Steph's E-learning and Digital Cultures site » community http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec part of the MSc in E-learning at the University of Edinburgh Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:05:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Virtual Ethnography http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/03/07/virtual-ethnography/ http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/03/07/virtual-ethnography/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:30:00 +0000 Steph Carr http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/03/07/virtual-ethnography/

]]> http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/03/07/virtual-ethnography/feed/ 14 Fishy behaviour http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/02/24/fishy-behaviour/ http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/02/24/fishy-behaviour/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:19:00 +0000 Steph Carr http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/02/24/fishy-behaviour/ I carry out task based lurking behaviour (Kozinet’s 2010 p.26) on many subjects – one of which is keeping tropical fish. I’m a beginner and I like to learn how to do things properly so I google many questions and that often leads to searching through fora to get hints and tips from ‘real people’ (Kozinet’s quotes p.27). What I find interesting is how the status of the *experts* is displayed. This example shows that the member offering help to the newbie is a five-star ‘Hero member’ – you couldn’t get a much more explicit clue to his helpfulness within the fishy world! We also see that he is a fairly established member of the community having contributed a fair number of posts (1696). In addition, under the line, he gives an impressive account of his own aquarium and its inhabitants. I believe that this signature etiquette is suggested so that participants in the forum can have enough information about a contributor to avoid asking basic questions; but it also lends gravitas to this member (the Juwel 180 is a serious bit of (expensive) kit). It appears that sethyr has established his postition of dominance using the symbols which Paccanella (in Kozinet p.24) discusses.

]]> http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/02/24/fishy-behaviour/feed/ 5 edc’bund’MOOC http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/02/23/edcbundmooc/ http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/2013/02/23/edcbundmooc/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 09:53:58 +0000 Steph Carr http://edc13.education.ed.ac.uk/stephaniec/?p=180 Bell (p.107) appears to be in agreement with Kevin Hetherington’s suggestion that ‘community’ is an outdated vague term, and that perhaps we should revisit the erstwhile sociological notion of Bund. Hetherington notes Freund’s (unenthusiastic) view of Bund as ‘a place for the expression of enthusiasms, of ferment, of unusual doings’. Bell, furthermore, suggests that this notion may be useful to describe  online life and will help to circumnavigate the binary arguments about virtual communities. He adds further descriptors: elective grouping; affective and emotional solidarity; strong sense of belonging; charismatic governance (leader or collective).

So, does the edcMOOC fulfill these criteria? Let’s take a quick and dirty look!!

…ENTHUSIASMS/ELECTIVE GROUPINGS 

From all over the world!

 

…FERMENT

Sian’s challenge to the sentimental campus

…AFFECTIVE AND EMOTIONAL SOLIDARITY

…STRONG SENSE OF BELONGING

…CHARISMATIC GOVERNANCE

Check out our charismatic cyberpunk leaders (all of them appearing to be jacked in to the MOOC uploading their consciousness via white headphone/mic combos :-) ).

…UNUSUAL DOINGS 

Many, many (fabulous) unusual doings. Here, here and here  for instance.

Conclusion: Criteria fulfilled :-)

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