Post by jeremyfoote on Mar 28, 2013 12:41:51 GMT -5
One of my research projects involves the online genealogy community at www.werelate.org. It is a website that allows users to collaborate around the creation of a shared family tree - sort of a Wikipedia of dead people. 
Many of the tasks needed to participate in the community are fairly involved, requiring either technical know-how, specialized genealogical or geographical knowledge, or familiarity with community norms and practices. Other tasks are much easier, and more peripheral to the site.
I believe that this community constitutes a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). I use digital trace data and social network analysis to measure how participants move from participating in peripheral tasks to becoming more central. My primary hypothesis is that observing the work of experts in the community is a prerequisite for making this move into the community.
The work of preparing the data for analysis has been tricky, and I would love help from computer scientists in making sure that my code is correct, and also in figuring out ways to gather other data from this and other communities.
Many of the tasks needed to participate in the community are fairly involved, requiring either technical know-how, specialized genealogical or geographical knowledge, or familiarity with community norms and practices. Other tasks are much easier, and more peripheral to the site.
I believe that this community constitutes a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). I use digital trace data and social network analysis to measure how participants move from participating in peripheral tasks to becoming more central. My primary hypothesis is that observing the work of experts in the community is a prerequisite for making this move into the community.
The work of preparing the data for analysis has been tricky, and I would love help from computer scientists in making sure that my code is correct, and also in figuring out ways to gather other data from this and other communities.