Open Learning Network

The emergence of the internet has enabled individuals to connect and participate in online social activities in ways never before imaginable, creating and forming online communities around social objects. Users participate in these communities in many different ways. In this research, I have tried to trace the user's journey in digital spaces by performing daily observations on 250 users and how they participate in selected sites.

Data Collection

User activities in online communities were recorded. Activities involved actions including: downloading, uploading, joining groups, commenting in forums, blogs, 'friending' and 'following' other members, creation and co-creation of content, among many other actions. At this point, it would be useful to stress that the actions recorded are ACTUAL actions users have been doing and not actions users say they have performed on these sites. The following mind map gives a sample of the activities observed and how the data is organised after its been processed and analysed.

Data Analysis

Segmentation techniques were employed in order to codify, cluster and link the data elements to associated segments. Each segment described specific actions that the users perform when participating online. Computer software was used to discover relationships between segments in order to spot patterns, similarities and differences and special cases within and between the segments. Crucial to this analysis was the consistency of recording the daily observations, which made it relatively easy to then identify the segments that emerged.

Modes of Participation

From the analysis of the segments, 4 modes of user participation emerged:

MODE 1: To browse, gather and share content

MODE 2: To give / receive feedback and expertise

MODE 3: To collaborate and jointly decide about actions

MODE 4: To share control over the content and the community

These modes have many similar points with the 'Reader to Leader Framework', the significant research by Jenny Preece and Ben Shneiderman of Maryland University. Although my findings show similar patterns of participation there are several differences, these are:

• The data observations show user participation occuring in modes rather than stages. Users switch between modes, or even enter at one mode and retain this position for as long as they are participating in the online community. For example, there were users that went straight into Mode 3 or 4, due to their influence and status in the equivalent real-world (physical) community. If the community reciprocates positively to their activities they would stay in the selected mode; if the community didn't reciprocate they would become less active and even switch to a less involved mode.
• In Mode 4, which is the most intense and involved mode of participation, the users are sharing control (rather than becoming leaders as is the case in the 'Reader to Leader Framework') with others over the content and the community and acquiring different roles (administrator, moderator, manager etc) to further involve the other members of the community and also to ensure that the content and community are protected against violations and vandalism.

'Fairy Rings' of Participation

As mentioned above, users tend to switch between modes of participation or even remain in one specific mode during their entire online journey in the online community. When I initially observed this, through the daily observations of the user activities, I wanted to understand why this was happening, what was affecting the mode of participation they selected and why they changed between modes. Several elements were detected that highly influenced how users behaved online. These elements seem to form an underground 'hidden' network, an 'invisible' layer that affects how users participate in the community. When the dynamics of these element interactions change there is a shift in position or changing between modes for the user.

In 'From Teams to Knots', Yrjö Engeström employs the biological metaphor of 'mycorrhizae', the 'invisible organic texture underneath visibile fungi' to explain powerful underground activities that are occuring through 'horizontal and multidimensional connections'. Similar formations are observed when a radically spreading underground network of fungi activity results in a ring or arc formation of mushrooms, also known as a 'fairy ring'. In our case, a 'fairy ring' of participation is formed where the 'visible' layer shows the user activities in different modes however there is an 'invisible' network of element interactions that controls and affects these activities. The above diagram depicts this process.