Trust and Security Online - Not so much!!!!!!

We were beginning to have a great discussion last night at the end of class about Ethics and the Internet and issues of privacy and transparency. This morning I found 2 very recent articles that talk about these issues including cyberbulling.

The first article is one from the Economist (February 2009 issue) and it's titled: Only connect: Reaching out online in an age of uncertainty. It discusses social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn but especially argues how LinkedIn’s business model differs from other social networking sites and renders it more effective in terms of confidentiality and privacy. The article examines Robert Metcalfe’s law to social networking. Metcalfe, who is known as the the father of the Ethernet protocol, states that “the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of devices connected to it”. In short, he argues that LinkedIn is better because it is smaller and has been been designed for professional users, providing little outlet for intimate details—unlike Facebook or MySpace where “you would inevitably divulge a good deal of personal information to quite a few people who could do you harm”. Great read – check it out:
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13129427

The second and also very recent article focuses on the issues of cyberbulling, anonymity and freedom of speech on the net. It’s title says it all: Slimed Online. It focuses on two Yale law students, who were severly attacked online and how they may help change the rules by having filed legal suits against their anonymous attackers. The attacks were shockingly mean and carried much reprecusion for these students. This quote from the article calls into question what most are already so concerned about—online trust and security. “And while anything goes in the Google era, everything also stays, and spreads. The whole world is now the bathroom wall, and that can never be entirely painted over”. I encourage everyone to read this article …… it’s disturbing, but most importantly, a real eye opener (for those who are not too still too trusting online!) . Here is the link:
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2009/02/11/Two-Lawyers-Fight-Cyber-Bullying?print=true

I look forward to having more great discussion around these issues! I am scepticle as it is on the net and never divulge more information than needed. When I read this kind of article, it makes me cringe at the potential distruction of people’s lives with the mass amount of technological tools we have in our hands today.

And on that happy note, I sign off……………………Franca

Whose definition is it anyway?????

First, I would not be me without injecting a little humour!!!!!

Now on a more serious note....I really enjoyed the last few discussions we’ve had concerning online vs. face-to-face communities. I am especially concerned and surprised over the ‘many’ definitions individuals give to ‘online’ or ‘virtual’ communities. From much of what I have seen and read thus far, I would suggest there is more of a struggle to define ‘online’ communities than face-to-face communities. Perhaps that is because it’s harder to define something you can’t really see and may definitely be much harder to examine. In the most simplistic terms, you would define it as a ‘community’ that happens via the web…..but of course, this would first entail some agreement around what a ‘community’ is in general.

In their article, Jenny Preece & Diane Maloney-Krichmar (2003) (http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/~preece/paper/7%20Handbook%20v1.7Final.pdf) begin by asking the question: What constitutes an online community? They begin their argument by stating that “There is no accepted definition of online community. The term means different things to different people” and they support this view by examining definitions and descriptions from a variety of disciplines.

I came across another interesting article which compares online and face-to-face communities. Oren Etzioni, in his article, Face-To-Face And Computer-Mediated Communities, A Comparative Analysis (http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/etzioni/E31.html) defines ‘community’ as “having two attributes: first, a web of affect-laden relationships that encompasses a group of individuals--relationships that crisscross and reinforce one another, rather than simply a chain of one-on-one relationships……(s)econd, communities require a measure of commitment to a set of shared values, mores, meanings, and a shared historical identity--in short, a culture”. This further begs the question: What constitutes a shared ‘culture’?

I think it is valuable to see how it is defined in Wikipedia since it is a collaborative website and people all over the world get to edit these definitions…..So why not ask those who make up ‘online’ communities how they define ‘online’ community?!?! ..........Anyway, here is the Wiki definition of a virtual community, e-community or online community: “a group of people that primarily interact via communication media such as newsletters, telephone, email, online social networks or instant messages rather than face to face, for social, professional, educational or other purposes. If the mechanism is a computer network, it is called an online community. Virtual and online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chatrooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks”.

During my googling, I also discovered another interesting article/book called: Communities in Cyberspace (By Marc A. Smith, Peter Kollock) where the authors discuss many of the same issues including communication and interaction examinations. (http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=210IkjyN8gEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA167&dq=online+communities+versus+face+to+face+communities&ots=Xu1UkJPmqx&sig=M1QAi3bmjA4X3BwNLN7B35vcR_A#PPR21,M1)
Ok one last interesting bit of information ……… this guy has dedicated a blog to trying to define ‘online’ community. Check it out: http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/12/28/defining-the-term-community/.

Going beyond trying to define ‘online’ community, there are even more pressing questions like: How do people interact in online communities? What is a successful online community? (Jenny Preece & Diane Maloney-Krichmar, 2003). This opens up an even bigger debate!

Next week, my team and I will be presenting on communities and social networks and hopefully provide an engaging discussion on whether communities are social networks and furthermore, whether online social networks support community development. This brings yet another twist to this intriguing debate……….Stay tuned!!

Franca