'Online Communities' - Scope and Areas of interest

Scope of areas

Efficacy and qualities of online communities versus face-to-face communities
Benefits and encumbrances of online communities
Qualities that draw people to these technologies and communities
Designing online communities that better match these qualities

Physical and psychological wellbeing related to online communities versus face-to-face communities
The effect of excessive use of online communities on physical well-being (e.g. musculoskeletal disorders, appetitive disorders, physical fitness, etc.)
The effect of excessive use of online communities on psychological well-being (e.g. social issues, social avoidance, contact avoidance, social connectivity and belonging, etc.)
Excessive use of online communities to the detriment of offline communities (i.e. what is the right balance?)

Understanding and supporting collaboration processes
Collective design processes in epistemic communities
Coordination processes and awareness
Communication mechanisms and shared context
Mechanisms of collective regulation

Building and developing online communities
Factors involved in initiating, developing, and building online communities
Factors involved in maintaining online communities
Factors involved in diversifying online communities
Factors involved in controlling quality and accuracy of content in online communities
Factors involved in accessibility, user Interface/experience in online communities
Factors involved in accessibility to online communities in developing regions

Maintaining an online social presence
Supporting social awareness
Building and maintaining contacts
Building and maintaining a business online

The role of specialised communities
Natural disaster management
Natural and human-made disaster resourcing
Ergonomics communities
Medical assistance communities
F/LOS communities

Delivery mechanisms of educational content online
The role of online communities in developing knowledge communities
Empowerment within socio-technical environments

Methodological issues in the study of online communities
Indicators of participation
Socio-technical networks
Content analyses of exchanges
Ethnographic and case study approaches online