Other Peoples Thoughts Influence Ones Own Actions

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• Other Peoples Thoughts Influence Ones Own
  Actions
• (Morals by Agreement David Gauthier, 1989)

When one is engaged in interaction such that
others actions can affect ones own interests,
and vice versa, one does better if one acts
cooperatively (The Prisoners dilemma).
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Sociability Usability for Contribution based on
Situated Informal Learning and Consensus
Knowledge Building in Online Communities

• Niki Lambropoulos
• Interaction Design Consultant
• Intelligenesis Consultancy
• nikilambropoulos.org

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Contents

• Key concepts
• I LPP in Online Communities
• II Situated Informal Learning
• III Sociability and Usability
• The study Greek Teachers Focus Group
• Greek context results Reasons for
• lurking, LPP
• People
• Purposes
• Practices
• Matching Sociability and Usability (I-D)
• Synopsis
• Conclusions

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Key Concept I Learning occurs in situ

• Discourse is cognition is discourse (Resnick et
  al, 1991)
• From joho tsushin (information communication) to
  ishiki tsushin (conscious communication)
  (Morioka, 1993)
• Extraction of meaning, abstraction,
  internalisation (Salomon, 1989, Miyake, 1997)
  externalisationnegotiation (Chi et al., 1994)
• Consensus Community Knowledge Building

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Key Concept II Informal Learning for Consensus
knowledge Building in OnCom

• Informal learning includes anything you do to
  gain knowledge, skill or understanding what
  interests the individual
• Informal Learning basic, technical, transversal
  skills
• Can we identify Informal Learning as Community
  Knowledge Building and vice versa?

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Key concept III Sociability ? Usability

• Sociability (People, Purposes and Practices)
  defines decision making on Technology and
  Usability

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EEEP Focus Group

• Aim Identify the Greek Teachers context for
  contribution
• Greek Teachers 14 subjects as the focus group to
  explore sociability and usability in the Greek
  context, EEEP 65 members in July, 2004
• Data Analysis
• Discourse Analysis
• Evaluation Criteria Catalogue

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Results Common Reasons for lurking

• (Blair Nonnecke, 2000) (Takahashi et al., today)
  (Lambropoulos, today)
• Uncomfortable in public (Nonnecke)
• Fear of public, judgement (Lambropoulos)
• Learning about the group (Nonnecke)
• Information needed for participation
  (Lambropoulos)
• Active Lurking (Takahashi)
• Active Waiting/Observation (Lambropoulos)
• Transfer of knowledge outside the community
  (Takahashi)
• Transfer of knowledge in the classroom and make
  choices e.g. on educational software
  (Lambropoulos)

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Results LPP

• Process of Participation
• active observation/waiting
• first contact
• aporia (wondering without judgment)
• familiarisation with community
• negotiation of meaning
• agreement and alignment
• finding interesting topic
• send a message
• (what tools to use?)

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Results Purposes

• Organisation and founding members define the
  initial purposes (interests, needs, targets,
  common visions)
• The main community purposes need to appear on the
  interface before the registration processes
• Initial activity is information-based than
  interactions-based
• Intention and motivation for sharing knowledge

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Results

• Consensus Knowledge Building
• learn from the active members (42,9)
• moderator (21,4)
• specific suggestions for changes in the
  educational system from 6 subjects (42,9) (what
  tools to use?)
• Socio-emotional relationship
• 42,9 developed negative feelings
• 35 stressed the importance of active
  participation (almost the same respondents) (what
  tools to use?)

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Results People - Policies

• People
• Different cultures suggest different types of
  communities
• Different types of participants
• Different levels of participation
• Policies
• Policy makers and moderators need to support the
  members on an individual basis
• Delurking is the last weapon

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Results Practices I

• The first week of registration defines members
  initial intention
• A good moderator is of great importance
• Cooperation via personal communication
• New suggestions based on the previous messages
• Community Support
• Feedback if the feedback is positive the
  communication continues, if negative, s/he
  returns to the previous observational and active
  lurking
• Projects support discussions

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Results Practices II

• Active Observation of Discussions
• First contact with the community
• Active lurking for active observation
• Aporia, hesitation, doubt, insecurity
• Familiarisation with the community
• Finding the minimum level of agreement with
  community
• Find interesting information - topics
• Personal Judgment
• Interest agreement on expressing interest for a
  topic
• Define personal enquiries
• Decisions on what to do next

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Matching Usability and Sociability

• A. Before Registration Acquiring information -
  Informative Front Page
• B. Registration Enrolment minimum agreement
  with the community, encourage and motivate the
  newcomers.
• C. After Registration Maintenance Search for
  existing discussion topics, sub-groups
• Participation Process for each post
• active observation and lurking
• reading
• engagement
• decisions on withdrawal
• contact of technical support
• suggestions to developers moderators

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Conclusions for the

• Policy Makers know the needs of the community
  and be based on both Sociability and Usability
  (I-D) for methods and tools
• Members and the social contribution paradox
  public participation is not prerequisite although
  necessary

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Thank you

• For your attention!
• niki lambropoulos
• nikilambropoulos.org
• niki_at_lambropoulos.org

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Photo by Jennifer Risley