Discussion groups on the Internet as sources of information: the case of social work

Berman, Yitzhak

doi:10.1108/eb051407

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Some of the early studies reviewed information seeking in discussion groups. Berman (1996) explored the purposes of the use of two discussion groups in the field of social work. Information seeking appeared to be quite frequent in these forums since because the share of messages containing a request was 23 per cent in the former group and 11 per cent in the latter.…”

Section: The Use Of Discussion Forums and Blogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Requesting and providing information in blogs and internet discussion forums

Savolainen

2011

Journal of Documentation

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Purpose -The major aim of this study is to find out whether people articulate their information needs and provide information to others differently in online sites of various types, more specifically, blogs and Internet discussion forums. Design/methodology/approach -The study is based on the analysis of ten blogs and 40 threads of Suomi24, a Finnish Internet discussion forum. The blogs and discussion threads focus on the same topic, that is, coping with depression. For the study, 1044 blog postings, 1727 bloggers´ and blog readers´ comments and 1236 messages written by the discussion forum participants were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Findings -The bloggers, blog readers and discussion group participants mainly articulated needs related to getting an opinion or evaluation of an issue, while needs for factual information and procedural information about possible ways of action were presented less frequently. Information provision drew strongly on the use of personal knowledge. There were no remarkable differences between the types of online sites with regard to the articulation of information needs and using sources for providing information to others. Research limitations/implications -The findings are based on the analysis of a limited number of Finnish blogs and discussion threads in the field of coping with depression. Thus, the findings cannot be generalized to all online forums of these kinds. Practical implications -Blogs and Internet discussion forums provide useful sites to pose questions for online contributors and to get opinions as well as factual information about the ways to cope with depression. Originality/value -The study is unique in that it compares information needs and information provision in online sites of various types.

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Section: The Use Of Discussion Forums and Blogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Requesting and providing information in blogs and internet discussion forums

Savolainen

2011

Journal of Documentation

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“…Gasker and Cascio (2000) observed that female and male students participated in online discussions with equal frequency. According to Berman (1996), online discussions offer students with disabilities the chance to communicate in a more "neutral" environment.…”

Section: Journal Of Technology In Human Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Electronic Discussion Forums in Social Work Diversity Education: A Comparison of Anonymous and Identified Participation

Bertera¹,

Littlefield²

2003

Journal of Technology in Human Services

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Two Web-based forums for discussing diversity issues were evaluated as part of graduate social work education. Data included surveys from 91 students as well as aggregate Web use information. Outcomes included perceived learning benefits related to cultural competency, improved relationships and benefits of anonymous vs. identified participation in the forums. We found that (1) 75% of the students reported benefits related to learning cultural competency; (2) just over 60% experienced positive impacts on relationships with classmates;(3) 54% believed anonymity improved honesty during forum dialogues; however, students who participated in the author-identified forums perceived significantly more perceived learning benefits related to cultural competency than those who participated in the anonymous forums; and (4) over one-third of students improved their perceived technological competence as a result of participating in the forums. We conclude that

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“…The advent of Web 2.0 and the newer technologies of social networking and microblogging platforms have expanded the possibilities of professional networking and perhaps virtual communities [ 8 ]. While reasons for establishing a discrete VC vary, the most common motivation was to create a professional forum where relevant professional and academic issues may be discussed and knowledge shared [ 27 - 39 ]. Unfortunately at this time, membership of many health care VCs is often homophilic (ie, the tendency to associate with individuals who share similar values and characteristics [ 13 ]) where members are commonly from a single health care discipline and usually work in a specific clinical specialty area [ 25 , 31 , 37 , 40 - 42 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why We Belong - Exploring Membership of Healthcare Professionals in an Intensive Care Virtual Community Via Online Focus Groups: Rationale and Protocol

Rolls¹,

Hansen²,

Jackson³

et al. 2016

JMIR Res Protoc

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BackgroundMany current challenges of evidence-based practice are related to ineffective social networks among health care professionals. Opportunities exist for multidisciplinary virtual communities to transcend professional and organizational boundaries and facilitate important knowledge transfer. Although health care professionals have been using the Internet to form virtual communities for many years, little is known regarding “why” they join, as most research has focused on the perspective of “posters,” who form a minority of members.ObjectiveOur aim was to develop a comprehensive understanding of why health care professionals belong to a virtual community (VC).MethodsA qualitative approach will be used to explore why health care professionals belong to an intensive care practice-based VC, established since 2003. Three asynchronous online focus groups will be convened using a closed secure discussion forum. Participants will be recruited directly by sending emails to the VC and a Google form used to collect consent and participant demographics. Participants will be stratified by their online posting behaviors between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2014: (1) more than 5 posts, (2) 1-5 posts, or (3) no posts. A question guide will be used to guide participant discussion. A moderation approach based on the principles of focus group method and e-moderation has been developed. The main source of data will be discussion threads, supported by a research diary and field notes. Data analysis will be undertaken using a thematic approach and framed by the Diffusion of Innovation theory. NVivo software will be used to support analyses.ResultsAt the time of writing, 29 participants agreed to participate (Focus Group 1: n=4; Focus Group 2: n=16; Focus Group 3: n=9) and data collection was complete.ConclusionsThis study will contribute to a growing body of research on the use of social media in professional health care settings. Specifically, we hope results will demonstrate an enhancement of health care professionals’ social networks and how VCs may improve knowledge distribution and patient care outcomes. Additionally, the study will contribute to research methods development in this area by detailing approaches to understand the effectiveness of online focus groups as a data collection method for qualitative research methods.

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Discussion groups on the Internet as sources of information: the case of social work

Cited by 16 publications

References 6 publications

Requesting and providing information in blogs and internet discussion forums

Requesting and providing information in blogs and internet discussion forums

Evaluation of Electronic Discussion Forums in Social Work Diversity Education: A Comparison of Anonymous and Identified Participation

Why We Belong - Exploring Membership of Healthcare Professionals in an Intensive Care Virtual Community Via Online Focus Groups: Rationale and Protocol

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