Abstract(s) S-Z

Authors: Bence Sagvari
Institution: (ELTE-ITHAKA)

Session 4: Digital Inequality I
Type of presentation: oral presentation

Measuring the digital inequalities. New tools for research.

Abstract English: ICT (information and communication technology) revolution undoubtedly carries new possibilities and new problems at the same time. When the Internet appeared there had been an enormous expectation concerning its possible role of decreasing social inequalities within societies. But as time moved on, optimism has vanished and a more pessimistic view focusing on the negative impact of the Internet on social equality has become dominant. A division never seen before in the Hungarian society has developed by the end of 2004 regarding the possession of ICT. While results on national level show that recently the development of information society has slowed down, in some age groups (notably youth) outstanding changes and results can be experienced, even on an EU scale. This all means that an ambivalent process has begun in Hungary. While no significant change has happened in the number of ‘new’ users, the digital culture and digital literacy of ‘old’ users has experienced a quality shift. As a consequence of changes in technology (i.e. use of broadband at homes and schools), and the shift to online services and applications the extension of individual resources could be observed. This calls the attention of experts and decision makers to the fact that the digital gap in Hungary is deepening instead of narrowing. Being digitally illiterate means presumably a way towards social exclusion characterized by marginalized labour market position and weak social networks. Official statistics often pay attention only to the first level of digital inequalities (“haves and have-nots”), however in the societies where penetration rates are high, the second level (quality of ICT use) of these inequalities turn out to be more important. In my presentation I will explore the structure of digital inequalities in Hungary, with a strong emphasis on the empirical evidences of the two levels of digital divides. I will focus mainly on methodological issues, trying to show the weakness of some existing methods, and present adequate new tools for measuring these phenomena. I will use date from two national, longitudinal offline surveys (Youth2000&2004 and World Internet Project 2001-2004), and from the online NRC-TNS NetPanel.

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Authors: Laura Sartori
Institution:

E-Mail:

Session 4: Digital Inequality I

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Digital divide and digital inequalities in Italy.

Abstract English: We can trace back to 1995 the emergence of the term “digital divide”. Since then many studies have studied and tried to acknowledge what differences gender, age, education, race and income –among others- can make in terms of access to the Internet and to new digital technology. Internet access has been proven to be a huge resource for those who can benefit from it but also an important source of inequality and to new digital technology. More recently, attention has turned to inequalities, which arise from the use of the Internet once actors have access (digital inequalities) Differences in the use of the Internet can produce or reinforce uneven opportunities in economic, social and political participation. In this paper, quantitative data are used to describe the Italian case. We start comparing Italy to other countries on a variety of important dimensions to the digital divide (e.g. gender, age, education). A more detailed analysis of differences in access is also carried out only on the Italian case –both at family and individual level. A comparison to the mobile phone is also offered. Then, we turn to the differences in the use of the Internet at the individual level.

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Authors: Cora Schaefer
Institution: Universität Karlsruhe

Session 17: Knowledge Sharing in Online Groups I
Type of presentation: oral presentation

Effects of a groupware in a Virtual Consulting Firm

Abstract English: In this questionnaire study the implementation of a web-based, “virtual” working platform (i.e. groupware) in a consulting firm was accompanied to investigate the effects of the groupware on work performance and organizational identification. Previous studies have shown that crucial factors for successful virtual teams include well-defined goals, information about team pro¬ces¬ses, documentation of processes and projects, and knowledge exchange between team members. These factors can be assumed to also contribute to the success in a virtual organization. The implemented groupware is designed to support and structure communi¬cation within the project teams and function as an organization-wide knowledge base. Regarding organizational identification the study employed the theoretical framework of the SIDE-model (Reicher, Spears & Postmes, 1995) which applies the social identity approach to the context of computer-mediated communication (cmc). Because of its anonymity cmc is a typical situation of deindividuation which accentuates the already salient identity. Organizational identification is strengthened by frequent contact with the organization as well as high visibility and attractiveness of its member¬ship. Through the use of the groupware the organizational identity should be emphasized and made more available to the employees. Based on results of previous studies it was assumed that the implemented system would have a positive impact on organizational identification as well as on performance. To test the hypothesized changes three surveys, one before and two after the implementation, were conducted. The assumption of an improved performance could be only partly confirmed. Concerning the meeting of deadlines and the effort for team communication the observed improvements reached significance. The quality of work results, project planning and being informed did not improve significantly, though. At first view there could be no change seen in organizational identification. However, a closer exploratory analysis showed differences between the more and the less active team members. This finding poses the question regarding the impact of the activity within the organization. The results and further interpretation will be presented.

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Authors: Frank Scherthan, Jana Groß Ophoff, Ingmar Hosenfeld, Andreas Helmke (Universität Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Projekt VERA)
Institution: Universität Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Projekt VERA

Session :
Type of presentation: Poster

The internet as a tool for educational research – implementation and experiences in the VERA project

Abstract English: The poor performances of the German students reported by the PISA-study had a shocking effect in public. The ‘Kultusministerkonferenz’ responded by targeting seven fields of action, including ‘measures for further development and assurance of school’s quality based on standards and an output-oriented evaluation’. Especially the focus on competencies that are to be acquired at school and ‘enable further personal development and active participation in society’ (Klieme et al., 2003, p. 8) are to support the development of educational quality. It is expected that particularly state-wide educational monitoring programs (e.g. project VERA) can foster school development. Against this background a state-wide annual assessment of student\'s achievement in mathematics and German at the beginning of fourth grade was implemented in seven federal states (VERA project, see http://www.uni-landau.de/vera/). In 2004 about 6.400 schools, 13.500 classrooms, 320.000 students and 20.000 teachers participated in VERA. For the implementation of a state-wide assessment like VERA the Internet is the elementary medium: The participating teachers have to choose tasks from an internet-based pool, download the dynamic generated test booklet and key in the results. The statistical evaluation and further information material are provided via the Internet as well (in a password protected area). Furthermore the teachers can take part in online surveys that deal with social context and the utilization of VERA. Among the evaluation of school achievement, the VERA project aims to support IT competences of teachers. On this note, server statistics and logfile analyis allow to draw conclusions about the user behaviour and necessary supporting strategies. This contribution wants to deliver insight in the Internet based implementation of VERA and to moot experiences and several results.

Das Internet als Instrument der Bildungsforschung – Implementation und Erfahrungen im Projekt VERA

Abstract Deutsch: Das schlechte Abschneiden der deutschen Schülerinnen und Schüler in der PISA-Studie wirkte auf die Öffentlichkeit wie ein Schock. Als Antwort formulierte die Kultusministerkonferenz sieben Handlungsfelder, u.a. die Forderung nach „Maßnahmen zur konsequenten Weiterentwicklung und Sicherung der Qualität von Unterricht und Schule auf der Grundlage von verbindlichen Standards sowie einer ergebnisorientierten Evaluation.“ Insbesondere durch die stärkere Orientierung am Output, also auf in der Schule zu erwerbende Kompetenzen, mit „denen die Basis für ein lebenslanges Lernen zur persönlichen Weiterentwicklung und gesellschaftlichen Beteiligung gelegt“ wird (Klieme et al., 2003, S. 12), soll zur Qualitätsentwicklung schulischer Arbeit beigetragen werden. Von flächendeckenden Schulleistungsstudien (wie z.B. dem Projekt VERA) verspricht man sich u.a. Anregungen der Schulen zu ergebnisorientierter Schul- und Unterrichtsentwicklung. Vor diesem Hintergrund führt das Projekt VERA (http://www.uni-landau.de/vera/) in sieben Bundesländern kurz nach Beginn der 4. Klassenstufe flächendeckend in allen Grundschulklassen Vergleichsarbeiten in den Fächern Mathematik und Deutsch durch. So nahmen z.B. im Jahre 2004 insgesamt ca. 6.400 Schulen, ca. 13.500 Klassen und damit in etwa 320.000 Kinder sowie ungefähr 20.000 Lehrkräfte teil. Grundlegend für die Durchführung von flächendeckenden und bundesländerübergreifenden Vergleichsstudien ist die Nutzung des Internet: So wählen die an VERA teilnehmenden Lehrkräfte über das Internet einen Teil der Testaufgaben aus einer Sammlung aus, laden das dynamisch generierte Aufgabenheft herunter und geben im Anschluss die Resultate der Kinder online ein. Die aufbereiteten Ergebnisse und Informationsmaterialien werden ebenfalls über das Internet distribuiert. Ergänzend können die Lehrkräfte an Online-Befragungen zum sozialen Hintergrund sowie zur Auseinandersetzung mit dem Projekt teilnehmen. Neben der Evaluation von Schulleistungen möchte das Projekt VERA durch die unumgängliche und intensive Nutzung des Internet auch dazu beitragen, die informationstechnischen Kompetenzen der Lehrkräfte zu verbessern. In diesem Sinne können aus Analysen des Nutzerverhaltens mittels Serverstatistiken und Logfile-Analysen auf notwendige Verbesserungsmaßnahmen geschlossen werden. Der vorliegende (Poster-) Beitrag soll in diesem Sinne Einblicke in die internetgestützte Realisierung des Projektes VERA geben sowie Erfahrungen und einzelne Befunde zur Diskussion stellen.

Authors: Jan Schlüter
Institution: AUDI AG

Session 8: Best-Practice Anlyses: the Integration of Online Surveys within Companies
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Managers: directors of their own personal development - Audi\'s 360° online feedback process

Abstract English: Managers: directors of their own personal development - Audi\'s 360° online feedback process - Audi\'s 360° online feedback process was developed and implemented in support of a strategic change process. The objective of 360° is both to create an open feedback culture within Audi AG as well as to support managers in their individual development. One key aspect of this process is that Audi managers bear the main responsibility for their personal development. As directors of their own development they are responsible for managing the online process and deciding if and when they make use of the coaching services offered by the area \"competency development\". The presentation talks predominantly about the experience Audi AG made with the 360° feedback process that focuses so strongly on managers\' personal responsibility for their own development. Furthermore it looks at the importance of embedding 360° feedback into other change processes as well as the connection to other feedback tools such as employee surveys.

Manager als Regisseure ihrer eigenen Entwicklung - Der Audi 360°-Online-Feedback-Prozess -

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Authors: Jan Schmidt
Institution: Universität Bamberg

Session 6: Wikipedia & Social Software
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Social Software – Challenges for Online Research

Abstract English: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their corresponding practices accelerate social change, because they decrease transaction costs for interaction and allow people to connect with others based on shared interests rather than on shared territory. As various scholars of the „Network Soociety“ (e.g. Manuel Castells or Barry Wellman) have pointed out, the way ICT are incorporated into professional and private activities leads to a fundamental shift in the mode of social integration. Over the last years, a new set of software has emerged that contributes to this trend: „Social software“, broadly defined as web-based applications through which users collaborate on exchanging or collecting information. Tools like Weblogs, Wikis, Networking Platforms and Social Bookmarking Sites offer new possibilites for users to present and develop their identities as well as to share various resources in self-organizing networks. Some commentators already hail the advent of a „Web 2.0“ and predict a new Internet Boom.

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Authors: Schmidt, Jan
Institution: Universität Bamberg

Session 13: Weblogs

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Weblogs as tool for online-based networking: Empirical findings for the german-speaking blogosphere

Abstract English: Despite these enthusiastic forecasts, the full consequences of the diffusion, adoption and institutionalization of social software are only marginally understood yet, not the least because the perspective is often limited to technical characteristics or fails to acknowledge the specific practices emerging from the use of social software. This paper argues that online research, particularly from a social science perspective, needs to study this rapidly changing and evolving field through an integrated theoretical framework to compare form, content and consequences of social software. It proposes a heuristic model of online use and applies it to several social-software-related research examples, namely Weblogs, Wikis and Networking Platforms. The model includes three structural dimensions which are constantly (re)produced in social action:

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Authors: Heide Schmidtmann
Institution: FernUniversität Hagen, Institut für Psychologie, http://psychologie.fernuni-hagen.de

Session 22: E-Learning II
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Social Aspects in Design and Evaluation of virtual Seminars

Abstract English: - Rules, that is generalized schemes and corresponding expectations that guide situational use of social software. They include adequancy rules (when to use which medium/application?) and procedural rules (how to use a given medium/application) for identity management, information management and relationship management.


Soziale Aspekte in der Entwicklung und Evaluation virtueller Seminare

Abstract Deutsch: Die Entwicklung neuer Informationstechnologien bietet neue Möglichkeiten, Systeme für computervermittelte Kooperation zu entwickeln, die verteiltes Lernen unterstützen. Bislang haben sich die Entwickler jedoch hauptsächlich auf technologische Aspekte konzentriert, während soziale Faktoren der Kooperation vernachlässigt wurden. Dies führte in der Vergangenheit zu enttäuschenden Ergebnissen wie geringer Beteiligung und schwankender Kooperations- und Lernleistungen. Menschen verbringen viel Zeit ihres Lebens und ihrer Arbeit in sozialen Gruppen. Seit Neuestem werden Chaträume und Newsgruppen aufgesucht, um mit anderen Menschen zu kommunizieren. Das Bedürfnis, Beziehungen aufzubauen, ein Wir-Gefühl und gemeinsame Ziele zu teilen ist ein wichtiger Faktor nicht nur in der face-to-face Interaktion, sondern auch in computerunterstützten Lernarrangements (CSCL). Daher müssen soziale Bedürfnisse des Einzelnen und soziale Prozesse der Gruppe in der Entwicklung und Evaluation von virtuellen Seminaren Berücksichtigung finden. Um theoretisches und empirisches Wissen über gruppenbasiertes Lernen zu integrieren, wurde ein konzeptionelles Rahmenmodell entwickelt (Schmidtmann, 2005). Darin werden Erkenntnisse aus a) der Kleingruppenforschung, der Forschung zu b) computervermittelter Kommunikation und zum c) kooperativen Lernen integriert. Dieses Rahmenmodell weist drei verschiedene Ebenen der sozialen Interaktion auf: 1. Die Ebene der Individuen, die eine Gruppe bilden Individuum, 2. Die Ebene der Arbeitsgruppe selbst und 3. Die Ebene des Kontextes, in dem eine Gruppe existiert. Großgruppe (Seminar) Didaktisches Design, Evaluation und Forschung müssen alle drei Ebenen berücksichtigen, um die Dynamik und die Komplexität der sozialen Prozesse angemessen abzubilden. Die Charakteristika dieser Prozesse und die Methoden der Evaluation werden im diesem Beitrag erläutert. Es werden Ergebnisse aus virtuellen Seminaren an der FernUniversität dargestellt und abschließend Kriterien für die Evaluation zukünftiger CSCL-Entwicklungen aufgestellt.

Authors: Sören W. Scholz , Martin Meißner, Jens Adam
Institution: Universität Bielefeld

Session 14: Methods of Market- and Consumer-Research I
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process for Online Preference Measurement

Abstract English: - Relations, that is strong and weak ties between actors that form as a result of individual use of social software. In the form of textual and social networks, relations function as ressources which constitute (partial) publics, channel attention and provide social capital.

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Abstract Deutsch: In diesem Vortrag wird der Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) als eine viel versprechende Methode in der Online-Präferenzmessung vorgestellt. Der AHP wurde im Rahmen der Multiattributiven Nutzenmessung (MAUT) zur Unterstützung von Expertenentscheidungen entwickelt und wird in vielen betriebswirtschaftlichen Bereichen erfolgreich in der Praxis eingesetzt. Als Befragungstechnik in der Marketingforschung hat sich diese Methode trotz verschiedener Studien, welche die Vorzüge dieses Verfahrens gegenüber den traditionellen Conjoint-Ansätzen bei schriftlichen Befragungen aufzeigen, bislang nicht durchgesetzt. Wir haben eine Befragungssoftware entwickelt, die den Einsatz des AHP in Onlinebefragungen ermöglicht. Um die Eignung dieses Verfahrens zu evaluieren, wurde eine Vergleichsstudie zu der Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA) Software von Sawtooth durchgeführt. Die ACA ist die derzeit bedeutendste Befragungssoftware in der Online-Präferenzmessung von Produktprofilen mit einer hohen Anzahl von Merkmalen und Merkmalsausprägungen. Die Methodik beider Verfahren unterscheidet sich dabei grundlegend: Während der AHP ausschließlich auf kompositionellen Paarvergleichen basiert, besteht die ACA aus einer kompositionellen Präferenzmessung mittels einfacher Rating- oder Rankingskalen, die sowie einem dekompositionellen Befragungsteil, in dem Teilprofile bewertet werden. In der Vergleichsstudie wurden die Nutzenpräferenzen von über 500 Probanden durch die ACA und den AHP im Rahmen einer Onlinebefragung erhoben. Die Probanden mussten dabei Pauschalreiseprofile mit 10 Merkmalen und 35 Merkmalsausprägungen bewerten. Die Vorhersagevalidität beider Verfahren wurde durch eine direkt anschließende Wahlaufgabe gemessen, in der Produktprofile ausgewählt werden mussten. Dabei zeigte sich, dass die Vorhersagevalidität des AHP deutlich höher als die der ACA ist. Die Motivation der Probanden war während der AHP-basierten Befragung signifikant höher als in der ACA-Studie.

Authors: Ralph Schroeder
Institution: Oxford Internet Institute

Session 5: The Integration of Online and Offline Social Relationships
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Being There Together’ in Shared Virtual Environments and the Multiple Modalities of Online Connectedness

Abstract English: - Technology, that is the code of social software tools itself. Through specific formats (like RSS or FOAF) and customizable „Application Programming Interfaces“ (APIs), social software code supports the (re-)combination of existing tools and functions to new applications and services.

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Authors: Joachim Schroer , Guido Hertel
Institution: Universität Würzburg

Session 16: Wikipedia & Social Software
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Wikipedia: Motivation for the voluntary engagement in an open web-based encylopedia

Abstract English: Wikipedia is probably the most popular example of a successful Open Content project. However, no empirical research about the motivation of participants in the Wikipedia project had been available so far. In an international online survey (N > 500) of participants in Wikipedia, determinants for short and long term engagement were analyzed. Participants were asked about psychological aspects of task characteristics (e. g., autonomy, task significance, feedback), personality and process variables (e. g. flow experience, intrinsic motivation, commitment, and identification with the Wikipedia project or specific work groups), as well as individual consequences (cost-benefit, e. g. time costs or job qualification) Additionally, demographic data was collected. Building on theoretical models regarding cooperation in telecommuting jobs (Hertel et al., 2004), relevant variables and the distribution of individual or team work in participants to Wikipedia were assessed. Sociodemographic analyses show that contributors to Wikipedia are predominantly male (86%). Their average age is low (30 years), whereas the level of education is high. Regarding motivational factors for participation in Wikipedia, aspects of intrinsic motivation (desire to learn, having fun, flow experience, etc.) are much more important than external rewards (social recognition, money, etc.). The wish create something that lasts (generativity) is very important, as is the wish to improve the quality of one\'s “own” articles. Finally, individual identification with the Wikipedia project and the strive to improve the quality of Wikipedia as a whole play an important role. The relative importance of those and other characteristics for initiating and maintaining a high intrinsic motivation to contribute to Wikipedia is discussed.

Wikipedia: Motivation für die freiwillige Mitarbeit an einer offenen webbasierten Enzyklopädie

Abstract Deutsch: Zunehmende Aufmerksamkeit in den Medien erfährt im Moment die offene und kostenlose Enzyklopädie „Wikipedia“, die durch die unentgeltliche internetbasierte Zusammenarbeit vieler freiwilliger AutorInnen entsteht. Damit ist Wikipedia das wohl bekannteste Beispiel eines erfolgreichen Open-Content-Projektes. Systematische empirische Forschungsergebnisse zur Motivation der MitarbeiterInnen des Wikipedia-Projekts gab es allerdings bislang nicht. In einer internationalen webbasierten Befragung der beitragenden TeilnehmerInnen (N > 500) wurden deshalb Einflussfaktoren auf das kurz- und langfristige Engagement für Wikipedia untersucht. Neben arbeitspsychologischen Aspekten der Tätigkeit (u. a. Autonomie, Sinnhaftigkeit und Feedback), persönlichkeitspsychologischen Faktoren und Prozessvariablen (z.B. Flow-Erleben, intrinsische Motivation, Commitment sowie Identifikation mit dem Wikipedia-Projekt insgesamt und verschiedenen Untergruppen) wurden auch weitergehende Konsequenzen berücksichtigt (Kosten und Nutzen, z. B. zeitliche Belastung oder berufliche Qualifikation). Zusätzlich wurden auch demografische Daten erhoben sowie Informationen zur Verteilung der Arbeitsform (Einzel- oder Gruppenarbeit) beim Verfassen der Artikel und organisatorischen Tätigkeiten. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurden auch die Ausprägung und der Einfluss von Variablen des VIST-Modells (Hertel et al., 2004) zur Kooperation bei Telearbeit in verschiedenen Arbeitsgruppen des Wikipedia-Projektes berücksichtigt. Die soziodemographische Auswertung macht deutlich, dass sich hauptsächlich Männer für Wikipedia engagieren. Das Durchschnittsalter ist relativ niedrig, der Bildungsgrad hingegen hoch. Hinsichtlich der motivationalen Erklärung für das Engagement dominieren intrinsische Motivationsfaktoren (Lernen, Spaß, Flow-Erleben, etc.) im Vergleich zu externen Anreizen (soziale Anerkennung, Geld u. ä.). Zudem sind den TeilnehmerInnen die Optimierung der Qualität von selbst verfassten Artikel wichtig, einhergehend mit dem Wunsch, etwas Bleibendes zu hinterlassen (Generativität). Und schließlich spielt die Identifikation mit dem Wikipedia-Projekt eine wichtige Rolle sowie der Wunsch, die Qualität von Wikipedia insgesamt zu verbessern. Die Bedeutung einzelner Merkmale der Tätigkeit für das Zustandekommen der intrinsichen Motivation wird diskutiert.

Authors: Sebastian Schulz , Gunnar Mau, Oliver B. Büttner, Günter,Silberer
Institution: Universität Göttingen

Session 11: E-Commerce & E-Business II
Type of presentation: oral presentation

User Experiences in Online Pharmacies - The effects of medication type and of purchasing for oneself vs. for another person

Abstract English: Since the beginning of 2004, internet pharmacies are becoming increasingly popular in Germany and have begun to grow up to an important factor in e-commerce. Traditionally, drugs sold in pharmacies differ by whether they require a prescription or not. Thereby, we assume that consumer behaviour is different for these two types of medication. Furthermore, the aspect of whether someone buys for oneself or for another person, e.g. a grandchild acting on behalf of her grandmother with low computer literacy, could make a difference in how the user experiences online pharmacies. We examined these assumptions in a laboratory experiment by applying a 2 (purchasing for oneself vs. for another person) x 2 (prescription required vs. no prescription required) factorial design. In different scenarios, N=82 participants were asked to interact with an existing online pharmacy. Emotional experience (PAD emotion scale; Mehrabian 1980) as well as involvement and the attitude towards the online pharmacy were assessed by using a questionnaire. Information processing was assessed by video-cued thought protocols. The results support our assumptions. When seeking for prescription drugs participants exhibited a significant higher level of involvement and were higher aroused, irrespective of whether they acted on their own behalf or purchased for another person. On the contrary, participants felt more pleasure when buying non-prescription drugs, especially when they were buying for themselves. Moreover, attitude towards the online pharmacy was more favourable when buying for oneself. In addition, we examined differences in users’ information processing. The results show that the experience and the evaluation of the online pharmacy is not only depend on the product type: whether consumers buy for another person or on their own account is also an important moderator that should be considered by further research on online shopping.

Nutzererleben bei Online-Apotheken - der Einfluss des Medikamententyps und des Kaufs für sich selbst vs.

Abstract Deutsch: Seit Anfang 2004 erfreuen sich Internetapotheken in Deutschland wachsender Beliebtheit und entwickeln sich zu einer festen Größe im Onlinehandel. Traditionell unterscheiden sich die in Apotheken verkauften Medikamente darin, dass sie entweder verschreibungspflichtig oder nicht-verschreibungspflichtig sind. Dabei vermuten wir, dass sich das Konsumentenverhalten in Abhängigkeit der beiden Medikamentenklassen unterscheidet. Des Weiteren könnte auch der Aspekt ob jemand die Medikamente für sich selbst oder für jemand anderes kauft, (z.B. das Enkelkind bestellt im Auftrag der Großmutter die geringen Computerkenntnissen besitzt) zu einem unterschiedlichen Erleben der Online-Apotheke führen. In einer Laborstudie sind wir unter Verwendung eines 2 (kaufen für sich selbst vs. für eine andere Person) x 2 (verschreibungspflichtig vs. nicht verschreibungspflichtig) Experimentaldesign diesen Vermutungen nachgegangen. In verschiedenen Szenarios interagierten 82 Probanden mit einer tatsächlich existierenden Internetapotheke. Das emotionale Erleben (PAD Emotion Scale; Mehrabian 1980), das Involvement und die Einstellung gegenüber der Apotheke wurden mit Hilfe eines Fragebogens erhoben. Für die Messung der Informationsverarbeitung kam die Methode der videogestützten Gedankenrekonstruktion zum Einsatz. Die Ergebnisse stützen unsere Annahmen. Nutzer, die ein verschreibungspflichtiges Medikament suchen weisen ein signifikant höheres Involvement auf und sind dabei auch stärker erregt, unabhängig davon ob sie es auf eigene Rechnung oder für eine andere Person kaufen. Dagegen sind die Nutzer freudiger beim Kauf von nichtverschreibungspflichtigen Medikamenten, speziell dann, wenn sie sie für sich selbst kaufen. Darüber hinaus ist die Einstellung zur Online-Apotheke besser, wenn für sich selbst gekauft wird. Außerdem werden die Unterschiede bei der Informationsverarbeitung der Nutzer von uns aufgezeigt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Erleben und die Bewertung von Online-Apotheken nicht allein vom Produkttyp abhängt: Ob Konsumenten für eine andere Person oder auf eigene Rechnung kaufen spielt ebenso eine wichtige Rolle und sollte in der weiteren Online-Forschung berücksichtigt werden.

Authors: Peter Schumacher
Institution: Universität Trier

Session 17: Web Site Navigation & Perception

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Design as a determining factor for patterns of attention in the reception of online media. Results of an eye-tracking study

Abstract English: Is design determining attention processes of users interacting with a website? In an eye-tracking study three different presentation concepts of news-websites were tested with 12 subjects. The results show that there are different patterns in different stages of the process of reception. Second, the results indicate that there are some similarities and differences in the attention patterns for the three tested presentations strategies. In all three websites, an orientation phase was clearly identifiable in which subjects shifted attention to page headers or navigation systems. The comparison between three different presentation concepts (plain text, text and photo, text integrated in a photo) for the lead story shows different patterns in the process of perception. Attention is grabbed by photos accompanying lead stories in an early phase of exploration. After this peak in the first three seconds, these photos get very few attention in the following process. Attention then tends to shift to the text. Text-only presentations get a more steady distribution of attention during the first exploration. Thus, our study shows that the process of attention distribution on media stimuli highly depend on design issues, the use of visuals is one of the key factors. Our results contrast in some ways with earlier findings, e.g. those of the Stanford-Poynter-Study (http://www.poynterextra.org/et/i.htm). The text-before-graphics pattern the Stanford-Poynter paper described as typical for online perception could not be confirmed. Our analysis shows that factors like salience, position and size of photos or graphics must be taken in account when describing the relations of text and visuals in attention processes. Visual cues are a determining factor for attention processes in the first exploration of a media stimulus; or: the first seconds of exploration are stimulus-driven. Then exploration seems to follow different strategies, that may be qualified as a scheme- or a frame-driven. Understanding the first phase of user interaction with a website is a key to the evaluation of design and presentation strategies.

Design als determinierender Faktor für Aufmerksamkeitsmuster bei der Online-Rezeption. Ergebnisse einer Blickaufzeichnungsstudie
Titel Deutsch: Determiniert das Design einer Website den Aufmerksamkeitsprozess von Nutzern? In einer Blickaufzeichnungsstudie mit 12 Testpersonen wurden drei Nachrichtenwebsites mit unterschiedlichen Präsentationsstrategien untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es unterschiedliche Muster in unterschiedlichen Phasen des Rezeptionsprozesses gibt. Zweitens zeigt sich, dass es Ähnlichkeiten und Unterschiede in den Aufmerksamkeitsmustern zwischen den drei untersuchten Präsentationsformen gibt. Bei allen drei Websites ließ sich eine Orientierungsphase klar identifizieren, in der die Testpersonen ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf den Seitenkopf oder die Navigationselemente richteten. Der Vergleich zwischen den drei Präsentationsformen (nur Text, Text und Foto, Text in einem Foto integriert) für den Aufmacher der Homepage zeigt unterschiedliche Muster im Wahrnehmungsprozess. In der ersten Phase der Exploration richtet sich die Aufmerksamkeit überdurchschnittlich auf die Fotos, die einen Aufmachertext begleiten. Nach diesem Peak in den ersten drei Sekunden bekommen die Fotos im Folgenden nur noch geringe Aufmerksamkeit. Die Aufmerksamkeit richtet sich dann eher auf den Text. Reine Textdarstellungen bekommen eine eher gleichmäßige Aufmerksamkeit in der gesamten ersten Explorationsphase. Die Studie zeigt damit, dass der Prozess der Aufmerksamkeitsverteilung vom Design der Website abhängt, wobei der Einsatz von Visualisierungen dafür der Schlüssel ist. Unsere Ergebnisse kontrastieren zum Teil mit früheren Befunden, etwa der Stanford-Poynter-Studie (http://www.poynterextra.org/et/i.htm). Das \"Text-vor-Bild\"-Muster, das darin als typisch für die Online-Rezeption beschrieben wird, konnte nicht bestätigt werden. Unsere Daten zeigen, dass Faktoren wie die Hervorhebung, die Position und die Größe von Fotos oder Grafiken berücksichtigt werden müssen, wenn das Zusammenspiel von Text und Visualisierungen im Aufmerksamkeitsprozess beschrieben werden soll. Visuelle Reize sind ein bestimmender Faktor für die Aufmerksamkeitsprozesse in der ersten Explorationsphase eines Medienstimulus. Anders formuliert: Die ersten Sekunden einer Exploration sind stimulus-gesteuert. Anschließend scheint die Exploration unterschiedlichen Strategien zu folgen, die sich als Schema oder Frame beschreiben lassen. Die erste Phase der Nutzerinteraktion mit einer Website zu verstehen ist daher der Schlüssel für die Evaluation von Design- und Präsentationsstragien.

Authors: Eva Johanna Schweitzer
Institution: Universität Mainz

Session 3: Election Campaigns on the Internet

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

German Party Web Sites in the 2005 National Elections

Abstract English: Since Internet usage became widespread by the midnineties, parties and politicians have successively turned to the World Wide Web as a new channel for mass-mediated political communication. Especially in election periods, home pages and campaign Web sites have now become standard elements in political marketing as they offer additional possibilities to address and mobilize the growing number of swaying voters. At that, the Internet goes far beyond the traditional means of election campaigning, like television spots or posters: Numerous outlets of online communication allow political actors 1. to disseminate relevant information both to voters and party members in a fast, comprehensive, and targeted manner, 2. to sidestep common media interventions and news selections by spin-controlled Web site content, 3. to facilitate direct interactions between voters and politicians via e-mails, weblogs, or chats, and 4. to strengthen the offline campaign through additional resources gained online, e.g. e-volunteers or online fundraising. Furthermore, online activities and their intensive off-line promotion raise enormous public attention and thus offer further opportunities for parties and politicians to supplement their campaign publicity in the news media. Consequently, the Internet has not only changed the way campaigns are run but also the way voters and journalists perceive the political candidates and their campaign competences in election periods. Yet, while these implications of e-campaigning are widely discussed in the research literature, empirical studies have only recently turned to party and campaign Web sites to offer first comprehensive analyses of the factual usages, perceptions, and effects of online campaigning in Western democracies. Therefore, the paper takes up this line of inquiry in the 2005 National Elections in order to present results of an ongoing empirical study of German party and campaign Web sites. The research project applies quantitative measures of content and structure analysis to examine home pages and campaign Web sites with regard to their main strategies, their formal characteristics, and their communication styles. In that way, results allow for detailed comparisons to former elections, like the 2002 National Elections and the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections, when similar studies were conducted by the author.

Titel Deutsch:
Abstract Deutsch:

Authors: Markus Seifert
Institution: TU Ilmenau

Session 19: E-Democracy

Type of presentation: oral presentation

Title English:
Abstract English: Starting point of the lecture forms the thesis, the Internet can mobilize the citizens to communicate about politics, as e.g. to a more intensive information through media, as Internet and television, to more frequent discussions about politics and to stronger participation, as demonstrations (Emmer 2005). Empirical evidences for that fact can be stated that indeed after the Internet was being added to the communication repertoire of the citizens their political communication in some activities intensified (Emmer/Vowe 2004). Thus the lecture is moved into a democracy context: We live in a democracy – but how far does the Internet offer new chances of a mobilization to active political communication? So the central questions of the lecture are now: Does it concern here general effects, which apply to the entire population or do these mobilizing effects exist only in some population parts? Does the Internet with the intensification of political communication lead to a further kind of \"digital divide\"? In the center of the theoretical discussion of the lecture are the current developments of digital splitting (Marr 2005; Norris 2001), the spreading and use of Interet access points in the population and furthermore the factors, which cause unequally intensive political communication of the citizens. Empirical basis for clarifying the questions is the DFG financed long-term research project at the Technical University Ilmenau. The panel survey follows to the question, which influence the Internet on political communication of the citizens has and how this influence has developed over the years. Since 2002 annually about 1500 private households in Germany are interviewed by telephone. In summary it can be said that until today still no empirical analysis of the influence of the Internets on a political mobilization exists, in which the influence by social factors and by individual value conceptions and political attitudes is incorporated. The project presented in the lecture approaches this desideratum and presents on empirical basis new realizations for the influence of the Internet on political communication of the citizens. Literature: Emmer, Martin (2005): Politische Mobilisierung durch das Internet? Eine kommunikationswissenschaftliche Untersuchung zur Wirkung eines neuen Mediums. München: Fischer. Emmer, Martin/Vowe, Gerhard (2004): Mobilisierung durch das Internet? Ergebnisse einer empirischen Längsschnittuntersuchung zum Einfluss des Internets auf die politische Kommunikation der Bürger. In: Politische Vierteljahresschrift 45 (2): 191-212. Marr, Mirko (2005): Internetzugang und politische Informiertheit. Zur digitalen Spaltung der Gesellschaft. Konstanz: UVK. Norris, Pippa (2001): Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, And The Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

Wen mobilisiert das Internet zu politischer Kommunikation? Eine Untersuchung des selektiven Einflusses des Internets auf die politische Kommunikation der Bürger

Abstract Deutsch: Ausgangspunkt des Vortrags bildet die These, das Internet könne die Bürger zur Kommunikation über Politik mobilisieren, so z.B. zu einer intensiveren Information durch Medien, wie Internet und Fernsehen, zu häufigeren Gesprächen über Politik und zu stärkerer Partizipation, wie Demonstrationen (vgl. Emmer 2005). Es lassen sich empirische Belege dafür anführen, dass sich in der Tat nach dem Hinzukommen des Internets zum Kommunikationsrepertoire der Bürger deren politische Kommunikation in einigen Aktivitäten intensiviert (Emmer/Vowe 2004). Damit wird der Vortrag in einen demokratiepraktischen Kontext gerückt: Wir leben in einer Demokratie – aber in wieweit bietet das Internet neue Chancen einer Mobilisierung zu aktiver politischer Kommunikation? Denn die zentralen Fragestellungen des Vortrags sind nun: Handelt es sich hierbei um generelle Effekte, welche für die gesamte Bevölkerung gelten oder existieren diese mobilisierenden Effekte nur in einigen Bevölkerungsteilen? Führt das Internet bei der Intensivierung der politischen Kommunikation zu einer weiteren Art der „Digitalen Spaltung“? Im Mittelpunkt der theoretischen Diskussion des Vortrags stehen deshalb die aktuellen Entwicklungen der Digitalen Spaltung (hierzu Marr 2005; Norris 2001), der Verteilung und Nutzung von Netzzugängen in der Bevölkerung und weiterführend der Faktoren, die eine ungleich intensive politische Kommunikation der Bürger bedingen. Empirische Grundlage zur Klärung der Fragen ist ein von der DFG finanziertes langfristiges Forschungsprojekt an der Technischen Universität Ilmenau. Die Panel-Untersuchung geht der Frage nach, welchen Einfluss das Internet auf die politische Kommunikation der Bürger hat und wie sich dieser Einfluss im zeitlichen Verlauf entwickelt. Im Rahmen des Projekts werden seit 2002 jährlich bundesweit etwa 1.500 private Haushalte telefonisch befragt . Zusammenfassend kann gesagt werden, dass bis heute noch keine empirische Untersuchung des Einflusses des Internets auf eine politische Mobilisierung existiert, in welcher sich dem Einfluss von soziodemografischen Faktoren und darüber hinaus von individuellen Wertvorstellungen und politischen Einstellungen genähert wird. Das im Vortrag vorgestellte Vorhaben nähert sich diesem Forschungsdesiderat und präsentiert auf empirischer Basis neue Erkenntnisse zum Einfluss des Netzes auf politische Kommunikation der Bürger. Literatur: Emmer, Martin (2005): Politische Mobilisierung durch das Internet? Eine kommunikationswissenschaftliche Untersuchung zur Wirkung eines neuen Mediums. München: Fischer. Emmer, Martin/Vowe, Gerhard (2004): Mobilisierung durch das Internet? Ergebnisse einer empirischen Längsschnittuntersuchung zum Einfluss des Internets auf die politische Kommunikation der Bürger. In: Politische Vierteljahresschrift 45 (2): 191-212. Marr, Mirko (2005): Internetzugang und politische Informiertheit. Zur digitalen Spaltung der Gesellschaft. Konstanz: UVK. Norris, Pippa (2001): Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, And The Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

Authors: Stefan Selke, Daniel Fetzner
Institution:

Session:
Type of presentation: Poster

Image Impact Evaluation - A new methodological approach with virtual test environments

Abstract English: The Center for Visual Studies & Virtual Environments at the University of Furtwangen is a new research lab with the subject areas virtual environments, online investigations and image impact research. It combines innovative software technologies with empirical methods of social sciences to carry out research about the effects of visuality. Two qualitative/quantitative virtual impact tests have been developed. With VIRULENT - a net-based virtual group discussion with visual stimuli - the communicative processes of forming meaning are made visible and reconstructed. At the centre are collective patterns of image-based orientation and the formation of the discursive effects of images. Using this method it is, for example, possible to make statements, in the context of media planning, about the public acceptance of posters and advertisement. This method has been tested in the project “selling politics” together with the agency “Zum goldenden Hirschen”. Test subjects, who were recruited through major German news portals, were given the opportunity to discuss the themes of the posters of the agenda 2010-campaign among themselves in live chats. During the election campaign for the German Government (Bundestagswahl 2005) the test was repeated together with sueddeutsche.de. With VERTEX - a virtual recall-/recognition test - the processes by which images influence actions in the context of individual subconscious processes of giving meaning are measured. This involves having test posters located in a virtual city environment through which the subjects can move interactively combined with a netbased quantitative survey. Using this method, proposed posters, such as in the design phase of campaigns, can be standardised and compared on an empirically sound basis. This methodological approach has also been tested with posters of the agenda 2010-campaign. The paper presents the development of the software solutions, discusses basic questions of methodology and method, e.g. concerning the reliability, validity and objectivity and asks for the feasibility of commercial applications such as in the area of media planning and political consultation. Beside this, empirical results based on the pilot projects will be presented in order to illustrate the potentials of the methods.

Virtuelle Bildwirkungstest als Onlineanwendung - Softwareentwicklung und Ergebnisse aus Pilotprojekten

Abstract Deutsch: Das Center for Visual Studies & Virtual Environments an der Fakultät Digitale Medien der Hochschule Furtwangen ist eine neu gegründete Forschungseinrichtung mit den Themenschwerpunkten Virtuelle Umgebungen, Onlineanwendungen und Bildwirkungsanalysen. Es kombiniert innovative Softewaretechnologien mit Methoden der Sozialforschung um damit die Effekte von Visualität anwendungsbezogen und empirisch fundiert zu untersuchen. Bisher wurden zwei qualitative/quantitative virtuelle Wirkungstest auf der Basis von Onlinemethoden entwickelt und getestet. Mit VIRULENT – einem netzbasierten virtuellen Gruppendiskussionsforum mit visuellen Stimuli – können kollektive Prozesse der Meinungsbildung rekonstruiert werden. Ziel dieser Methode ist die Rekonstruktion der kommunikativen und diskursiven Leistung von Bildern, um diese z.B. schon in der Planungsphase von Kampagnen zu evaluieren. Dieser Ansatz wurde im Projekt „selling politics“ zusammen mit der Werbeagentur “Zum goldenden Hirschen” getestet. Probanden, die über die Internet-Nachrichtenportale großer deutscher Tageszeitungen rekrutiert wurden, hatten die Möglichkeit an moderierten Life-Chats zu den Plakaten der agenda 2010-Kampagne teilzunehmen. Während der Bundestagswahl 2005 wurde diese Methode zusammen mit dem Portal sueddeutsche.de repliziert. Mit VERTEX – einem virtuellen Recall-/Recognition Test – können die Prozesse unbewusster Bildwahrnehmung durch die Simulation natürlicher Wahrnehmungskontexte sichtbar gemacht werden. Dazu werden Testplakate in eine virtuelle, dreidimensionale und immersive Stadtszenerie eingebettet, durch die sich Probanden interaktiv bewegen. Anschließend werden sie mittels eines standardisierten Online-Fragebogens zu ihren Wahrnehmungseindrücken befragt. Dieser Ansatz wurde ebenfalls anhand der visuellen Kommunikation der agenda 2010 experimentell überprüft. Der Vortrag stellt die Entwicklung der Softwarelösungen in den Vordergrund, diskutiert aber auch grundlegende methodologische Frage, wie z.B. Gütekriterien der Datenerhebung sowie die Machbarkeit kommerzieller Anwendungen, z.B. in den Aufgabenbereichen Mediaplanung und Politikberatung. Beispiele aus den erwähnten Pilotprojekten dienen der Illustration des Potenzials der vorgestellten Methoden.

Authors: Thomas Starsetzki , Gabriele Lehmann (Sara Lee Household & Body Care)
Institution: SKOPOS

Session 14: Methods of Market- and Consumer-Research I
Type of presentation: oral presentation

air refresheners online? Validity check of an Internet online sample using external reference data.

Abstract English: Firstly, although commercial online research has developed well into maturity and is an established multifaceted instrument, it still retains the stigma of being unable or only having a limited capacity to deliver representative data. Secondly, there is a degree of uncertainty on the part of commissioning companies as to whether and how hitherto offline market research studies can be conducted online in the future. This lecture aims on the one hand to discuss some inroads into sampling methods that minimise the error quota, taking reference to a specific study from the typical market research field of "Fast Moving Consumer Goods"; secondly, its purpose is to illustrate how a validation of the data can be achieved using external reference data. This deals with an area, very often encountered in market research, which involves developing the best possible market concept from a stream of new developments under conditions of considerable time and cost pressures. In the dual presentation by Sara Lee Household & Body Care and the Managing Director of the collaborating institute (SKOPOS), the background to the research is briefly discussed, along with the reasons why the associated partners assumed they would be able to conduct this project over the Internet. The report shows how the study was conducted, i.e. what prerequisites had to be created, for example, when drawing the samples, in order firstly to generate a maximum comparability with the samples that had previously been drawn offline (benchmarks, empirical values), and secondly, there was also post-hoc the possibility of establishing a relationship between evaluated data/results and external reference data, hence enabling the quality of the samples to be assessed. The external reference data is then juxtaposed with the empirical results of the study, and their congruencies and divergences are analysed in an effort to reveal any related causes or origins. The lecture is addressed primarily towards market researchers from companies and institutes, however it also reaches out to those in academia, who nurture an interest in methodologies. The main emphasis is of a practical nature: the lecture aims to advise - on the points that have to be taken into account, when conducting this kind of market research, and also - on the sources of reference that can or should be implemented to gain validation of its results, and - on how an external validation can be done.

Lufterfrischer Online? Validitaetsueberpruefung einer Onlinestichprobe anhand externer Referenzdaten.

Abstract Deutsch: "Die kommerzielle Online-Marktforschung hat zwar einerseits ihre Reifephase erreicht und sich vielfach bereits etabliert, ist andererseits jedoch
immer noch mit dem Stigma behaftet, nicht oder nur eingeschraenkt repraesentative Daten liefern zu koennen. Zweitens besteht auf Seiten der
beauftragenden Unternehmen vielfach Unsicherheit, ob und wie bislang offline durchgefuehrte Studien zukuenftig online durchgefuehrt werden
Die kommerzielle Online-Marktforschung hat zwar einerseits ihre Reifephase erreicht und sich vielfach bereits etabliert, ist andererseits jedoch immer noch mit dem Stigma behaftet, nicht oder nur eingeschraenkt repraesentative Daten liefern zu koennen. Zweitens besteht auf Seiten der beauftragenden Unternehmen vielfach Unsicherheit, ob und wie bislang offline durchgefuehrte Studien zukuenftig online durchgefuehrt werden koennen. Der vorliegende Vortrag moechte erstens anhand einer konkret durchgefuehrten Studie aus dem typischen Marktforschungsfeld ""Fast Moving Consumer Goods"" Wege in der Stichprobenziehung erlaeutern, die den Stichprobenfehler minimieren und zweitens aufzeigen, wie anhand externer Referenzdaten eine Validierung der ermittelten Daten vorgenommen werden kann. Es handelte sich um das in der Marktforschung sehr haeufige Aufgabenfeld der Ermittlung eines optimalen Konzeptes aus einer Reihe von Neuentwicklungen unter sehr hohem Zeit- und Kostendruck. In der Gemeinschafts-Praesentation der Marktforschung von Sara Lee Household & Body Care und dem Geschaeftsfuehrer des durchfuehrenden Instituts (SKOPOS) wird kurz der Hintergrund der Studie erlaeutert und warum die beteiligten Partner davon ausgingen, dieses Projekt online durchfuehren zu koennen. In der Folge wird aufgezeigt, wie die Studie durchgefuehrt wurde. D.h. welche Voraussetzungen geschaffen wurden, z.B. in der Stichprobenziehung, so dass erstens eine maximale Vergleichbarkeit mit den bislang offline gezogenen Stichproben hergestellt werden kann (Benchmarks, Erfahrungswerte) und zweitens, post hoc die Moeglichkeit bestand die ermittelten Daten/Ergebnisse mit externen Referenzdaten in Beziehung zu setzen und somit die Qualitaet der Stichprobenziehung einschaetzen zu koennen. Die externen Referenzdaten werden dann in Beziehung zu den empirisch ermittelten Ergebnissen der Studie gesetzt und UEbereinstimmungen und Abweichungen werden analysiert und auf moegliche Ursachen hin untersucht. Der Vortrag richtet sich an Marktforscher aus Unternehmen und Instituten aber auch an die methodologisch interessierte Fachoeffentlichkeit der Akademia. Der Schwerpunkt des Vortrages ist praxisbezogen: Er moechte Hinweise liefern, - auf welche Punkte bei der Durchfuehrung derartiger Studien zu achten ist, aber auch - welche Referenzquellen zur Validierung der Ergebnisse herangezogen werden koennen bzw. sollten und - wie eine externe Validierung durchgefuehrt werden kann."

Authors: Christian Stegbauer, Alexander Rausch
Institution: Universität Frankfurt

Session 24: Applied Social Network Analysis within Internet Research
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Dynamic Analysis of Mailing List Data

Abstract English: The communication history of internet based discussion groups is often available in the form of an archive, in which all contributions of the participants are recorded. E.g. a mailinglist archive contains all mails sent to the list. Data drawn from such archives are discontinuous process data, because the communication process as a whole evolves over time whereas the single communication acts occur discontinuously. Many studies on internet-based communication have focused on networks of accumulated contacts. That means that all ties between the participants have been accumulated over the complete observation period. The main shortcoming of such studies is, that the question, how the structure of internet-based discussion-groups changes over time cannot be answered. In our contribution we would like to present special kind of positional analysis, which takes the dynamics of the communication process into account. On one hand we analyse the occupancy of network positions over time and focus on the exchange of actors between these positions. On the other we show, that network positions are stable, even if the actors occupying this positions may change. Structural change in social networks is interpreted as a result of the changing occupancy of positions. Our approach is based on earlier studies (see Stegbauer & Rausch 1997; Stegbauer & Rausch 1999; Stegbauer 2001) where we discussed some temporal aspects of the communication processes in internet based discussion-groups. The basic concept of our approach is, that contacts between the mailinglist participants are accumulated only in a small time window, which moves over the observation period. In the context of signal processing this technique is known under the label “sliding window”. The window covers a time range of three month and is moved forward in steps of one month. The complete observation period ranges over 30 – 38 months. For each step the network of the ties between the mailinglist participants is built. A tie between two mailinglist participants is said to be present, if they share at least one thread. The strength of tie is defined as the number of shared threads. With this approach we obtain a sequence of networks, each referring to a time interval of three month. For each network a positional analysis is performed. To simplify matters only two positions are considered: the centre and the periphery of the network. There are different ways to present the development of the complete network over time: First of all we use a transition matrix, in which the positions for each participant in each temporally restricted network are recorded. Alternatively we build a time-event-network and illustrate the evolution of the network as a sequence of graphs. Albeit the structural stability of the network, we observed an exchange of the participants belonging to the centre. We found that the number of members in the central position was almost constant. Only leaving central actors were substituted.

Titel Deutsch:
Abstract Deutsch:

Authors: Christiane Strzoda
Institution: TNS Infratest

Session 21: Methods of Market- and Consumer-Research II
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Online Evaluation Survey

Abstract English: The spread of usage of the online methodology for the collection of market research data is intensively discussed in the consumer area as the switch from offline to online data collection is proceeding more slowly (in the consumer area) than expected. One major concern of the usage of the online methodology resp. the usage of online panels is a lack of knowledge about the consequences of this switch in methodology. TNS Infratest is investing a lot of efforts helping closing this gap. As one approach the so called \"Online Evaluation Survey\" was conducted. This survey is comparing the results of different methodologies using the same questionnaire. As one focus was put on concept testing all relevant methodologies for concept testing were included in the program: ? Self administered Access Panel via Mail ? Self administered Access Panel via Online ? Interviewer administered Central Location, via recruitment on the street ? interviewer administered Random Route Methodology Due to the fact that visual material need to be used during the interview telephone interviews via CATI were not included in the survey. In addition to the concept questions some general questions like contentness with ones life etc. were included in the questionnaire as well to check the impact of different contents. To evaluate the influence of segmentations a segmentation developed by Thomas Gensicke (Thomas Gensicke is a employee of the social research department Munich) was included in the questionnaire as well. More than 4.500 interviews were collected to achieve stable results and to be able to analyse the data on a detailed level. During the session I would like to show some results of this survey and the implications of this.

Titel Deutsch:
Abstract Deutsch:

Authors: Andy Sutton, Kristan Hopkins Burke
Institution: Nottingham Trent University

Session 6: Data Quality in Online Surveys II
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Online Survey Response Patterns

Abstract English: Authors have considered issues such as the impact of contact type on web survey response rates (Porter, 2003) and the effect of personalisation on response rates (Heerwegh et al, 2003). Extending such work this talk reports our experience and findings from designing, developing and managing an online survey management tool at Nottingham Trent University, England. This is used for academic rather than market research surveys, mostly within our social science academic department. Our findings are based on metadata extracted from the question and response databases, and also questioning survey authors post-project. Our custom written tool has been in use since 1997 and has grown in popularity. It is currently used for a range of teaching, admin and research purposes. To help researchers we have developed a dataset from around 250 surveys. We can discern patterns and relationships, for example the relationship between numbers of questions and response rates. Some relationships are surprising, for instance, our very longest surveys have the highest response rates. The reasons for this relate to other factors such as the status and scope of the research. Cobanoglu (2001) reported the faster response times of web surveys. We have data which describes the time spread of responses after publication, so we can see how factors such as population demographics and recruitment methods affect the distribution of responses over the lifetime of a survey project. It is possible to see which kinds of topics or populations produce better response rates. Other factors which can be related to response rates include the proportion of open text questions and closed responses. By isolating a small number of successful surveys and investigating them in depth we can identify factors such as “captive audiences” and “perceived status of the research” as possible predictors of success. We continue to develop our survey software and plan to collect more sophisticated metadata with far more detailed analysis of web surveys and their responses. Cobanoglu, C., “A Comparison of Mail, Fax and Web-based Survey Methods”, International Journal of Market Research, 2001 Quarter 4, Vol. 43 Issue 4, pp441-452 Heerwegh, D., Vanhove, T., Matthijs, K., Loosveldt, G., “The Effect of Personalisation Rates on Data Quality in Web Surveys”, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp 85-99 Porter, S. R., “The impact of Contact Type on Web Survey Response Rates”, Public Opinion Quarterly, Winter 2003, Vol. 67 Issue 4, pp579-588

Titel Deutsch:
Abstract Deutsch:

Authors: Monika Taddicken
Institution: Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg

Session 1: Data Quality in Online Surveys I
Type of presentation: oral presentation

‘Low social presence’ in web surveys: advantage or disadvantage or both? An experiment.

Abstract English: For online researchers the achievable quality of data from web surveys is still an important question. Prejudices and doubts concerning the usefulness of this ‘new’ survey method are still widely spread. Besides the problems of representativeness potential mode effects may reduce the data quality. Particularly, the method ‘web survey’ is characterized by a low social presence (Short / Williams / Christie 1976), as a consequence of the absence of an interviewer. On the one hand this can be an advantage, mainly because it causes a lower effect of social desirability and a higher self-disclosure of respondents. On the other hand one has to doubt about negative effects precisely because of this anonymous situation. According to the ‚Social Cues Filtered Out Hypotheses’ of Kiesler & Sproull (1986) the situational lack of social cues influences a lot of psychological processes. Thus it can be presumed that this low social presence leads to a lower normative influence on the respondent. This could produce a distorted ‘verbal behaviour’ in web surveys, contrary to more personal communication modes. In particular, problems may occur in socially orientated surveys and surveys based on individual aspects like ethical values. Because systematic errors may be caused further research is needed. Based on these hypotheses we implemented an experiment with 600 subjects. They answered the same questionnaire twice – with an interval of five weeks – using different survey modes (web, postal and telephone). The above mentioned critical subject areas were asked. This enabled us to compare the collected data systematically with the Multitrait-Multimethod-Matrix (Campbell & Fiske 1959) to identify negative mode effects. The results will be presented.

Geringe soziale Präsenz' in Web-Befragungen: Vorteil oder Nachteil oder beides? Ein Experiment.

Abstract Deutsch: Die Frage nach der erreichbaren Datengüte von Ergebnissen aus Web-Befragungen spielt im Bereich der Online-Forschung nach wie vor eine große Rolle. Vorurteile bzw. Zweifel an der Verwendbarkeit dieser – mittlerweile nicht mehr – ‚neuen’ Befragungsmethode sind noch immer verbreitet. Neben Repräsentativitätsproblemen beeinträchtigen vor allem potenzielle Methodeneffekte die Qualität der gewonnenen Daten. Kennzeichnend für die Methode der Web-Befragung ist insbesondere eine geringe soziale Präsenz (Short / Williams / Christie 1976), die bedingt ist durch die Abwesenheit eines Interviewers. Dies kann sich auf der einen Seite vorteilhaft auswirken, v. a. durch einen niedrigeren Effekt der sozialen Erwünschtheit und einer erhöhten Offenheit der Befragten. Auf der anderen Seite aber muss hinterfragt werden, ob sich gerade durch die anonyme Befragungssituation nicht auch negative Methodeneffekte ergeben. Nach der ‚Social Cues Filtered Out Hypotheses’ von Kiesler & Sproull (1986) beeinflusst eine solche ‚situative soziale Entkontextualisierung’ (eigener Begriff) eine Reihe psychischer Prozesse. Danach kann vermutet werden, dass durch die geringe soziale Präsenz in der Befragung ein niedrigerer normativer Einfluss auf den Probanden einwirkt. Dies könnte dazu führen, dass in der Web-Befragung ein anderes, nämlich verzerrtes ‚verbales Verhalten’ offenbart wird als in Befragungen, die auf persönlicheren Kommunikationsformen basieren. Insbesondere bei Fragestellungen mit sozialem Bezug, jedoch ebenso bei Abfragen individueller Meinungen und Persönlichkeitsaspekte, z. B. von Werten, könnte dies gelten. Es ist zu vermuten, dass individuelle Aspekte verstärkt in die Antwortüberlegungen einbezogen werden. Eine systematische Beeinträchtigung der Antworten in Web-Befragungen wäre insofern nicht auszuschließen. Um diese Hypothese zu überprüfen, wurde ein Methoden-Experiment mit 600 Probanden durchgeführt. Bei diesem Experiment beantworteten dieselben Probanden zweimal - mit einem zeitlichen Abstand von fünf Wochen – den gleichen Fragebogen, allerdings mittels verschiedener Befragungsmethoden. Zum Einsatz kamen neben der Web-Befragung auch die telefonische und postalische Befragung. Die angesprochenen ‚kritischen’ Themenbereiche, bei denen eine Verzerrung bei der Web-Befragung zu vermuten ist, wurden in den Fragebogen aufgenommen. So ist eine systematische Analyse der jeweiligen Antworten mittels der Multitrait-Multimethod-Matrix (Campbell & Fiske 1959) möglich, um potenzielle Methodeneffekte der Web-Befragung aufspüren zu können. Die Ergebnisse dieses Experiments werden vorgestellt.

Authors: Meinald T. Thielsch, Natalie Förster, Desislava Nikolaeva, Kim Nowak
Institution: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Psychologisches Institut I

Session: Postersession
Type of presentation: Poster

Results of a presentation software web survey

Abstract English: Today, in many different fields of work, computer based visual presentations, with PowerPoint, Keynote or other similar programs are predominating: They are recognized as a common expected presentation standard in economy and politics, just as to an increasing degree in schools, other educational institutions, science and research. The picture shown by an analysis of former research is rather disillusioning: There is only little interest in an industrial psychological or customer based view of a daily used application, merely a broad practitioner literature has gained some popularity. To obtain a descriptive picture of presentation software (particularly PowerPoint), a web survey with n=340 was conducted. The web survey consisted of 57 items concerning demography, general questions towards use and attitudes and a set of open questions. The results contain a description of typical aspects of use and provide data about attitudes especially from the field of usability as well as analysis of typical advantages and disadvantages of such software products. It is shown that the respondents show a moderate satisfaction with some aspects, and even rejection towards others. The results for example indicate that an optimization is desirable concerning the use of sound effects or operating system and/or web compatibility.

Ergebnisse einer Online-Befragung zu Präsentationssoftware

Abstract Deutsch: Computergestützte visuelle Präsentationen, mittels PowerPoint, Keynote oder ähnlichen Programmen, sind inzwischen vorherrschend in vielen verschiedenen Arbeitsfeldern: Neben Wirtschaft und Politik gehören sie in zunehmendem Maße auch in Schulen, außerschulischen Bildungseinrichtungen sowie in Wissenschaft und Forschung zum allgemein erwarteten Vortragsstandard. Die Analyse des Forschungsstandes zu Präsentationssoftware zeichnet allerdings ein ernüchterndes Bild: Das Interesse an einer arbeitspsychologischen oder kundenorientierten Betrachtung einer täglich zum Einsatz kommenden Anwendung scheint gering, lediglich eine umfassende Praktiker-Literatur erfreut sich einer gewissen Beliebtheit. Daher wurde im Rahmen einer Online-Befragung mit n=340 versucht ein deskriptives Bild der Nutzung von Präsentationssoftware, hier insbesondere PowerPoint zu zeichnen. Der Online-Fragebogen mit 57 Items gliederte sich in Demographie, allgemeine Nutzungs- und Einstellungsfragen und einer Reihe von offenen Fragen. Die Ergebnisse umfassen eine Beschreibung typischer Nutzungsaspekte und liefern Einstellungsdaten vor allem aus dem Bereich Usability sowie Analysen typischer Vor- und Nachteile derartiger Softwareprodukte. Eine zumeist nur mittlere Zufriedenheit der Befragten sowie die klare Ablehnung einzelner Aspekte, wie beispielsweise Soundeffekte oder der Betriebssystem- und/oder Webkompatibilität, weisen auf verschiedene Ansatzpunkte zur Optimierung hin.

Authors: Randall Thomas, Stacie Greenfield, John Bremer
Institution: Harris Interactive

Session 6: Data Quality in Online Surveys II
Type of presentation: oral presentation

Response Order Effects in International Online Surveys

Abstract English: While response order effects have been demonstrated in orally presented surveys and paper-pencil/postal surveys (Krosnick, 1999), little work has been reported on response order effects for attitude measures in online surveys. In a series of online surveys with U.S. respondents, Thomas et al. (AAPOR, 2005) reported strong response order effects across scale types for vertically ordered scales. In this paper, we summarize a series of experiments conducted internationally (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and U.K.) with web-based surveys with single vertically presented scales. Across experiments, with scales that varied from 4 to 9 categories, and across languages and countries, we replicated strong response order effects for vertically oriented scales. That is, there is a higher endorsement of the most positive response category when it is presented on the top of the scale than when it is presented on the bottom. In many of the studies we also examined the correspondence of the scales with key criteria to determine the possibility of differential validity. Vertical scales with the negative response category on top generally had higher validity. We will discuss possible reasons for response order effects (including satisficing and reading mechanics for visual surveys) and examine some implications of response order effects for survey construction.

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Authors: Matthias Trénel
Institution: HU Berlin

Session 28: Online Groups and E-Democracy
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Conditions for online deliberation: Can facilitators enhance inclusiveness?

Abstract English: Despite still small in numbers, there is a steady grow of governments that utilize online discussion forums as a means to engage with the public in deliberation on policy issues. If such deliberation is meant to increase the legitimacy of democratic decision making, it is central to create an arena that is equally accessible to everybody. However, psychologists argue that bringing people together and giving them equal rights to deliberate might not be enough in the face of limited individual capacities and group dynamics that sideline citizens from specific backgrounds. In practice this concern is echoed when facilitators are assigned to assist groups in deliberation. But can facilitators really enhance the inclusiveness in deliberation? And if so, how is that achieved? To investigate this question, eleven facilitated and eleven unfacilitated groups from a forum-based online dialogue on town planning issues were analyzed. In combination with socio-demographic data that participants provided upon registration, the discussion protocols were coded for the inclusiveness of deliberation. Inclusiveness was operationalized by the share participants from traditionally underprivileged backgrounds (according to gender, ethnicity, education and income) have in the discussion. The protocols were also coded for facilitator styles. Findings suggest that facilitators can increase the inclusiveness of deliberation.

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Authors: Stefan Tuschl , Nadja Morasch
Institution: TNS Infratest

Session 10: New Methods of Online Data Collection
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

How much individualisation does a conjoint survey need? - Experiences from an online experiment

Abstract English: Conjoint (trade-off) analysis has become one of the most widely-used quantitative methods in Marketing Research. It is used to measure the perceived values of specific product features, to learn how demand for a particular product or service is related to price, and to forecast what the likely acceptance of a product would be if brought to market. Rather than directly ask survey respondents what they prefer in a product, or what attributes they find most important, conjoint analysis employs the more realistic context of respondents evaluating potential product profiles. Each profile includes multiple conjoined product features (hence, conjoint analysis). There are different ways to show product profiles. Currently the most frequently used state-of-the-art technique in marketing research is Choice Based Conjoint (CBC). CBC interviews closely mimic the purchase process for products in competitive contexts: respondents are shown a set of products on the screen (in full-profiles) and asked to indicate which one they would purchase. As in the real world, respondents can decline to purchase in a CBC interview by choosing “None”. CBC can be administered via Paper-and-Pencil, CAPI (Computer assisted personal interviewing) or Internet surveys. With the growing popularity of online research (cost efficiency, speed, etc.), more and more surveys are conducted via the Web. Even though CBC offers a lot of complexity regarding modelling and designing of surveys, CBC lacks of individualisation, which an other conjoint technique (ACA, Adaptive Conjoint Analysis), also applicable in online surveys, offers. A nowadays frequently discussed methodological question for market researcher is, whether CBC surveys would need some of these individualisation aspects as well in order to improve the measurement of purchase behaviour. Means that, based on the answers in a previous conventional part of the survey, respondents are only shown choice tasks which fit to their interests and requirements. The talk will first outline techniques for individualizing an online full profile conjoint exercise. Then, based on an online experiment carried out with such traditional and individualized conjoint surveys having the same attributes and levels, the measured performance of the techniques used will be discussed and the results in terms of respondent\'s preference scores and choice behaviour of the tested approaches will be compared.

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Authors: Sonja Utz , Laura Bijleveld
Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Session 9: Incentive Systems & Motivation in Online Groups
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Community rules?! - Building brand loyalty with virtual communities

Abstract English: Does the establishment of virtual communities indeed foster brand loyalty, or do people simply enjoy the interaction with other community members without showing increased loyalty to the brand? This is the central question of the present paper. Based on social psychological theories and the site brand loyalty model by Holland and Baker (2001) it is assumed that motivations of the consumers influence loyalty and social identification with the community, which should in turn result in a more positive attitude towards the brand. Actual behaviour, e.g. willingness to pay for extra services, should be influenced as well. To test these predictions, visitors of the website of a large Dutch music channel were surveyed. Everybody can visit the website to get information about the charts, bands, and so on or to download songs or ring tones. However, it is also possible to register as a member of the community. Community members can engage in discussions in a chat and on various forums, they have their own profile, and they receive additional information and benefits. More than 300 visitors of the website completed the online questionnaire. Members and non-members of the community as well as low- and high identified community members were compared. People who became a member showed a higher level of social identification with the community, they contributed actively to it, and they were also more willing to pay for extra services. High identified members showed a more positive attitude towards the music channel, watched more TV, and used the SMS-services more often. Social identification was influenced by the motivation of the participants. Loyalty on the other hand had no influence on these variables. The theoretical and practical implications of the results will be discussed.

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Authors: Peter van den Besselaar, Iam Hooijen, Barbara Dubbeldam
Institution: Rathenau Instituut

Session 23: Academic Communication and the Internet

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

The politics of data-infrastructures

Abstract English: The Internet and Web-based technologies are increasingly used for sharing of research data. This reflects that modern research is becoming increasingly data-intensive in a growing number of fields, also within the social sciences and the humanities. These data infrastructures are complicated socio-technical systems, resulting from a complex process of shaping, and with a variety of first order (intended) and second order (unexpected and unintended) consequences. The basic promise of data infrastructures is an increase of data sharing which is efficient, innovative (when it enables data exchange between different research specialties – communities of practice), and may lead to new methods and new findings. However, as infrastructures request large numbers of users, they may result (as a second-order effect) into research collaborations and programs larger than before. In other words, the infrastructures not only potentially improve data sharing and research collaboration, they also may influence the research agenda and the way research is conducted. Additionally infrastructures are ‘political’ phenomena, requiring large funds, involving many actors and complex decision making on, for example, standards, access (restricting) regulations (because of reasons of data ownership, privacy, and trust), and many other issues. In a recently started project, we study the social shaping of data infrastructures in the social sciences and in the field of ecology. In this paper we will present our theoretical framework and the research design. The first results of two cases will be summarized: infrastructures for social science data sharing, and a system for biodiversity data. Who are the actors involved? How did their interactions take place? What strategies and organizational and technical decisions underlie the shaping of the infrastructures? The aim is to uncover the interests that dominate the process. We end with discussing and assessing the changes these infrastructures may bring to the research system. Is this the road to go? What socio-technical alternatives are available?

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Authors: Wouter van der Horst , Chris Snijders, Uwe Matzat
Institution: Eindhoven University of Technology

Session 1: Data Quality in Online Surveys I
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

The effect of different kinds of progress bars on online survey compliance and data quality

Abstract English: The increasing use of data collection online (instead of off line) creates a need for research on the factors that affect compliance and data quality in web based surveys. In general, surveys should be clean, concise and appealing (Dillman, 2000) so that participants’ motivation to complete the survey increases or at least not decreases over the course of the survey. Intuitively, one would argue that a progress bar is such a motivating factor: it gives the participant insight into the length of time the survey will take, and in particular a sense that the survey will not ask for too much of their time. Nevertheless, the few studies that have tried to corroborate this hypothesis found mixed results. Both Couper et al. (2001) and Crawford et al. (2001) even found a negative effect of the existence of a progress bar on completion rates, although there were some methodological issues that may have been the reason for this surprising finding (as they mention themselves, Couper et al. did not control for download times and Crawford et al. may have made a miscalculation in the prediction of the remaining questions). Recent research by Boehme (2003) shows no effect of the progress bar on completion, but does find some effects when comparing progress bars that are either degressive or progressive. We continue this line of research, focusing on the length of the survey as an intervening variable. Using a sample of 3556 respondents of the Dutch PanelClix online panel, we compare the effects of different kinds of progress bars on survey compliance and data quality. We indeed find that the length of the survey is an important factor when it comes to determining the usefulness of progress indicators. Boehme, R. (2003) Fragebogeneffekte bei Online-Befragungen. Master’s Thesis in Communication Science. University of Dresden. Couper, M. P., Traugott, M. W. & Lamias, M. J. (2001). Web survey design and administration. Public Opinion Quarterly, 65 (2), 230-253. Crawford, S. D., Couper, M. P. & Lamias, M. J. (2001). Web surveys: Perceptions of burden. Social Science Computer Review, 19 (2), 146-162. Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and internet surveys: The tailored design method (2nd edition). New York: Wiley.

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Authors: Eleftheria Vasileiadou
Institution: ASCoP, UvA

Session 5: Academic Communication and the Internet
Type of presentation: oral presentation

Scientific collaboration online: Are the media the message?

Abstract English: The emergence of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) and their use by the scientific community has become the subject of extensive study from various perspectives and within different contexts.

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Authors: Christopher Verheyen, Carola Schübel, Klaus Moser
Institution: Universität Erlangen

Session 6: Data Quality in Online Surveys II
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

The impact of persuasion strategies on the response rate in online surveys: Incentives, foot-in-the-door-technique or when 'even a penny will help

Abstract English: The purpose of the experiment was to investigate if there is a relationship between subjects’ induced regulatory focus and their participation in an online survey which they were invited to with a particular persuasion strategy. The study was conducted in a non-commercial online access panel with about 2800 members. Persuasion strategies can be divided into Alpha and Omega strategies. Alpha strategies promote change by activating the approach forces, thereby increasing the motivation to move toward the goal. An example for Alpha strategies are incentives, e.g. money lotteries as used in our study. In contrast, Omega strategies promote change by minimizing the avoidance forces, thereby reducing the motivation to move away from the goal. This change can be promoted by sidestepping resistance and addressing resistance directly as well as indirectly. Examples for Omega strategies are the foot-in-the-door-technique and the even-a-penny-will-help-technique. Both techniques were used in this study. Regulatory focus can be split into promotion and prevention focus. Subjects with a promotion focus try to achieve positive outcomes. For example, they try to win a game because they desire to be good. In contrast, subjects with a prevention focus try to avoid failure. They try to win a game because they do not want to be bad. It was investigated if subjects having been induced a promotion focus are more likely to participate in studies if the invitation contains an Alpha strategy and if subjects having been induced a prevention focus are more likely to participate in studies if the invitation contains an Omega strategy.

Die Wirkung von Persuasionsstrategien auf die Beteiligung an Online-Umfragen: Incentives, foot-in-the-door-Technik oder wenn "even a penny will help"

Abstract Deutsch: Ziel des Experiments war es herauszufinden, ob ein Zusammenhang zwischen dem induzierten Regulatorischen Fokus der Probanden und ihrer Teilnahme an einer Online-Studie, zu der mit einer bestimmten Persuasionsstrategie eingeladen wurde, besteht. Die Untersuchung wurde in einem nicht-kommerziellen Online-Access-Panel mit ca. 2800 Mitgliedern durchgeführt. Persuasionsstrategien können in Alpha- und Omega-Strategien unterschieden werden. Alpha-Strategien erhöhen die Motivation, an einer Umfrage teilzunehmen, indem sie die Wahrscheinlichkeit für eine Annäherung erhöhen. Ein Beispiel, das auch in unserer Untersuchung aufgegriffen wurde, ist die Vergabe beziehungsweise Verlosung von Incentives. Omega-Strategien hingegen vermindern die Motivation, an einer Umfrage nicht teilzunehmen. Dies kann durch das Umgehen bzw. das direkte oder indirekte Angehen des Widerstandes gegenüber Online-Umfragen bewirkt werden. Als Omega-Strategien wurden die foot-in-the-door-Technik sowie die even-a-penny-will-help-Technik herangezogen. Innerhalb des Regulatorischen Fokus kann zwischen einem Promotion- und Prevention-Fokus differenziert werden. Personen, die einen Promotion-Fokus besitzen, bemühen sich, positive Ergebnisse zu erhalten. Sie streben es beispielsweise an, ein Spiel zu gewinnen, weil sie gut sein wollen. Liegt hingegen bei einer Person ein Prevention-Fokus vor, versucht sie, Misserfolge zu vermeiden. Hier haben die Personen das Ziel, ein Spiel zu gewinnen, weil sie nicht schlecht sein wollen. Es wurde überprüft, ob Personen, denen ein Promotion-Fokus induziert wurde, eher an Studien teilnehmen, zu denen mit einer Alpha-Strategie eingeladen wurde, und ob Personen, denen ein Prevention-Fokus induziert wurde, eher an Studien teilnehmen, zu denen mit einer Omega-Strategie eingeladen wurde.

Authors: Vanessa Kristina Vieselmeier, Manfred Leisenberg, Michael Löhe
Institution: FHM Bielefeld

Session 18: E-Learning I
Type of presentation: oral presentation

Web- Based course guidence: Development and evaluation of an online user profile based model

Abstract English: Every year the choice of a specific course of studies poses a serious challenge to numerous university applicants in Germany. Due to their long-time experience the course guidance of the universities, the career counsellors of the Federal Employment Office and private counsellors agree with each other on that problem. The information overload has immensely increased, in particular with the expansion of the WWW, but there is only a limited offer of individual counselling. The high expenditure of time and the required expertise causes great costs for individual counselling. In this presentation the authors concentrate on research of web based systems for course guidance that feature expert know-how or the ability to learn. Counselling can be offered independent of time and place to the user. The automatic operation method of web based course guidance should afford to offer individual counselling services at lower costs and increased availability. The existing ideas and offers of web based course guidance, e.g. method of aptitude tests, robots based on expert systems, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or expert-chats are introduced and evaluated in a market-analysis. The user affability, the flexibility, the complexity and the development- and maintenance costs of the systems are as important as the relevance, the level of detail and the validity of the recommended course of action. The results of this market research are included in the development of a model, which analyses in particular the applications and capacity of neural networks during the evaluation of user profile data.

Webbasierte Studienberatung – Entwicklung und Evaluation eines Modells auf der Basis von Online-Nutzerprofilen

Abstract Deutsch: Die Studienwahlentscheidung stellt jedes Jahr zahlreiche Studieninteressierte vor erhebliche Probleme. Darin stimmen die Erfahrungen der Studienberatungsstellen an deutschen Hochschulen, der Berufsberater der Arbeitsagenturen und privater Studienberatungen überein. Das Informationsangebot ist insbesondere mit der Verbreitung des WWW enorm gewachsen, individuelle Beratungsangebote sind jedoch nur eingeschränkt verfügbar. Der große Zeitaufwand und das erforderliche Expertenwissen führen dazu, dass Beratungsgespräche mit hohen Kosten verbunden sind. Die Autoren beschäftigen sich in dieser Arbeit mit webbasierten Studienberatungs-Systemen, die mit Expertenwissen oder mit Lernfähigkeit ausgestattet sind und Nutzern orts- und zeitunabhängig eine Beratungsleistung anbieten. Die automatisierte Arbeitsweise einer webbasierten Studienberatung soll ermöglichen, individuel-le Beratungsangebote zu geringeren Kosten anzubieten und die Verfügbarkeit zu verbessern. In einer Marktanalyse werden die bisherigen Ideen und Angebote im Bereich Online-Studienberatung, z.B. Eignungstestverfahren, Robots auf der Basis von Expertensystemen, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) oder Experten-Chats vorgestellt und bewertet. Im Vor-dergrund stehen dabei die Nutzerfreundlichkeit, die Flexibilität, die Komplexität und der Entwicklungs- und Pflegeaufwand der Systeme sowie die Relevanz, der Detaillierungsgrad und die Validität der Handlungsempfehlungen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Analyse werden in die Entwicklung eines Modells einbezogen, bei dem insbesondere die Einsatzmöglichkeiten und die Leistungsfähigkeit Neuronaler Netze bei der Auswertung der erhobenen Daten in Form von Nutzerprofilen untersucht werden.

Authors: Sebastian Vogt
Institution: TU Ilmenau

Session 18: E-Learning I

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Online collaboration & communication – usage of Weblogs and Wikis for transnational lectures

Abstract English: We will present the results of a case study, which was a team involved in scientific collaboration for a European-funded research project. This team relied heavily on the common emailing list for their communication and coordination (2754 emails in total). We gathered data about the media configuration of the team,: how often did they use the emailing list, and their web-board? How often did they meet and when? Furthermore, we analyse patterns of collaboration of the team, such as the presence and handling of conflicts, the co-production of scientific reports, the meeting of deadlines, the processes of decision making, and the overall output of the team from its constitution until its finalization (more than three years). The first results suggest that throughout different stages of the collaboration different media were used: conflict situations were postponed to be solved only in face-to-face meetings; the common emailing list was heavily used for coordination decisions, as well as the provision of information and emotional support, but not for discussions about the content of the work; when issues of trust arose the telephone was the most used medium. We intend to show how in the period of three years different patterns of media use were related to different collaboration stages, and thus understand how the introduction of ICTs has enabled different kinds of scientific collaboration.

Online collaboration & communication - Einsatz von Weblogs und Wikis in der transnationalen Lehre

Abstract Deutsch: Online collaboration & communication - Einsatz von Weblogs und Wikis in der transnationalen Lehre \"Das Internet verbindet Computer, das World Wide Web verlinkt Informationen und soziale Netze verbinden Menschen miteinander.\" (unbekannter Internetuser). Wird das Sammeln, das Bearbeiten und das Verteilen von Informationen in Communities durch den Einsatz von Weblogs und Wikis – als ein Teil der sozialen Netze - revolutioniert ? Wie kann man Weblogs und Wikis in transnationalen Lehrveranstaltungen einsetzen und nutzen ? In diesem Vortrag wird der Versuch unternommen, Antworten auf diese Fragen zu finden. Dies geschieht am Beispiel des transnationalen Online-Seminars \"Medienbrücke\" zwischen der Jagiellon Universität Krakau (PL) und der TU Ilmenau (GER). Erfahrungsberichte und erste Forschungsergebnisse dienen als Grundlage des Vortrages.

Authors: Yafang Wang
Institution: Universität Bielefeld

Session 26: Information Search on the Internet
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Online Social Capital and Inequality of Internet Use --an empirical research into informal learning of migrant youth in online socio-cultural networks

Abstract English: In the context of the long-term debate of “Bildung” and of the heating discussion on the dissatisfactory results of PISA in Germany, informal learning has been increasingly debated if it could be an effective approach to overcome the educational inequality which has been resulted from the stratification in social systems and formal educational structures, especially to promote situations of the disadvantaged groups, for example, the migrant young people. Against this background, informal learning with and through new media especially the informal learning in virtual space increasingly has been of a great significance. With the overwhelming increase of Internet penetration into every sector of daily life, the role of Internet as a virtual informal learning space has been getting increasingly important; however, differences between those who can use Internet to develop their life-competence through online informal learning and those who can not, which can be defined as a kind of digital inequality, are also coming up. Against all the background, online socio-cultural networks as online social capital will be applied in this study as a new dimension to analyse the differences of informal learning in virtual space so as to get a further understanding about how digital inequality has come into being, and eventually to reach a conclusion about whether, and to what extent, and how online informal learning could overcome the digital inequality and the educational inequality in real life as well.

Titel Deutsch: Email use in long-distance friendships
Abstract Deutsch: Um Freundschaften über räumliche Distanzen hinweg aufrechtzuerhalten, sind Menschen auf mediierte Kommunikation angewiesen. Die zentrale Frage in diesem Forschungsprojekt ist, inwieweit sie dabei Email nutzen und welche Faktoren die Emailnutzung beeinflussen.Medienwahltheorien wie die media richness Theorie (Daft & Lengel, 1986) gehen davon aus, dass Medien nach ihrer Reichhaltigkeit geordnet werden können und je nach Anforderungen der Aufgabe das passende Medium gewählt wird. Telefon sollte als reichhaltigeres Medium Email vorgezogen werden, wenn es um das Pflegen von Freundschaften geht. Allerdings zeigte sich, dass Menschen bei der Medienwahl nicht immer rational vorgehen. Zudem unterscheiden sie sich in der Einschätzung der Reichhaltigkeit der Medien. Schmitz und Fulk (1991) haben daher vorgeschlagen, die subjektiv wahrgenommene Eignung von Medien als Prädiktor zu verwenden. Im organisationalen Kontext ließ sich auch zeigen, dass die subjektiv wahrgenommene Eignung von Email die Emailnutzung vorhersagt.In zwei Studien (eine mit einer niederländischen, eine mit einer deutschen Stichprobe) wurde die Mediennutzung in Distanz-Freundschaften erfasst. Daneben wurde eine Reihe von möglichen Einflussfaktoren auf die Emailnutzung erhoben: Art des Internetzugangs und Kosten, Tippfähigkeiten und Interneterfahrung, sowie die Einstellung gegenüber asynchronen Medien im allgemeinen und Email im Besonderen. Obwohl das Telefon besser geeignet ist für die Pflege von Freundschaften (Dimmick, Kline & Stafford, 2000), war Email in beiden Studien das am häufigsten genutzte Medium. Die Emailnutzung wurde am ehesten durch die subjektiv wahrgenommene Eignung von Email zum Ausdrücken persönlicher Inhalte vorhergesagt. Allerdings zeigte sich ein interessanter asymmetrischer Einfluss der Freundschaftsintensität. Je intensiver die Freundschaft, desto mehr Emails wurden absolut geschrieben. Gleichzeitig ergab sich aber eine negative Korrelation mit dem Prozentsatz der Kommunikation, die über Email erfolgte. D.h., je intensiver die Freundschaft, desto weniger wurde - relativ gesehen - über Email kommuniziert. Stattdessen nahm der Anteil von Telefongesprächen zu. Während der Inhalt der Emails (oberflächlich vs. tiefgehend) unabhängig von der Freundschaftsintensität war, wurden die Telefongespräche mit zunehmender Freundschaftsintensität tiefgehender. Das spricht dafür, dass Email v.a. zum Halten des Kontakts eingesetzt wird, während wirklich persönliche Dinge in intensiven Freundschaften telefonisch besprochen werden.

Authors: Bernhard Weber,Marion Wittchen, Guido Hertel
Institution: (Universität Würzburg

Session 20: Knowledge Sharing in Online Groups II

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Preconditions of successful motivation management of virtual teams

Abstract English: Although small group research focuses primarily on motivation losses in group work (e.g. ´social loafing´, ´free riding´), there is a growing number of evidence for motivation gains in group work compared to working alone. These motivation gains were obtained in conventional groups as well as in virtual teams, but for both types of cooperation, certain features of the work context must be given. One crucial trigger seems to be the indispensability of individual contributions for group outcome (“social indispensability”, e.g. Hertel, Deter & Konradt, 2003). Moreover, the availability of partner-related performance feedback and anonymity of team partners have proven to be significant factors for motivation. The main objective of our laboratory study was to investigate several triggers of motivation gains in computer-supported virtual teams and to explore potential moderating influences of gender. In a 2x2x2x2(within)-design the factors “indispensability of individual contribution” (coactive vs. conjunctive cooperation), “anonymity of team partner” (anonymous vs. non-anonymous team partner), “feedback” (continuous vs. reduced partner-related feedback) and “work context” (individual vs. group trial) were varied experimentally. After having completed an individual trial, participants (N=201) worked together with a same-sex person in a simulated PC-retail store and had to complete customer requests online. Cooperating partners worked spatially separated from each other, but were allegedly connected via Intranet. A significant overall motivation gain for the group work was observed. These gains were higher under continuous feedback conditions compared to conditions with one-time performance feedback shortly after having started the group trial. Females showed the expected effect of high indispensability of the own contribution for the team, independently from the anonymity of the partner. In contrast male participants seemed to be primarily motivated by interpersonal competition in coactive conditions. Potential underlying processes and implications for designing virtual team work are discussed. Hertel, G., Deter, C. & Konradt, U. (2003). Motivation gains in computer-mediated work groups. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33, 2080-2105.

Voraussetzungen erfolgreichen Motivationsmanagements von virtuellen Teams

Abstract Deutsch: Im Gegensatz zu den in der Kleingruppenforschung häufig berichteten Motivationseinbußen durch Gruppenarbeit verglichen mit Einzelarbeit (z.B. „soziales Faulenzen“, „Trittbrettfahren“), wurden in den letzten Jahren zunehmend auch Belege für Motivationsgewinne durch Gruppenarbeit vorgelegt. Diese Motivationszuwächse bei Gruppenarbeit konnten nicht nur bei konventionellen Gruppen, sondern auch bei virtuellen Teams nachgewiesen werden, wobei bei beiden Formen der Kooperation bestimmte Kerncharakteristika des Arbeitskontextes gegeben sein müssen. Ein wichtiger Auslösefaktor scheint dabei die Unverzichtbarkeit persönlicher Beiträge für das Gruppenergebnis zu sein („social indispensability“; z.B. Hertel, Deter & Konradt, 2003). Darüber hinaus erwiesen sich die Verfügbarkeit von partnerbezogenen Leistungsinformationen und die Anonymität der Teampartner als motivationsrelevante Faktoren. Gegenstand der vorliegenden Laborstudie ist es, verschiedene Auslösefaktoren für Motivationsgewinne in computergestützten virtuellen Teams zu untersuchen sowie potenzielle, moderierende Einflüsse des Geschlechts zu eruieren. In einem 2x2x2x2(within)-Design wurden die Faktoren „Unverzichtbarkeit des Einzelbeitrags“ (koaktive vs. konjunktive Zusammenarbeit), „Anonymität des Teampartners“ (anonymer vs. nicht-anonymer Teampartner), „Feedback“ (kontinuierliches vs. reduziertes Feedback über Partnerleistung) und „Arbeitskontext“ (Einzel- vs. Gruppenarbeit) experimentell variiert. Die Probanden (N=201) arbeiteten nach dem Einzelarbeitsdurchgang mit einer gleichgeschlechtlichen Person im Team zusammen und sollten in einem simulierten Computer-Vertrieb Kundenanfragen am PC bearbeiten. Die Teampartner waren räumlich voneinander getrennt, aber vorgeblich via Intranet miteinander verbunden. Insgesamt waren signifikante Motivationsgewinne bei Gruppenarbeit zu beobachten. Diese waren bei kontinuierlichem Feedback höher als bei einmaliger Leistungsrückmeldung kurz nach Beginn des Gruppendurchgangs. Frauen zeigten dabei den erwarteten Effekt hoher Unverzichtbarkeit des persönlichen Beitrags für das Team, und zwar unabhängig von der Anonymität des Partners. Männliche Teilnehmer schienen dagegen vor allem durch interpersonalen Wettbewerb bei koaktiver Zusammenarbeit motiviert zu sein. Mögliche zugrunde liegende Prozesse sowie Implikationen für die Gestaltung virtueller Teamarbeit werden diskutiert. Hertel, G., Deter, C. & Konradt, U. (2003). Motivation gains in computer-mediated work groups. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33, 2080-2105.

Authors: Andrea Weitz , Walter Niemeier
Institution: (Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM))

Session 8: Best-Practice Anlyses: the Integration of Online Surveys within Companies

Type of presentation: Oral presentation

KODE® (competence-diagnostic- and development) - online

Abstract English: As a group of users with similar sorts, online bonding networks would be an extension of social closure in real life and inevitably would only transfer similarities among users within this structure. Consequently, those disadvantaged groups would still be socially excluded and their abilities to use Internet would remain and not be promoted. In contrast, online bridging networks, as a group of heterogeneity of social and ideological characteristics, would enable the reconstruction of socio-cultural networks in online society; therefore, for the disadvantaged young people in social and educational situations, more social support to use Internet or to learn in virtual space would be available. Based on this, it is assumed in this research that when young people go online, they participate in different online socio-cultural networks. Bridging network, as a group of heterogeneity, is assumed to be more effective than bonding network for informal learning, especially for disadvantaged young people, to promote their life competences. Further, the difference between being connected with online bonding networks and with bridging networks results the inequality of Internet use.

KODE® (Kompetenz-Diagnose- und Entwicklung) – online

Abstract Deutsch: KODE® (Kompetenz-Diagnose- und Entwicklung) – online Das Online-Tool unterstützt Manager, Personalberater und Trainer umfassend bei der Erfassung, Verwaltung und Auswertung von Kompetenzen. Dabei beziehen wir uns auf so genannte überfachliche oder soziale Kompetenzen. Es ist das erste Analyseinstrument, das vier Grundkompetenzen direkt misst und die Kompetenzverteilung unter günstigen und ungünstigen Bedingungen darstellt. Erfasst werden diese Kompetenzen durch Selbsteinschätzungen. Es existiert allerdings auch ein Fremdeinschätzungsfragebogen, mit dessen Hilfe Selbst- und Fremdbild abgeglichen werden können. Durch Kombination der vier Basiskompetenzen werden Rückschlüsse auf 64 Teilkompetenzen möglich. Für jede dieser Teilkompetenzen existiert eine Modulare Informationseinheit (MIT), die Unterstützung bietet, wenn der Kompetenzbereich weiter gestärkt werden soll. Nachdem zunächst eine Papier-Bleistift Variante dieses Fragebogens existierte, wurde in den letzten Jahren erfolgreich eine Online-Version erstellt. Im Rahmen der 8. internationalen GOR Conference soll die Handhabung der Online-Variante vorgestellt werden: • Systemanforderungen • Aufbau der Datenbankstruktur • Datenerfassung über das Web-Interface • Sicherheits- und Verschlüsselungsaspekte • Rückmeldeschleifen • Anbindung an ERP- und HR-Systeme • Vorteile gegenüber der Papier basierten Variante Referenten: Andrea Weitz, Projektleiterin CeKom-NRW, Walter Niemeier, Institutsleiter IWW Organisation: Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM)

Authors: Monica Whitty
Institution: Queen's University Belfast

Session 13: The Integration of Online and Offline Social Relationships
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

New and old spaces to cheat on your partner: An examination of women’s and men’s views on offline and online infidelity

Abstract English: In this empirical research, migrant youth are specially selected because of their special social and ideological background and especially because of their disadvantaged educational position in Germany. A questionnaire survey has been accomplished with altogether 324 young people with Turkish and Kurdish background aged from 14 to 21 years old with interview-administered method. Preliminary results and conclusion will be presented in detail.

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Authors: Luc Wilkin, Faccin, Brotvorne
Institution:

Session: Postersession
Type of presentation: Poster

Cyberliteracy : patterns of usages of the WWW by university students

Abstract English: The last decade has witnessed radical changes in information and communication technologies (ICTs). Internet and computer usages have prompted numerous studies in the business world. However, the empirical study of ICTs’ usages in academic settings in general is still a neglected area of investigation despite many utopian and dystopian discourses. The majority of practitioner and popular articles tend to focus on the virtues of internet-enabled information sources and minimize the difficulties students might have in accessing and processing this information. With this in mind, the authors present the first results of a research survey based on an extensive structured questionnaire of 400 students in different programs of education: social sciences, humanities, fundamental and applied sciences. To address whether and to what extent the WWW has become a routine in university student working habits, this study focused on the following questions: (1) to what extent (frequency, daily use, scope and skills) do students use the web as a source of scholarly information ?; (2) for what type of academic purposes do they use these resources?; (3) compared to other sources of information (i.e. printed books and monographs), how do students use the WWW to start and finalize assignments and papers?; (4) how do students assess the credibility of scholarly information on the web ?; (5) to what extent do they use electronic resources available in digital libraries and (6) are there differences in terms of usages from a gender and discipline points of view. Implications are discussed in light of current efforts of educators and universities in general to improve Internet literacy.

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Authors: Marion Wittchen, Daniel Schlereth, Guido Hertel (University of Wuerzburg)
Institution: University of Wuerzburg

Session 20: Knowledge Sharing in Online Groups II
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Motivation gains in internet based virtual group work

Abstract English: Recent research has demonstrated motivation gains of work group members when their con-tribution is crucial for the group’s success (“indispensability”, e.g. Hertel, Kerr & Messé, JPSP 2000). In these studies, indispensability of inferior group members’ performance was ma-nipulated by changing the structure of the group task. The indispensability effect has been demonstrated in laboratory studies with group members working in different rooms of the same building (e.g. Hertel, Deter & Konradt, JASP 2003). As a further test of the robustness of the indispensability effect we examined motivations gains in virtual cooperation with inter-net based sequential group work and participants working outside the laboratory under anonymous conditions, using a 2 (online vs. laboratory experiment) x 3 (indispensability high vs. indispensability low vs. no indispensability) x 2 (individual vs. group trial) design, the last factor being measured within subjects. Additionally, a control group completed two individual trials in order to control for learning and fatigue effects. Motivation was measured with a task simulating processes in a virtual travel agency selling package holidays. Participants (N=317) completed packages according to incoming customer requests. During both trials, continuous performance feedback about participants’ own performance was provided. During the second trial, subjects also received feedback about how their partner had previously performed dur-ing his/her trial at regular intervals. As expected, in online experiments as well as in the labo-ratory setting the highest motivation gains occurred when indispensability of subjects’ per-formance for the group’s outcome was highest. Thus, motivation gains in groups have been demonstrated for the first time in internet based group work with anonymous partner. To-gether, our results demonstrate that motivation gains based on indispensability effects can be produced in internet based group work as well as in co-located work. Implications for fur-ther research and application are discussed.

Motivationsgewinne bei internetbasierter virtueller Gruppenarbeit

Abstract Deutsch: Neuere Forschungsergebnisse belegen, dass Personen während Teamarbeit unter bestimm-ten Bedingungen eine deutlich höhere Leistungsbereitschaft zeigen, als wenn sie allein ar-beiten (sog. „Motivationsgewinne in Gruppen“). Solche Motivationsgewinne treten z. B. auf, wenn leistungsschwächere Gruppenmitglieder wissen, dass ihr Beitrag für den Erfolg der Gruppe unverzichtbar ist („Indispensability“, z.B., Hertel, Kerr & Messé, JPSP 2000). Die Unverzichtbarkeit des Beitrags leistungsschwächerer Gruppenmitglieder wurde dabei durch die Struktur der Gruppenaufgabe variiert. Dieser „Indispensability“-Effekt wurde bislang in Laborstudien demonstriert, bei denen die Teilnehmer am selben Ort arbeiteten, wenn auch manchmal in getrennten Räumen (z.B. Hertel, Deter & Konradt, JASP 2003). Um die Ro-bustheit und damit praktische Nutzbarkeit des „Indispensability“-Effekts zu untersuchen, wurden in dieser Studie Motivationsgewinne bei internetbasierter Zusammenarbeit mit zeit-versetzter Kooperation und räumlicher Trennung von Gruppenmitgliedern unter anonymen Bedingungen überprüft. Dazu wurde ein 2 (Internet vs. Labor) x 3 (hohe vs. niedrige vs. kei-ne Indispensability) x 2 (Einzel- vs. Gruppendurchgang) Versuchsplan realisiert. Zur Kontrol-le von Lern- und Ermüdungseffekten wurde zusätzlich eine Vergleichsgruppe erhoben, in der Probanden zwei Einzeldurchgänge bearbeiteten. Die Motivation der Versuchsteilnehmer (N = 317) wurde mit Hilfe einer Aufgabe gemessen, in der Verkaufsprozesse in einem virtuellen Reisebüro simuliert wurden. Die Aufgabe der Probanden bestand darin, auf eingespielte Kundenanfragen hin am Computer Pauschalreiseangebote zusammenzustellen. Während der Versuchsdurchgänge wurde kontinuierlich Feedback über die eigene Leistung gegeben. Während des Gruppendurchgangs erhielten die Versuchsteilnehmer außerdem in regelmä-ßigen Abständen Rückmeldung über die bereits erbrachte Leistung ihres Partners. Wie er-wartet traten sowohl bei Internet- als auch bei Labordurchführung die höchsten Motivations-gewinne dann auf, wenn die Unverzichtbarkeit (Indispensability) des eigenen Beitrags für das Gruppenergebnis am höchsten war. Damit wurden zum ersten Mal Motivationsgewinne auch bei internetbasierter Gruppenarbeit mit anonymem Teampartner nachgewiesen. Insge-samt demonstrieren diese Ergebnisse, dass Motivationsgewinne durch Unverzichtbarkeit der eigenen Leistung für das Gruppenergebnis auch bei internetbasierter, räumlich getrennter und zeitversetzter Gruppenarbeit erzeugt werden können. Implikationen der Ergebnisse für die weitere theoretische Entwicklung und praktische Anwendung werden diskutiert.

Authors: Dietmar Wolfram , Hong (Iris) Xie
Institution: School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Session 26: Information Search on the Internet
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

A Longitudinal Study of Database Usage within a general Audience Digital Library

Abstract English: "The authors report on the findings of a longitudinal study investigating end user searching of bibliographic database utilities as part of a general audience digital library (GADL). GADLs are intended for use by a broad range of users and provide access to both published and homegrown information resources, thus presenting both design and content challenges for providers and designers. In the United States, GADLs are exemplified by Web-based state digital libraries. The emergence of the GADL defines a context that represents a hybrid of both “formal” information retrieval (IR), using primarily bibliographic resources provided by database vendors, and “popular” IR, represented by public search systems available on the Web. This study reports the findings of a six-year transaction log analysis of database usage within the state of Wisconsin BadgerLink system. BadgerLink makes available a range of electronic resources to libraries and residents of Wisconsin. The reported research builds on the authors’ previous work examining how end users interact with formal resources to meet their information needs (Wolfram & Xie, 2000, 2001, 2002; Xie & Wolfram, 2002). Data collected focus on the primary users of the bibliographic databases, subject searches, document formats used, and general user search behavior. As end users become more accustomed to “formal” types of electronic information resources available through libraries and general Internet access, their search and information request behaviors have shifted. Changes observed in the types of resources requested include declines in leisure & entertainment topics (common in “popular” IR), and more requests for resources in education and social topics. With broader access now available to full text materials and not just document surrogates, the proportion of searches requesting full text material over abstracts and citations has also increased over the study period. For designers of digital libraries intended for general audiences, transaction log data, in combination with other types of data collection, can provide valuable insights into user information needs and search behavior, which can then be applied to the design of systems and their content to better meet the needs of the communities they serve.
References:
Wolfram, D., & Xie, H. (2000). End user database searching on the Internet: An analysis of the state of Wisconsin's BadgerLink service. In M.E. Williams (Ed.), Proceedings of the 21st National Online Meeting. (pp. 503-512). Medford, NJ: Information Today,
Wolfram, D., & Xie, H. (2002). Traditional IR for Web users: A context for general audience digital libraries. Information Processing & Management, 38, 627-648.
Wolfram, D., & Xie, H. (2001). State digital libraries: Developing systems for general audiences. In S. R. Urs, T. B. Rajashekar, K. S. Raghavan (Eds.). Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Asian Digital Libraries (pp. 62-74), Mysore: University of Mysore.
Xie, H., & Wolfram, D. (2002). State digital library usability: Contributing organizational factors. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 53(13), 1085-1095. " .

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Authors: Mei Wu
Institution: University of Macau

Session 28: Online Groups and E-Democracy
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Alternative Channel of Information: Discussion Forums on the Chinese Internet

Abstract English: Based on a quantitative analysis of the interactive content of 14 major Chinese net forums in China and overseas over a one-year period (which stands for over 450,000 postings), the first large-scale project of its kind, this study explores Chinese Internet discussion boards from the perspective of information flow analysis. It argues that the Chinese net forums have become an alternative channel of information dissemination parallel to the state-controlled news media system. The inquiry of news redistribution in the cyber space focuses on: a) the volume and content of information circulating over Chinese net forums; b) the pattern of crossposting in BBS communities in relation to the traditional and mainstream media; c) the intertwined trajectory of information flow networks among net forums both at home and abroad; and d) the potential of the Internet forums as a quasi-news medium in regard to the dominancy of the state media system. Key words: Internet, China, Discussion Forums, Information Flow, Global Chinese Societies

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Authors: Jan Mateusz Zajac , Pawel Mazurek
Institution: Warsaw University

Session 11: E-Commerce & E-Business II
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Internet users and the digital surveillance

Abstract English: Digital technologies enabling to gather and process huge amount of information strengthen and replace existing mechanisms of social control. An average citizen is subject to surveillance from the part of government, business, his own employer and peers. The Internet is a particular example of a space where documentation of users’ behavior is frequent, just to mention cookies, log tracking or spyware. Scientists analyzing the phenomenon of surveillance often referred to the Foucauldian concept of panopticism (Foucault, 1975). However, the digital surveillance is qualitatively different, as it does not aims at normalization and promotion of certain values. The control is unintended, related to servicing consumers’ demand (Lianos, 2003). Customer are seduced by surveillance, which is for them useful and liberating, whereas means of control are privatized and deregulated. Proliferation of new forms of surveillance and control forces to discuss concepts of privacy, intimacy and anonymity and to consider psychosocial reactions towards increasing monitoring. Indeed, satisfying consumer needs is for many Internet users a good reason to reveal personal information and to be subject to monitoring, as on many websites providing full options only for registered users. However, many others, especially newbies, do not realize their online behavior to be monitored and trust in the illusion of anonymity. From the point of view of social psychology it is particularly interesting who adopted active strategies to limit surveillance, e.g. using anonymizers or disabling cookies, and whether it is explained by technical skills or rather psychological variables, especially locus of control. Results of 2 empirical studies will be presented. The first study was a survey regarding awareness of various forms of online monitoring and reactions towards them among Polish Internet users. Variables as Internet experience and competences, locus of control and other personality traits as well as social status and demographics were controlled. In the second, qualitative study Internet non-users were examined. Among others, it tried to investigate if concerns about surveillance and privacy prevent people from using the Internet. References: Foucault, M. (1975). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Random House. Lianos, M. (2003). Social control after Foucault. Surveillance and Society, 1 (3), 412-430.

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Authors: Dehui Zhou , Andreas Huber, Edgar Heineken, Frank Paul Schulte, Heike Ollesch
Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen, Abteilung für Kognitionspsychologie, Institut für Kognition und Kommunikation

Session 18: E-Learning I
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Knowledge representation and metaphor cognition: a cross-cultural webbased experiment

Abstract English: “The way we think, what we experience, and what we do every day is very much a matter of metaphor”(Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). This widely accepted assertion suggests a connection between metaphor cognition and people’s action. It is assumed that the comprehension of a metaphor influences situation perception and actions of a person. Since most metaphors emerge and evolve within a specific culture, their comprehension is culture-related. To experimentally test whether the differences in the comprehension of a metaphor affect perception and action of people, German and Chinese participants were asked to act as teachers in a web-based virtual school and to take influence on the behaviour of their fictious pupils by means of email communication. The participants were instructed to follow the school’s “mission statement”, i.e. to behave after one of the three teacher metaphors, namely “A teacher is a shepherd”( assumed to be best understood only in German culture), “A teacher is a candle”(assumed to be best understood only in Chinese culture), and “A teacher is a captain”(assumed to be well understood in both German and Chinese culture). The data on the participants situation awareness and on their communication with the pupils were recorded. The webbased experiment proved to be a viable and economical way to conduct this study, because it provided access to a large number of participants over long geographic distance, and allowed to record enormous data both time- and space-independently.

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Authors: Ton Zijlstra
Institution: Proven Partners

Session 16: Wikipedia & Social Software
Type of presentation: Oral presentation

Social Software: Helping Knowledge worker dealing with information overload


Abstract English: Knowledge is the ability to act (Sveiby, 1997), and consists of the interaction of Information, Experience, Skills and Attitude (K = f(I*ESA), Weggeman, 1997). With the ascent of the internet and the spreading of easy and cheap tools to produce and publish information, we have come to live in a world of information abundance, where much larger groups have access to much larger bodies of information. However, our skill sets and information strategies to gather, filter, judge, and use information are still largely rooted in the concept of information scarceness. The notion of information overload is the expression of that mismatch between information abundance and skills based on information scarceness, and the effect that mismatch has on our ability to act (=knowledge) (Zijlstra, 2004). Social software are tools aimed at communicating information through the internet, but with social interaction and personal relationships as their channel of communication. They allow us to convey expressions of experience, skills and attitude in our exchanges of information. Therefore they are very well suited for supporting new information strategies that are geared to information abundance by leveraging the social context of that information. Different social software tools support different parts of those strategies as well as different types of relationships, and an understanding of these differences is needed. This paper will explore the place of different social software tools in supporting the required new information strategies by presenting and comparing different examples of the use of social software tools, and the type of situation and behaviour they are suited for. Through a qualitative analysis of these examples it will discuss how social software is key for knowledge work in complex situations (Snowden 2003), such as by helping to detect and create emergent information patterns (Johnson, 2002). References: Johnson, Steven B. (2002), Emergence:The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software. New York: Scribner. Snowden, David J. and Kurtz, C.F. (2003), The new dynamics of strategy: Sense-making in a complex and complicated world. IBM Systems Journal, Vol 42, No 3. Sveiby, Karl Erik (1997), The New Organizational Wealth. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Weggeman, Mathieu P. (1997), Kennismanagement: Inrichting en besturing van kennisintensieve organisaties, Schiedam: Scriptum. Zijlstra, Ton (2004), Every Signal Starts Out As Noise. Weblog article, March 27th 2004. http://www.zylstra.org/blog/archives/001229.html.

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