Browsing by Subject "Online Communities"

The goal of this thesis is to create a conceptual framework for building dedicated online co-operation or online communities. Dedicated co-operation is the way humankind has made its greatest achievements. Online communities are seen as a technology with vast potential to revolutionize the everyday life of people around the world. Even today online communities are used to provide world’s largest free encyclopedia, free education and funding for businesses. The challenge with online communities is that the concept of ”community” is vague, which leads to inability to build dedicated co-operation. The framework aims to disclose the definition, design and building materials of communities. The method used to build the conceptual framework is systematic analysis. It explains reality by breaking down complex concepts into simple concepts and their relations. Key theories used in the thesis consist of theory of action, types of action, modes of action, collectives of co-operation and trust as encapsulated interests. They are complemented with theory of universal values and several new conceptual tools developed throughout the thesis. In the conclusions it is suggested that systematic analysis is a powerful tool in increasing understanding of dedicated online co-operation and communities, as long as circular analysis can be avoided. Using the listed theories it was discovered that a community is not a place where people interact, but a mental construct built between people based on their goals and relationships. Defining communities allows companies and organizations to recognize the value of online communities, and if their current community efforts have actually built a community, or a less dedicated form of collectives in groups and crowds. When the actual type of collective is recognized, companies and organizations can identify the appropriate next steps for transforming their collectives into communities. This removes disconnect between expectations and results, and enables efficient use of resources. It is also concluded that while communities are formed by people co-operating in we-mode, every act is ultimately taken by an individual. Theory of action together with collectives of co-operation break action into understandable components, and reveal how communities facilitate both individual action and dedicated co-ordinated collective efforts. Theory of trust as encapsulated interests approaches entering and sustaining co-operation as a strategic game between participants of co-operation. This leads to analysis of values as a source of interests, lifecycle of interests and ultimately the lifecycle of communities. Communities are presented as evolving organisms that require a strong conceptual foundation to sustain and grow. Finally, the thesis validates the existing conceptual tools, as they are approached from multiple angles, and using them in analysis easily produces a collection of new helpful conceptual tools. These new tools are used to enable measuring and growing of online communities.