Dissertation Proposal Sneak Preview:

The Dynamics of Internet Aided

Voluntary Collaborative Work

Vedat G. Diker

University at Albany – SUNY

April 2002

About Me

4th year Information Science PhD Student majoring in GDSM, “minoring” in Org. Studies.

Industrial Engineering and Management background.

Planning to defend proposal in May 2002.Planning to defend dissertation by the end of

2002.Planning to get a faculty position in a school of

Information Science or Management by Fall 2003.

Purpose of Today’s Presentation

Introduce my ideas and my questions about my dissertation proposal.

Get your comments and suggestions.

A Short Background

Worked on OS Market Model (Linux vs. Microsoft), with Jochen Scholl.

Developed interest in Open-Source Software philosophy.

Shaped the interest into a dissertation topic, given existing conditions.

Working Title

The Dynamics of Internet Aided Voluntary Collaborative Work: The Case of Curriculum and Instruction Material

Development in the Field of System Dynamics

A Recent Phenomenon

Large groups of widely dispersed people collaborating on voluntary or semi-voluntary basis, in order to develop and improve a wide range of “information artifacts”, using the Internet as a medium.

Example Information Artifacts

SoftwareClass notesReportsEssaysPresentation SlidesLink collectionsetc.

Main Research Question

Are there generic dynamics that govern voluntary collaboration projects on the Internet?

Detailed Research Questions- What are the dynamic determinants of success

in large scale Internet-aided voluntary collaboration projects?

- What are the reinforcing dynamics? What are the limiting/balancing dynamics?

- What initial or ongoing conditions support or impede Internet-aided voluntary collaboration?

- What can be done to improve the efficiency, productivity, and the overall success of Internet-aided voluntary collaboration projects?

Three (?) Models

Open Source Software DevelopmentOnline Communities*Contributor-Run Digital Libraries*

*Are these totally different? What is the difference? What determines which project falls into which category?

Open Source SoftwareSeveral successful big-scale projects

(GNU/Linux, Apache, Perl)Most individual projects have various

organizational and leadership structures, and work in a coherent manner.

However there are disputes, and “factions” among the overall community. (e.g. Free Software movement vs. Open Source Software movement)

Online Communities

Employee (Corporate) CommunitiesCustomer/Consumer Communities

Membership based (HMOs, Financial inst.s)Free/Open (amazon.com, eBay, cnet.com)

Other (Informative Communities ???)Subscription based (The Well)Free/Open (about.com, slashdot.com)

Contributor-Run Digital Libraries

ibiblio.orgProject Gutenbergmore examples ???

System Dynamics in K-12 Community

Will serve as a case to calibrate the generic model.

If there are generic dynamics that govern voluntary collaboration projects on the Internet, we should be able to apply those to the case of System Dynamics in K-12 Education.

Methodological FrameworkCarry out literature review and determine

anchor prepositions.Carry out and analyze 2-3 initial interviews to

determine what to look for in the SD in K-12 case.

Build initial model, which will help develop the formal interviews.

Carry out and analyze 10-12 formal interviews (or a survey?).

Build, refine, and analyze formal model.

DeterminantsPrepositions People Economic Organizational

- PoliticalTechnological - Physical

Ideological – Philosophical

Open Source Software Development

Online Communities

Contributor-Run Digital Libraries

General Prepositions (applicable to the case)

DeterminantsPrepositions People Economic Organizational

- PoliticalTechnological - Physical

Ideological – Philosophical

Open Source Software Development * * *Online Communities

Contributor-Run Digital Libraries

General Prepositions (applicable to the case)

* * *

My Questions

“Cover all the sectors of the Models – Determinant table” vs. “Focus on …” (Which models, which determinant dimensions)?

Focus on “with Internet vs. without Internet”, OR “successful vs. unsuccessful”, OR else?

What is “success”? What is a “successful community”?

My QuestionsAre Online Communities and CR Digital

Libraries totally different? What is the difference? What determines which project falls into which category?

Are there really three models? Less? More? What are they?

What should be the criteria to classify on-line communities?

Thank you for your time and ideas.