mediated Collective Action (Marc Smith 2007)

Ballot-box Communication: user aggregation mechanism enabled by new technologies

Before, two extremes of participation:

Contribute: upload/comment

“ Play in the game”

Watch/lurk: no communication

“ Watch from sidelines”

Now, you can express your opinion through BBC and the collective preferences can be heard:

“ Shouting from the stands”

A special case of Computer-Mediated Collective Action (Marc Smith 2007)

Characteristics of BBC (1) Simplifying web-based communication: Users communicate through preconfigured technologies Interaction options are limited Cost of participation is lower The communication is more detached—low communication cost The information acquisition cost for the audience is also lower No need to go through each posting: aggregation is already done “ Voice of the crowd” Both the production and consumption of information get easier

Simplifying web-based communication:

Users communicate through preconfigured technologies

Interaction options are limited

Cost of participation is lower

The communication is more detached—low communication cost

The information acquisition cost for the audience is also lower

No need to go through each posting: aggregation is already done

“ Voice of the crowd”

Both the production and consumption of information get easier

Characteristics of BBC (2) Many-to-one communication Multiple users’ input is aggregated into a single voice: high level of aggregation Compared to blog, email, and IM Low level of interaction: Compared to online forum, and email

Many-to-one communication

Multiple users’ input is aggregated into a single voice: high level of aggregation

Compared to blog, email, and IM

Low level of interaction:

Compared to online forum, and email

Four Types of Unstructured Communication individual aggregate low high Level of interactivity Many-to-one (Ranking, Voting Tagging, Searching) Many-to-many (Wiki, Online forum, ListServ) One-to-many (Professional review Blog) One-to-one (Email, Instant Messaging)

Characteristics of BBC (3) Implicit influence on users: Individual users can be swayed by aggregate trend Most viewed, top-rated, expert votes User’s own action will heighten the effect: a positive feedback

Implicit influence on users:

Individual users can be swayed by aggregate trend

Most viewed, top-rated, expert votes

User’s own action will heighten the effect: a positive feedback

BBC and CMC BBC offers new benefits over Computer-mediated Communication (CMC): By reducing information richness, BBC alleviates information overloading, allowing more participation from more people Technology is used to reduce the barrier of participation instead of managing messages Influence on users is through actions and is implicit

BBC offers new benefits over Computer-mediated Communication (CMC):

By reducing information richness, BBC alleviates information overloading, allowing more participation from more people

Technology is used to reduce the barrier of participation instead of managing messages

Influence on users is through actions and is implicit

Traditional Definition of Communities Whittaker et al. (1997): “ intense interactions, strong emotional ties and shared activities” with members having “shared context of social conventions, language, and protocols”. Preece (2000): “group of people with a common purpose whose interaction is mediated and supported by technology and governed by formal and informal policies”

Whittaker et al. (1997): “ intense interactions, strong emotional ties and shared activities” with members having “shared context of social conventions, language, and protocols”.

Preece (2000): “group of people with a common purpose whose interaction is mediated and supported by technology and governed by formal and informal policies”

Implicit Online Communities BBC – new type of user interaction Light weight aggregation Implicit individual influence Non message-based communication Weakened social connections Disappearing network structure New challenges on social network analysis

BBC – new type of user interaction

Light weight aggregation

Implicit individual influence

Non message-based communication

Weakened social connections

Disappearing network structure

New challenges on social network analysis

BBC in P2P Music Sharing Communities: A Case Study P2P music sharing is the most popular form of online communities We use IRC music sharing data to study whether P2P music sharing exhibits BBC characteristics Users are identified by a username Music is made available by users There is very little chatting

P2P music sharing is the most popular form of online communities

We use IRC music sharing data to study whether P2P music sharing exhibits BBC characteristics

Users are identified by a username

Music is made available by users

There is very little chatting

Data Description: IRC Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Real-time Internet chat protocol Users run an IRC client (such as mIRC) to log on and chat Topic-oriented channels (chat rooms) Some channels are for file sharing (depot channels) #mp3passion One of the most popular MP3 sharing channels

Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

Real-time Internet chat protocol

Users run an IRC client (such as mIRC) to log on and chat

Topic-oriented channels (chat rooms)

Some channels are for file sharing (depot channels)

#mp3passion

One of the most popular MP3 sharing channels

File Sharing Channels in IRC A user can set up his own file server using a script Sharing mechanism is similar to the original Napster model Centralized and observable commands: All the commands are text-based and are sent to the channel Commands: search, browse, download, announcement, etc.

A user can set up his own file server using a script

Sharing mechanism is similar to the original Napster model

Centralized and observable commands:

All the commands are text-based and are sent to the channel

Commands: search, browse, download, announcement, etc.

Screen Shot of mIRC

Is this BBC? The first two characteristics are satisfied: Sharers cast their “vote” by making certain music available for download, a simplification over recommending music in a review Many-to-one: A user can “feel” the popularity of a song when searching for it, as the more popular ones would have more return results Does implicit influence on users exist?

The first two characteristics are satisfied:

Sharers cast their “vote” by making certain music available for download, a simplification over recommending music in a review

Many-to-one:

A user can “feel” the popularity of a song when searching for it, as the more popular ones would have more return results

Does implicit influence on users exist?

Analysis of Aggregate Music Preference Change We choose five major music genres: Rock, R&B, Rap, Country, and Jazz We find all music by 298 well-known artists and calculate the ratio of songs in each genre over all songs identified We aggregate all demand (download) and supply (files made available).

We choose five major music genres: Rock, R&B, Rap, Country, and Jazz

We find all music by 298 well-known artists and calculate the ratio of songs in each genre over all songs identified

We aggregate all demand (download) and supply (files made available).

Yearly Ratios of Sharing and Downloading Volumes (By Genre)

Analysis of Individual Music Preference Change A case study of one individual user, “John Doe”, during a five-week period in 2006 11 22 (0) 47 (10) 6 (1) 5 84 32 (79) 61 (163) 10 (9) 4 28 33 (14) 45 (62) 5 (0) 3 162 47 (94) 91 (224) 18 (16) 2 165 55 (100) 119 (246) 28 (26) 1 Files kept Browses of Sharer A (Downloads) Browses (Downloads) Searches (Downloads) Week

A case study of one individual user, “John Doe”, during a five-week period in 2006

Three Pieces of Evidence of BBC Browse commands lead to most of the downloads: implicit influence of users Users “endorse” the content by keeping and sharing files (implicit voting by John Doe himself) Small set of sharers to download from Again, implicit influence of small set of users: 30% from Sharer A

Browse commands lead to most of the downloads: implicit influence of users

Users “endorse” the content by keeping and sharing files (implicit voting by John Doe himself)

Small set of sharers to download from

Again, implicit influence of small set of users: 30% from Sharer A

Building BBC-Enabled Communities Sustainability is a challenge for Web 2.0 companies: Interaction between users is implicit, therefore the collective behavior is hard to predict Individual interactions, as simplifications of real complex user opinions, provide a poor base for prediction Low cost of participation creates large degree of randomness

Sustainability is a challenge for Web 2.0 companies:

Interaction between users is implicit, therefore the collective behavior is hard to predict

Individual interactions, as simplifications of real complex user opinions, provide a poor base for prediction

Low cost of participation creates large degree of randomness

Challenges in Understanding BBC The level of impact of user actions on other users is unclear BBC’s influence may also be a function of the ever-evolving technologies, in addition to users and the community Many BBC communities are for-profit, with the operators having a lot of power A lot of new questions need to be answered

The level of impact of user actions on other users is unclear

BBC’s influence may also be a function of the ever-evolving technologies, in addition to users and the community

Many BBC communities are for-profit, with the operators having a lot of power

A lot of new questions need to be answered

Our Related Research Empirical analysis of user actions Factors that drive user action in implicit communities Social network analysis of implicit relationships and their evolution

Empirical analysis of user actions

Factors that drive user action in implicit communities

Social network analysis of implicit relationships and their evolution