Online Communities

01 Types, purpose and functionality of websites that support information exchange within online communities

 The types of websites for this key knowledge is defined by VCAA as including:defined by VCAA  blogs  chat rooms  forums  social networking  wikis

Types of online communities Social Work- related Project/interest based

Blogs What is a Blog? A website that is arranged in reverse chronological order, that publicises personal thought, ideas, opinions and that can include videos, images, text. It’s updated on a regular basis and is very much like a personal diary. Weblog Example: (video blogging)

Chat rooms Online messaging services, allowing either individuals or groups to communicate in real time. Can be international, local or very small. Need to register with username and password. Chat rooms can be monitored for inappropriate behaviour and often users can also report inappropriate behaviours. Examples of applications: Yahoo, MSN

Forums Message boards Allow users to hold conversations through posted messages. Thread – continuous conversation of posts Good for asking questions and getting answers Can be moderated by people who approve each post Example: es/first_website_pt1.html

Social Networking Allow people to communicate with others and present information about themselves. Examples: Facebook, Badoo, LinkedIn

Wikis Are and online software tool that allow a group of people to contribute in the development of either a documents, concepts. A very popular Wiki is Wikipedia Control is required and usually has a moderator to approve anonymous posts. Issues include copyright, misinformation, lack of reliable sources

The functionality of websites within Online Communities blogs  hierarchical editing privileges  rich text editor  spell checker  allow users to post information  allow readers to comment on posts  conduct polls  search through posts  provide RSS syndication feeds  post pictures, video, links  restrict access to features through registration and passwords  allow moderation of readers' comments  offer templates with different page styles  offer widgets to increase functionality (e.g. calendar)  SEO (search engine optimisation)

chat rooms  registration facilities  moderation  rich text editor  ability to block/ban users  spell checker  encryption  sending/receiving documents, files  audio/video support  saving and searching chat history websites.htm

forums  hierarchical editing privileges  ability of users to set personal preferences and edit their 'sig' (signature) and avatar  search facilities  auto-notify post authors if replies are made  attach documents  insert pictures, links, emoticons  RSS feeds  expand/collapse threads  ignore threads  lock threads (preventing further posts)  make threads 'sticky' so they always appear  user ranking of posts  polling/voting facilities  edit HTML source of posts  highlight new posts  indicate who is online  count posts and replies  allow quoting of previous posts

social networking  registration and secure login  personal profile page  moderation of posts  ability to connect with other users (friends)  ability to manage a friends list  page template themes  ability to customise profiles  search for users or text  provide and instant messaging  insert images, links  provide chatrooms  'live feed' of users' activities, photos etc websites.htm

wikis  registration and password-protected login  hierarchical editing privileges  rich text editor  communicate with other contributors  edit HTML source code  easily embed links, pictures, tables etc  roll back unwanted changes  lock topics to prevent further changes  pre-made page templates  ban users/IP addresses community-websites.htm

Recap What do you think a general purpose to an online community would be? To relay/ broadcast information and events To facilitate and/or encourage discussions, collaboration and information exchange To build up or develop organisation knowledge/projects