Purpose: Second Life is a user-created online virtual world, which is a place where people with s... more Purpose: Second Life is a user-created online virtual world, which is a place where people with shared interests can meet and be together and share information. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Second Life communities foster and nurture social capital, whether social capital within Second Life is related to social capital outside the virtual world, whether some characteristics affect the likelihood of users having social capital, and whether some existing measure of social capital can be modified and used to study social capital in Second Life. Design/methodology/approach: Study is based on a statistical analysis of data gathered in a web survey of a convenience sample (N=67) of Second Life residents. The social capital measure used was based on Bullen and Onyx, 1998. Findings: Second Life is an environment that fosters the emergence of social capital. Residents, who consider themselves as producers, have higher levels of social capital than those, who consider themselves as non-producers. Having social capital within Second Life is unrelated to having social capital outside the virtual world. Consistency of the instrument proved to be excellent for measuring social capital within Second Life and good outside the virtual world. Research limitations/implications: Small sample size and the composition of the research population limit the possibilities to generalise the findings. Practical implications: Second Life is a potent environment for community building and collective action. Communities and collective action within Second Life cannot be based, however, on the social activity outside the virtual world. Originality/value: The present study is the first systematic investigation of social capital in Second Life.
Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 1984
Abstract This entry provides an overview of European Union (EU) information policy, focusing on i... more Abstract This entry provides an overview of European Union (EU) information policy, focusing on its formation, its goals, and its influence. European Union information policy refers to the legislation and strategies pertaining to the European policy for the creation of the information society. It is concerned with economic and industrial competitiveness, with an emphasis on the role that information and communication technologies play in revolutionizing everyday life, a broad goal with far reaching socioeconomic implications. ...
Purpose The aim of this article is to both theoretically and empirically define the concept of Li... more Purpose The aim of this article is to both theoretically and empirically define the concept of Library 2.0. Design/methodology/approach Written answers to question "What is Library 2.0?" given by practitioners and researchers (n=29) interested in Library 2.0 issues were analyzed by using co-word analysis to map the underlying elements of the concept.
ABSTRACT Introduction. The aim of this paper is to combine insights of collaborative information ... more ABSTRACT Introduction. The aim of this paper is to combine insights of collaborative information behaviour and information cultures in organizations to bridge different aspects of managing knowledge-creation and information sharing in order to highlight the importance of supporting collaborative handling within business environments. Method and Analysis. This paper is a literature review and a theoretical discussion on the influence of information culture and information practices in the context of managing collaborative information sharing in work settings. Discussion and Conclusions. The review underlines how information culture affects different processes within a knowledge organization. It also explores how collaborative information handling processes are related to work practices. It is clearly fruitful to integrate these perspectives of information culture and collaborative information behaviour giving good grounds for developing both lines of research further, posing important questions for empirical work.
Purpose: Second Life is a user-created online virtual world, which is a place where people with s... more Purpose: Second Life is a user-created online virtual world, which is a place where people with shared interests can meet and be together and share information. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Second Life communities foster and nurture social capital, whether social capital within Second Life is related to social capital outside the virtual world, whether some characteristics affect the likelihood of users having social capital, and whether some existing measure of social capital can be modified and used to study social capital in Second Life. Design/methodology/approach: Study is based on a statistical analysis of data gathered in a web survey of a convenience sample (N=67) of Second Life residents. The social capital measure used was based on Bullen and Onyx, 1998. Findings: Second Life is an environment that fosters the emergence of social capital. Residents, who consider themselves as producers, have higher levels of social capital than those, who consider themselves as non-producers. Having social capital within Second Life is unrelated to having social capital outside the virtual world. Consistency of the instrument proved to be excellent for measuring social capital within Second Life and good outside the virtual world. Research limitations/implications: Small sample size and the composition of the research population limit the possibilities to generalise the findings. Practical implications: Second Life is a potent environment for community building and collective action. Communities and collective action within Second Life cannot be based, however, on the social activity outside the virtual world. Originality/value: The present study is the first systematic investigation of social capital in Second Life.
Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 1984
Abstract This entry provides an overview of European Union (EU) information policy, focusing on i... more Abstract This entry provides an overview of European Union (EU) information policy, focusing on its formation, its goals, and its influence. European Union information policy refers to the legislation and strategies pertaining to the European policy for the creation of the information society. It is concerned with economic and industrial competitiveness, with an emphasis on the role that information and communication technologies play in revolutionizing everyday life, a broad goal with far reaching socioeconomic implications. ...
Purpose The aim of this article is to both theoretically and empirically define the concept of Li... more Purpose The aim of this article is to both theoretically and empirically define the concept of Library 2.0. Design/methodology/approach Written answers to question "What is Library 2.0?" given by practitioners and researchers (n=29) interested in Library 2.0 issues were analyzed by using co-word analysis to map the underlying elements of the concept.
ABSTRACT Introduction. The aim of this paper is to combine insights of collaborative information ... more ABSTRACT Introduction. The aim of this paper is to combine insights of collaborative information behaviour and information cultures in organizations to bridge different aspects of managing knowledge-creation and information sharing in order to highlight the importance of supporting collaborative handling within business environments. Method and Analysis. This paper is a literature review and a theoretical discussion on the influence of information culture and information practices in the context of managing collaborative information sharing in work settings. Discussion and Conclusions. The review underlines how information culture affects different processes within a knowledge organization. It also explores how collaborative information handling processes are related to work practices. It is clearly fruitful to integrate these perspectives of information culture and collaborative information behaviour giving good grounds for developing both lines of research further, posing important questions for empirical work.
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Papers by G. Widén-wulff