SlideShare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. See our User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
SlideShare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement for details.
Successfully reported this slideshow.
Activate your 14 day free trial to unlock unlimited reading.
(Academic) Community Management in the Humanities and Social Sciences for Publishers, Librarians, and Enthusiasts
Name Cornelius Puschmann Affiliations University
of Düsseldorf, Institute for Internet and Society (Berlin) Disciplines Linguistics/Information Science Research interests Communication and interaction through digital technology (in general) How the internet is impacting scholarship (in particular) Web/Twitter http://nfgwin.uni-duesseldorf.de http://ynada.com ; @coffee001 #internetresearch #openaccess #digitalhumanities #opendata #electronicpublishing #escience Sonntag, 25. September 11
what is a community? ?
what is a virtual community? what is community management? what‘s special about academic communities? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Goal: A set of tentative
recommendations for supporting virtual communities Sonntag, 25. September 11
What is a community? “A
group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often [..] sharing some common values; [..] social cohesion within a shared geographical location.“ “Since the advent of the Internet, the concept of community no longer has geographical limitations, as people can now virtually gather in an online community and share common interests regardless of physical location.“ -Wikipedia Sonntag, 25. September 11
What is a virtual community?
The Internet has become the backbone of communication, commerce, and media [..] Along with this, the public is transforming. The mass media and mass audience analyzed by the Frankfurt School are long past. Today we inhabit multiple, overlapping and global networks such as user forums, Facebook, Flickr, blogs, and wikis. The media industry which just a decade ago seemed well-established, is in flux, facing its greatest challenge ever. networkedpublics.org Sonntag, 25. September 11
What is community management? macro
scale • planning, building, and supporting a (virtual) community micro scale • being present • listening and reacting to feedback • moderating debates • addressing criticism • policing community rules • keeping things tidy Sonntag, 25. September 11
What is special about academic
communities? • both communities of knowledge and profession • not generally open to amateurs • complex hierarchies/power relations • “invisible“ colleges • conservative technology users • don‘t always embrace change Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #1 Who are the
people I‘m trying to serve? What are their needs? What kind of infrastructure could be helpful to them? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #2 How do I
reach out to them? E.g. invite people to brainstorm and discuss, involve them in the process to avoid early mistakes Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #3 What mix of
measures is right for them? E.g. digital tools for communication and knowledge management plus physical meetups Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #4 Do I need
to build any new tools? What about everything that‘s already out there and available for free? If it‘s something that would attract a community, why hasn‘t it been built yet? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #5 Am I proving
a new infrastructure for an existing community or “inventing“ a new community altogether? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #5 Am I proving
a new infrastructure for an existing community or “inventing“ a new community altogether? a) Does the infrastructure really meet the community‘s needs? b) Will people congregate around the issue I‘ve chosen? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #6 How are the
people I‘m trying to serve involved in the planning, designing, implementation and continued operation of the platform? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #6 How are the
people I‘m trying to serve involved in the planning, designing, implementation and continued operation of the platform? Are they part of the team? Are they consulted on a regular basis? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #7 Am I building
a bridge between my platform and existing practices and services or am I trying to be revolutionary? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #7 Am I building
a bridge between my platform and existing practices and services or am I trying to be revolutionary? Will the users adjust to a completely new (technological/ cultural) paradigm? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #8 Do I really
need to do any (traditional) marketing? Does the product serve a vital function? If yes, marketing might (partly) take care of itself. Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #9 Do I have
the resources to fulfill my promises? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #9 Do I have
the resources to fulfill my promises? What kind of funding is at my disposal? Is there a business plan? Sonntag, 25. September 11
Question #10 How well does
the platform or service I provide scale? What if I succeed and thousands of people join my community -- will I be able to keep up a sufficient quality of service? Sonntag, 25. September 11