1) The document summarizes a presentation about applying common identity and common bond theory to design online communities. 2) The theories suggest that communities develop attachment through shared identity with the group overall or bonds with individual members. 3) Design choices like socialization, discussion moderation, and community goals can influence whether attachment is more identity-based or bond-based.

1. WEEK 6 PRESENTATION
Sara DeGruttola | Jacqueline Keh | Puja Parakh | Tony Santos

2. The Article
Applying Common Identity
and Common Bond eory to
Design of Online Communities
Yuqing Ren, Robert Kraut* & Sara Kiesler
*Robert Kraut was the author of last week’s
reading, “Applying Social Psychological eory to
the Problems of Group Work”

3. The Journal
Organization Studies (OS)
Publishes peer-reviewed, top quality theoretical and
empirical research.
e journal’s aim is to publish research promoting the
understanding of organizing in and between societies.
is article was published in March 2007.

4. The Authors
Authors have a common interest in
understanding the increasing reliance
Yuquin Ren
upon groups to get work done with the
use of information technologies to
support collaboration
Bob Kraut
Research came out of
Carnegie Mellon University’s HCII
Sara Kiesler

5. Designing Online Communities
Online Communities are groups, voluntary
associations, organizations and communities.
Dependent on members’ voluntary contributions
and repeated visits
Unlike formal work organizations, cannot generally rely
upon members to show up and work
Online communities need to be designed to
encourage commitment and contributions from
members

6. Attaching to an Online Community
Look at two different ways to develop
commitment to online communities – by
becoming attached to the community as a whole or
by becoming attached to individual members.
e authors use two theories to understand and
predict important outcomes in online
communities.

7. Common Identity & Common Bond
Common Identity eory
To be attached to a group as a whole
• National Rifle Association
• Open Source Software
Folks feel more attached to their group as a whole and enjoy the
association
Common Bond eory
To be attached to a group on an individual level
• BFFs in your book club
• Who’s online in your chat list in IM
Folks feel more attached at an individual level – if your friends leave
the club, you will too
Images:
h*p://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/

8. Motivation
Understand how design choices influence members’
commitment and contribution to online
communities.
eories taken from an off-line context and
applying them to an online context.

9. Causes of Common Identity-based
Attachments
• Social Categorization
Objective, subjective or random criteria
• Interdependence
Joint task, purpose, fate, or reward
• Intergroup Comparisons
In-group/out-group designation

10. Causes of Bond-based Attachments
• Social Interaction with Others
Frequency
• Personal Knowledge of Others
Personal information and self-disclosure
• Interpersonal Attraction to Others
rough Similarity
Preferences, attitudes and values

11. Behavioral Outcomes:
Cohesion, Commitment & Evaluation
Identity-based Attachments
Bond-based Attachments
Both increase group cohesion
Both result in positive self-group evaluation
Both increase positive feelings toward the group
Both increase likelihood of remaining in the group

12. Behavioral Outcomes:
Content of Discussion
Identity-based Attachments:
Off-topic discussion is discouraged
Bond-based Attachments:
Off-topic discussion is considered acceptable

13. Behavioral Outcomes:
Social Loafing
Identity-based Attachments:
Responsibility likely to be shared or assumed
Members compensate for slackers/lurkers
Bond-based Attachments:
Less obligation for responsibility
More tolerant of slackers/lurkers

14. Behavioral Outcomes:
Group Norms
Identity-based Attachments:
Non-conforming
Bond-based Attachments:
Conforming

15. Behavioral Outcomes:
Response to Newcomers
Identity-based Attachments:
More welcoming, accepting
Bond-based Attachments:
More exclusive
Obstacles to newcomers

16. Behavioral Outcomes:
Reciprocity
Identity-based Attachments:
Prone to generalized reciprocity (community)
Bond-based Attachments:
Prone to direct reciprocity (dyadic)

17. Behavioral Outcomes:
Group Robustness
Identity-based Attachments:
Less robust to off-topic discussion
Less resilient to member turnover
Bond-based Attachments:
More robust against off-topic and
Less resilient toturnover

18. Implications for Design
What is your online community’s goal?
• Identity-based
• Bond-based
• Dual-purpose

19. Design
Dimensions
• Newcomer socialization
• Discussion moderation
• Community size
• Role of core members
• Community goals

20. Newcomer
Socialization
• Challenge: How to recruit new members
without disrupting the ongoing community
– Getting newbies up-to-speed

21. Discussion
Moderation
• Challenge: Keep it real or keep it together?
– Should off-topic conversations be allowed?

22. Community
Size
• Challenge: How to get more people without
losing them.
– Managing membership turnover

23. Role of Core Members
• Challenge: How to get participation from
peripheral members without intimidation by
the core group
– Growing the participating community

24. Community
Goals
• Challenge: How to keep subgroups in-line
with the overall community goals
– Supporting subgroups within the community

25. Ren et. al. and Kraut
Computing as a group activity not a solitary one

26. Ren et. al. and Kraut
Social psychology as an important influence on
design decisions in group oriented systems

27. Ren et. al. and Kraut
Mostly uncharted territory.

28. Social Psychology and HCI/HCDE
Computing is becoming more group focused,
thanks to the internet

29. Social Psychology and HCI/HCDE
Groups are becoming more distributed thanks to
faster internet connections and cheaper
telecommunications platforms

30. Social Psychology and HCI/HCDE
Social Psychological theories, like Common
Identity and Common Bond, already tell us a lot
about how people act in groups

31. Social Psychology and HCI/HCDE
Future research needs to test these theories at
“web scale”

32. Social Psychology and HCI/HCDE
Future research needs to test design processes
informed by these theories