Virtual Communities, Social Networks and Collaboration

Social networks and virtual communities are often in the news, either being censored or facilitating academic cooperation. Here, leading researchers cover cutting-edge topics such as the requirements for effective collaboration in on-line communities.

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Online communities are among the most obvious manifestations of social networks based on new media technology. Facilitating ad-hoc communication and leveraging collective intelligence by matching similar or related users have become important success factors in almost every successful business plan.



Researchers are just beginning to understand virtual communities and collaborations among participants currently proliferating across the world. Virtual Communities, Social Networks and Collaboration covers cutting edge research topics of utmost real-world importance in the specific domain of social networks. This volume focuses on exploring issues relating to the design, development, and outcomes from electronic groups and online communities, including:

- The implications of social networking,
- Understanding of how and why knowledge is shared among participants,
- What leads to participation, effective collaboration, co-creation and innovation,
- How organizations can better utilize the potential benefits of communities in both internal operations, marketing, and new product development.