(academic) community management in the humanities and social sciences for publishers, librarians,...

(Academic) Community Management in the Humanities and Social Sciences for Publishers,

Librarians, and Enthusiasts

Sonntag, 25. September 11

NameCornelius Puschmann

AffiliationsUniversity of Düsseldorf, Institute for Internet and Society (Berlin)

DisciplinesLinguistics/Information Science

Research interestsCommunication and interaction through digital technology (in general)How the internet is impacting scholarship (in particular)

Web/Twitterhttp://nfgwin.uni-duesseldorf.de http://ynada.com ; @coffee001

#internetresearch #openaccess #digitalhumanities #opendata #electronicpublishing #escience


http://nfgwin.uni-duesseldorf.de

http://nfgwin.uni-duesseldorf.de

http://ynada.com

http://ynada.com

Where to next?


what is a community?

what is a virtual community?

?what‘s special about academic communities?

what is community management?


Goal:A set of tentative recommendations for supporting virtual communities


“A group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often [..] sharing some common values; [..] social cohesion within a shared geographical location.“

“Since the advent of the Internet, the concept of community no longer has geographical limitations, as people can now virtually gather in an online community and share common interests regardless of physical location.“

-Wikipedia

What is a community?


sharedideas

values

occupation

interests

space

language

culture


Academia is a community of practice


The Internet has become the backbone of communication, commerce, and media [..] Along with this, the public is transforming. The mass media and mass audience analyzed by the Frankfurt School are long past. Today we inhabit multiple, overlapping and global networks such as user forums, Facebook, Flickr, blogs, and wikis. The media industry which just a decade ago seemed well-established, is in flux, facing its greatest challenge ever.

networkedpublics.org

What is a virtual community?


Don‘t confuse a community with its representation


What (or who) is missing?


macro scale• planning, building, and supporting a (virtual) community

micro scale• being present • listening and reacting to feedback• moderating debates• addressing criticism• policing community rules• keeping things tidy

What is community management?


Popular (virtual) academic communitiesoften address simple needs


• both communities of knowledge and profession• not generally open to amateurs• complex hierarchies/power relations• “invisible“ colleges• conservative technology users• don‘t always embrace change

What is special about academic communities?


We‘re all part of countless communities


Representing them digitally is not always easy


(Academic) entities can form around many different things

publications conferences/events

infrastructures/platforms

libraries institutes


Community: grown...


...or built?


Do we need ad-hoc networks...


... or permanent institutions?


What‘s the right communicative infrastructure?

Who makes the rules? Who participates?


A checklist for (virtual, academic) communities


Question #1Who are the people I‘m trying to serve?


Question #1Who are the people I‘m trying to serve?

What are their needs?

What kind of infrastructure could be helpful to them?


Question #2How do I reach out to them?


Question #2How do I reach out to them?

E.g. invite people to brainstorm and discuss,

involve them in the process to avoid early mistakes


Question #3What mix of measures is right for them?


Question #3What mix of measures is right for them?

E.g. digital tools for communication and

knowledge management plus physical meetups


Question #4Do I need to build any new tools?


Question #4Do I need to build any new tools?

What about everything that‘s already out there and available for free?

If it‘s something that would attract a community, why hasn‘t it been built yet?


Question #5Am I proving a new infrastructure for an existing

community or “inventing“ a new community altogether?


Question #5Am I proving a new infrastructure for an existing

community or “inventing“ a new community altogether?

a) Does the infrastructure really meet the community‘s needs?

b) Will people congregate around the issue I‘ve chosen?


Question #6How are the people I‘m trying to serve involved in the

planning, designing, implementation and continued operation of the platform?


Question #6How are the people I‘m trying to serve involved in the

planning, designing, implementation and continued operation of the platform?

Are they part of the team?Are they consulted on a regular basis?


Question #7Am I building a bridge between my platform and existing practices and services or am I trying to be revolutionary?


Question #7Am I building a bridge between my platform and existing practices and services or am I trying to be revolutionary?

Will the users adjust to a completely new (technological/

cultural) paradigm?


Question #8Do I really need to do any (traditional) marketing?


Question #8Do I really need to do any (traditional) marketing?

Does the product serve a vital function? If yes, marketing might

(partly) take care of itself.


Question #9Do I have the resources to fulfill my promises?


Question #9Do I have the resources to fulfill my promises?

What kind of funding is at my disposal? Is there a business plan?


Question #10How well does the platform or service I provide scale?


Question #10How well does the platform or service I provide scale?

What if I succeed and thousands of people join my community --

will I be able to keep up a sufficient quality of service?


Merci beaucoup pour votre attention!


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