Online Communities

The purpose of the book is to set up a framework for discussions on social and technical issues of online communities. Designing usability and supporting sociability lays a solid foundation on which online communities can grow and thrive. Intended for both students and computer professionals, the book addresses the development of new online communities as well as the improvement of existing ones. It is divided into two parts - Getting Acquainted with Online Communities and Developing Online Communities - along with a preface and a concluding chapter which explores the future of online communities. For sample chapters and other resources, please check out the web site for the book at www.ifsm.umbc.edu/onlinecommunities.

The purpose of the book is to set up a framework for discussions on social and technical issues of online communities. Designing usability and supporting sociability lays a solid foundation on which online communities can grow and thrive. Intended for both students and computer professionals, the book addresses the development of new online communities as well as the improvement of existing ones. It is divided into two parts - Getting Acquainted with Online Communities and Developing Online Communities - along with a preface and a concluding chapter which explores the future of online communities. For sample chapters and other resources, please check out the web site for the book at ifsm.umbc.edu/onlinecommunities.

Booknews

This resource for online community developers, students, and researchers describes issues related to the development and maintenance of online communities both large and small, from local parent-teacher associations to environmental action groups and large commercial communities. It categorizes different types of online communities; discusses basics of sociability, usability, and research in the field; gives suggestions for choosing software; and tells how to select and use methods for evaluating online communities. Of interest to students learning about online communities and cyberspace human-computer interaction, online community developers, and moderators. The author teaches at the University of Maryland. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Jenny Preece is Professor and Chair of Information Systems at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she teaches online communities and human-computer interaction. Prior to coming to the USA she chaired the first distance education course at the Open University in the UK. She has authored a leading text on Human-Computer Interaction and numerous other publications.