CITATION AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
Cite as: Schaefer, D. J. (1999). From community to community-ings: Making sense of electronic discussion groups. The Electronic Journal of Communication [On-line serial] 9 (2, 3, & 4).
© The Electronic Journal of Communication (1999).

ABSTRACT:
In the final years of the twentieth century, a steady chorus of voices has argued that digital networks should be employed to build communities characterized by free and equal participation. However, a survey of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and group decision support (GDS) research suggests that many theorists perpetuate transmissional/linear-flow or ritual/cultural conceptualizations of communication that may hinder theorizing about the process of online communication leading to community-building. In this paper, I argue that a more useful framework is offered by Dervin and colleague’s Sense-Making Methodology, which suggests procedural techniques that can be used to mine rich data relating to user experiences within electronic discussion groups (EDGs). I first explore the relationship of community and online communication, then critique current approaches utilized in computer mediated communication (CMC) research, offering as exemplar an analysis of three online discussion groups based upon Sense-Making Methodology.

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