tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42839265107387053782011-04-21T18:56:10.086+01:00This blogsite is the official website of the Online Communities Technical Committee of the International Ergonomics Association.Andrew Thatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03897572822291677527noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4283926510738705378.post-91537119147164899132008-05-16T10:45:00.003+01:002008-05-16T10:48:40.577+01:00<p align="left"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SdopRhq2lqA/SC1YVyIrtsI/AAAAAAAAAA8/yPaQoIe2KdY/s1600-h/IEA+logo.GIF"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200910275941480130" style="CURSOR: hand" height="65" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SdopRhq2lqA/SC1YVyIrtsI/AAAAAAAAAA8/yPaQoIe2KdY/s200/IEA+logo.GIF" width="109" border="0" /></a></p><div>Undoubtedly, the one technology that has had the greatest influence on social and business practices in the last 15 years is the Web. The Web has fundamentally changed our access to information and communication resources as well as our way to collectively produce knowledge (e.g. wikipedia, open-source software). For people with access to the Web, information is accessible from virtually anywhere in the world. The Web has also seen the burgeoning of alternative communication media from simple text-based communication systems, through more interactive text-based communication systems (e.g. blogging, mailing lists, etc.), to highly interactive multimedia communication applications (e.g. videoconferencing, Skype, FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.). While research on online communities has largely been found in the computer-human interaction and computer-supported cooperative work fields, there is definitely a role to play for ergonomics in understanding these new processes of socialisation and knowledge production/sharing and improving the design of these systems supporting these processes. These issues will be of particular interest to this Technical Committee on ‘Online Communities’.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>Essentially there are two main themes that are of particular interest to ergonomics and online communities. First, ergonomics has a role to play in evaluating the efficacy of such communities and ultimately to apply ergonomic principles to design better systems. Second, ergonomics is concerned with understanding mechanisms of better work design. Online communities may have a role to play here in improving the flow of important work variables and in socialisation practices. With these general points in mind, it is worthwhile to consider more specific problem domains of interest to this Technical Committee.</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SdopRhq2lqA/SC1YCiIrtrI/AAAAAAAAAA0/fWMn9_nD6I8/s1600-h/IEA+logo.GIF"></a><br /><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4283926510738705378-9153711914716489913?l=onlinecommtc.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Andrew Thatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03897572822291677527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4283926510738705378.post-41726612981150183962008-05-16T10:42:00.001+01:002008-05-16T10:44:33.243+01:00<strong>Scope of areas<br /></strong><br /><em>Efficacy and qualities of online communities versus face-to-face communities</em><br />Benefits and encumbrances of online communities<br />Qualities that draw people to these technologies and communities<br />Designing online communities that better match these qualities<br /><br /><em>Physical and psychological wellbeing related to online communities versus face-to-face communities<br /></em>The effect of excessive use of online communities on physical well-being (e.g. musculoskeletal disorders, appetitive disorders, physical fitness, etc.)<br />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.)<br />Excessive use of online communities to the detriment of offline communities (i.e. what is the right balance?)<br /><br /><em>Understanding and supporting collaboration processes</em><br />Collective design processes in epistemic communities<br />Coordination processes and awareness<br />Communication mechanisms and shared context<br />Mechanisms of collective regulation<br /><br /><em>Building and developing online communities</em><br />Factors involved in initiating, developing, and building online communities<br />Factors involved in maintaining online communities<br />Factors involved in diversifying online communities<br />Factors involved in controlling quality and accuracy of content in online communities<br />Factors involved in accessibility, user Interface/experience in online communities<br />Factors involved in accessibility to online communities in developing regions<br /><br /><em>Maintaining an online social presence</em><br />Supporting social awareness<br />Building and maintaining contacts<br />Building and maintaining a business online<br /><br /><em>The role of specialised communities<br /></em>Natural disaster management<br />Natural and human-made disaster resourcing<br />Ergonomics communities<br />Medical assistance communities<br />F/LOS communities<br /><br /><em>Delivery mechanisms of educational content online</em><br />The role of online communities in developing knowledge communities<br />Empowerment within socio-technical environments<br /><br /><em>Methodological issues in the study of online communities<br /></em>Indicators of participation<br />Socio-technical networks<br />Content analyses of exchanges<br />Ethnographic and case study approaches online<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4283926510738705378-4172661298115018396?l=onlinecommtc.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Andrew Thatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03897572822291677527noreply@blogger.com0