Newspapers and Discussion Boards
Online Communities or Social Networks?
by Glenn Scott and Cassandra Imfeld
Part
I
Overview
Purpose:
• Do newspapers' Web sites create community?
• How does community emerge in an online newspaper?
• What are the benefits of this online community found on online newspapers?
Definition of community for online newspaper sites:
A horizontal gathering of individuals who converge on a newspaper's Web site
to exchange social and knowledge capital and to engage in communion.
Online community guidelines
• Rheingold
• Lin
• Preece
Methodology for surveying online newspapers
Honolulu
Advertiser
• Demographics/Culture
- Hawaiian
roots
• Social Capital
-
Post on Oct. 11, 2002 12:03 PM
- Post
on Jun. 14, 2001 05:17 AM
• Knowledge Capital
-
Post on Oct. 18, 2002 12:24 AM
-
Post on June 07, 2001 09:21 PM
• Communion
-
Post on Mar. 03, 2002 08:04 PM
-
Birthday Calendar
• Software
-
Search Function
-
Members List
Part
II
Newspapers evaluated
USA
Today
Social Capital
• No attempts to mediate conflict
• Users directly address each other
• Only the newspaper can post new topics
Knowledge Capital
• Links to news stories (print and audio)
• Newspaper articles
• Cartoons
Communion
• Users can create a public profile
-Birthday
Oregonian
(Portland)
Social Capital
• Users directly address each other
• No attempts to mediate conflict
Knowledge Capital
• Links
• Newspaper articles
Communion
•Users can create a public profile:
- I am:_____________________
- I like:____________________
- I don't like: _______________
- My motto: ________________
- My homepage: ____________
The
Times Picayune
Social Capital
• Users directly address each other
• Attempts to mediate conflict
Knowledge Capital
• None
Communion
•Users can create a public profile:
- I am:_____________________
- I like:____________________
- I don't like: _______________
- My motto: ________________
- My homepage: ____________
Knoxville
News-Sentinel
Social Capital
• Discussion boards are moderated by users
• Attempts to moderate conflict
• Users directly address each other
Knowledge Capital
• Links to news stories
Communion
• Users can create a public profile
- Gender
- Political affiliation
- Birth year
- Home town
- Family
- Race / Ethnicity
- Religion
- Occupation
- OR Short biographical sketch
Port
Huron Times Herald*
Social Capital
• Discussion boards are moderated by users
• Attempts to moderate conflict
• Users directly address each other
Knowledge Capital
• Links to news stories
Communion
• Users can create a public profile
- Gender
- Political affiliation
- Birth year
- Home town
- Family
- Race / Ethnicity
- Religion
- Occupation
- OR Short biographical sketch
Last updated 11/25/02
©2002