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Etiquette, Empathy and Trust in Communities of Practice: Stepping-Stones to Social Capital
Jennifer Preece (University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA)
Abstract: Creating online communities of practice involves much more than creating software. Software houses online communities of practice activities but social interactions also depend on who is involved, what their goals are, their personalities and the community's norms and policies. By paying attention to these sociability issues, community members can influence how their community develops. Norms that lead to good online etiquette, empathy and trust between community members provide stepping-stones for social capital development.
Keywords: communities of practice, etiquette, explicit knowledge, online communities, sociability, social capital, social norms, tacit knowledge, trust
Categories: A.1, H.5, I.7
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