A Database Is Not a Community:
Important Social Dynamics in On-Line Groups
Dr. Lee Sproull, Boston University, USA
Thursday, Nov. 12th, 8:30-9:30 AM
While efficient access to information continues to be both a hallmark and goal of the web, the net is more than an information technology. It is also a social technology where people seek social validation and affiliation as well as information. Mini-case studies of field service technicians, consumer marketing, and electronic support groups illustrate key features of social dynamics on the web. They lead to the conclusion that building explicit support for identity and community can increase the effectiveness of web-based applications.
Lee Sproull
is Professor of Management at Boston University where she has also been research director
for the School of Management and chair of the IS department.
She has been a visiting scientist at Xerox PARC, Digital Cambridge Research Lab, and Lotus Development Corporation.
Currently she is a member of the working group on social and economic implications of computer and communications technology for the National Research Council and is a trustee of The Computer Museum. She has published eight books and more than sixty articles on the social and organizational implications of information and computing technology.
Prior to joining Boston University in 1990, she was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University. She has a B.A. from Wellesley Colege and Ph.D. from Stanford University.