Showing papers in "Online Information Review in 2015"

Influence of Facebook brand-page posts on online engagement

Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to examine how various characteristics of brand posts influence online engagement on Facebook brand pages. , – The data used for this study were obtained from the posts of ten popular official brand pages. For the selected period between March 1 and May 1, 2014, a total of 1,030 posts were obtained and manually processed on September 1, 2014. To assign post categories to the posts created by page administrators, the authors performed manual coding, following the coding development strategy. , – The results demonstrated that the media and content type of posts exert a significant effect on user online engagement. This study used liking, commenting and sharing behavior as a measure of users’ online engagement to specify the new phenomena. , – The findings are relevant for the theory of information dissemination and provide valuable and directly applicable implications for the social media marketing of companies.

Disciplinary differences in the use of academic social networking sites

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detect and describe disciplinary differences in the users and use of several social networking sites by scientists. Design/methodology/approach – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) (Spanish National Research Council) researchers registered in the most currently relevant academic social network sites (Google Scholar Citations, Academia.edu, ResearchGate (RG) and Mendeley) were analysed. In total, 6,132 profiles were classified according the eight research areas of the CSIC. Findings – Results show that Academia.edu is massively populated by humanists and social scientists, while RG is popular among biologists. Disciplinary differences are observed across every platform. Thus, scientists from the humanities and social sciences and natural resources show a significant activity contacting other members. On the contrary, biologists are more passive using social tools. Originality/value – This is the first study that analyses the disciplinary perform...

Factors affecting information sharing in social networking sites amongst university students

Abstract: – Drawing upon the knowledge sharing model, the purpose of this paper is to identify personal and environmental antecedents to information sharing on social networking sites (SNSs) and examines the interaction effects between the two factors. , – Data were collected via online survey with college students. Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to test hypotheses and examine research questions. , – With regard to environmental factors, the more users perceive their audience to be a collection of weak ties, the more likely they are to share information on SNSs, independent of the size of their networks. Personal factors such as information self-efficacy, positive social outcome expectations, and sharing enjoyment feelings were found to be significant predictors of sharing activities. In addition, a significant interaction effect was found such that the effects of social outcome expectations on sharing activities on SNSs are manifested to a greater extent when users perceive their audience as weak ties rather than strong ties. , – This study extends the knowledge sharing model literature by applying it to the SNS context and advances SNS research by taking into consideration both environmental factors and personal factors and their interactions.

Adoption of mobile social networking sites for learning

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence users’ behavioral intention (BI) to adopt mobile social networking sites (mSNS) in facilitating formal/informal learning. Specifically, the study also investigates the association of mobility, reachability and convenience with performance expectancy (PE) and effort expectancy (EE). Design/methodology/approach – Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to test on 266 valid responses. Findings – The findings indicated that learning compatibility (LC), PE, EE and copyright clearance (CC) has a significant effect on BI. The results also revealed that EE is influenced by mobility, reachability and convenience. PE however was found to be influenced by convenience. Practical implications – The results of this study provides valuable insights and references for practitioners and mobile network providers in developing mSNS in facilitating learning. Originality/value – While mSNS have the potential ...

Determinants of adoption of mobile health services

Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to explore the mobile health adoption behaviour of potential adopters and to provide guidelines for mobile health success. This study applied both health behaviour and consumer value research and developed an integrated research model to encourage mobile health adoption. , – The authors contacted about 1,800 potential respondents living in Seoul, Korea. The authors used stratified sampling to choose sampling areas and quota sampling to select the final sampling unit. A total of 550 interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using a structural equation modelling technique with linear structural relations. , – The results demonstrate that usefulness, convenience and monetary values of mobile health positively influence adoption intention. Convenience and monetary values are strongly perceived by individuals who have experienced illness, but the effect of illness experiences on the usefulness value is insignificant. Gender, age and income do not influence adoption intention. , – There is no research yet studies mobile health adoption behaviour in the integrated view of consumer value and the health service research. This integrated adoption model of mobile health can be a response of the calls to develop the mobile health adoption model adapted to the health context and to identify added predictors of the mobile health adoption.

Accepting the challenges of social media research

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new viewpoint series, Monitoring the Media: Spotlight on Social Media Research, by providing an overview of the key challenges in social media research and some current initiatives in addressing them. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers publication output from disciplines dealing with social media studies and summarises the key challenges as discussed in the broader research community. Findings – The paper suggests that challenges originate both from the interdisciplinary nature of social media research and from the ever-changing research landscape. It concludes that, whilst the community is addressing some challenges, others require more attention. Originality/value – The paper summarises key challenges of social media and will be of interest to researchers in different disciplines, as well as a general audience, wanting to learn about how social media data are used for research.

Evaluating search features of Google Knowledge Graph and Bing Satori: Entity types, list searches and query interfaces

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to better understand three main aspects of semantic web search engines of Google Knowledge Graph and Bing Satori. The authors investigated: coverage of entity types, the extent of their support for list search services and the capabilities of their natural language query interfaces. Design/methodology/approach – The authors manually submitted selected queries to these two semantic web search engines and evaluated the returned results. To test the coverage of entity types, the authors selected the entity types from Freebase database. To test the capabilities of natural language query interfaces, the authors used a manually developed query data set about US geography. Findings – The results indicate that both semantic search engines cover only the very common entity types. In addition, the list search service is provided for a small percentage of entity types. Moreover, both search engines support queries with very limited complexity and with limited set of recognised terms. Research limitations/implications – Both companies are continually working to improve their semantic web search engines. Therefore, the findings show their capabilities at the time of conducting this research. Practical implications – The results show that in the near future the authors can expect both semantic search engines to expand their entity databases and improve their natural language interfaces. Originality/value – As far as the authors know, this is the first study evaluating any aspect of newly developing semantic web search engines. It shows the current capabilities and limitations of these semantic web search engines. It provides directions to researchers by pointing out the main problems for semantic web search engines.

Making Open Access work: The “state-of-the-art” in providing Open Access to scholarly literature

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of one of the most important and controversial areas of scholarly communication: Open Access publishing and dissemination of research outputs. It identifies and discusses recent trends and future challenges for various stakeholders in delivering Open Access (OA) to the scholarly literature. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a number of interrelated strands of evidence which make up the current discourse on OA, comprising the peer-reviewed literature, grey literature and other forms of communication (including blogs and e-mail discussion lists). It uses a large-scale textual analysis of the peer-reviewed literature since 2010 (carried out using the VOSviewer tool) as a basis for discussion of issues raised in the OA discourse. Findings – A number of key themes are identified, including the relationship between “Green” OA (deposit in repositories) and “Gold” OA (OA journal publication), the developing evidence base associated wi...

Opening Access to collections: The making and using of open digitised cultural content

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to situate the activity of digitisation to increase access to cultural and heritage content alongside the objectives of the Open Access Movement (OAM). It demonstrates that increasingly open licensing of digital cultural heritage content is creating opportunities for researchers in the arts and humanities for both access to and analysis of cultural heritage materials. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is primarily a literature and scoping review of the current digitisation licensing climate, using and embedding examples from ongoing research projects and recent writings on Open Access (OA) and digitisation to highlight both opportunities and barriers to the creation and use of digital heritage content from galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM). Findings – The digital information environment in which digitised content is created and delivered has changed phenomenally, allowing the sharing and reuse of digital data and encouraging new advances in rese...

Enhancing Qualitative andMixed Methods Research with Technology

Abstract: Shalin Hai-Jew works as an instructional designer at Kansas State University (K-State); she teaches from a distance for WashingtonOnline (WAOL). She has taught at the university and college levels for many years (including four years in the People’s Republic of China) and was tenured at Shoreline Community College but left tenure to pursue instructional design work. She has Bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology, a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Washington (Hugh Paradise Scholar), and an Ed.D in Educational Leadership with a focus on public administration from Seattle University (where she was a Morford Scholar). She reviews for several publications — Educause Review Online and MERLOT’s Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, and is editor of several IGI Global titles. Dr. Hai-Jew was born in Huntsville, Alabama, in the U.S. Released: September 2014 An Excellent Addition to Your Library!

Aristotelian rhetoric and Facebook success in Israel's 2013 election campaign

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the mapping of the social media discourse involving politicians and their followers during election campaigns, the authors examined Israeli politicians’ Aristotelian rhetoric on Facebook and its reception during the 2013 elections campaign. Design/methodology/approach – The authors examined the Aristotelian rhetorical strategies used by Israeli politicians on their Facebook walls during the 2013 elections, and their popularity with social media users. Findings – Ethos was the most prevalent rhetorical strategy used. On the reception front, pathos-based appeals attracted the most likes. Finally, the results point to some discrepancy between politicians’ campaign messages and the rhetoric that actually gains social media users’ attention. Research limitations/implications – The findings indicate that Israel’s multi-party political system encourages emphasis on candidates’ credibility (ethos) in contrast to the prevalence of emotion (pathos) in typical ...

Effects of social capital on online knowledge sharing: positive and negative perspectives

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model of how both the benefits and risks of social capital influence online knowledge sharing among virtual community members towards enhancing members’ relationship continuity and virtual community reputations. In addition, this study addresses the effects of complementary resources on knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach – The structural equation modelling approach was applied to estimate the conceptual model by using survey data from virtual community members. A total of 626 valid questionnaires were collected. Findings – The empirical results showed that most of the research hypotheses were supported. The benefits of social capital and complementary resources have a positive effect on knowledge sharing, thereby strengthening relationship continuity and community reputation. Furthermore, the risk of social capital has a negative effect on knowledge sharing, as expected. Originality/value – A review of the literature reveals a lack...

Understanding the role of argument quality in the adoption of online reviews: An empirical study integrating value-based decision and needs theory

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a research model that examines the effect of argument quality and argument perspective on the adoption of online reviews in a value-based decision model. In addition, the paper investigates the moderating effects of argument quality from needs theory. Design/methodology/approach – To validate the research model, a questionnaire survey was conducted in the Chinese online shopping context. Hypotheses were tested using partial least squares analysis on a data set of 208 online consumers. Findings – The results suggest that argument quality and argument perspective have positive impacts on perceived value, further influencing the adoption of online reviews. Moreover, the results confirm that the information credibility and quantity sufficiency of online reviews are positively associated with argument quality. The findings also indicate that argument quality mediates the relationship between argument perspective and perceived value. Originality/value – This wor...

How readers' perceived self-congruity and functional congruity affect bloggers' informational influence: Perceived interactivity as a moderator.

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to treat bloggers as human brands and applies self-congruity theory to explore how actual and ideal blogger-reader self-congruity, combined with the blog’s functional congruity, influences blogger-reader relationship quality (BRRQ) and the blogger’s informational influence, taking perceived interactivity among blog members as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach – Using a survey of 372 female beauty blog readers, this study employs the structural equation modelling approach to investigate the proposed model. Findings – The empirical findings indicate that readers’ perceived self-congruity with beauty bloggers raises the bloggers’ informational influence, mediated by BRRQ and functional congruity. Actual self-congruity has greater predictive power than ideal self-congruity in explaining bloggers’ informational influence. Moreover, perceived interactivity plays a two-sided role because it strengthens the positive impact of BRRQ on informational influence but weaken...

The networked cultural diffusion of Korean wave

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the diffusion of a popular Korean music video on the video-sharing web site YouTube. It applies a webometric approach in the diffusion of innovations framework to study three elements of diffusion in a Web 2.0 environment: users, user-to-user relationship and user-generated comment. Design/methodology/approach – The webometric approach combines profile analyses, social network analyses, semantic and sentiment analyses. Findings – The results show that male users in the US played a dominant role in the early-stage diffusion. The dominant users represented the innovators and early adopters in the evaluation stage of the diffusion, and they engaged in continuous discussions about the cultural origin of the video and expressed criticisms. Overall, the discussion between users varied according to their gender, age, and cultural background. Specifically, male users were more interactive than female users, and users in countries culturally similar to Korea were more likely to express favourable attitudes toward the video. Originality/value – The study provides a webometric approach to examine the Web 2.0-based social system in the early-stage global diffusion of cultural offerings. This approach connects the diffusion of innovations framework to the new context of Web 2.0-based diffusion.

Open Access and the Humanities: Contexts, Controversies and the Future

Abstract: The dream of “universal access to all knowledge” (as the Internet Archive puts it) is, of course, not unique to our age. Aspirations to enable ever more people to partake in the fruits of human knowledge evolve in tandem with the practises, epistemologies and mythologies of the day – from magical and mathematical languages to universal library catalogues, hubristically epic corporate scanning empires to climate controlled bunkers for endangered books.

What’s App: a social capital perspective

Abstract: Purpose – Based on the premises of Putnam’s bridging social capital, and on Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe’s notion of maintained social capital, the purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the well-being variables of self-esteem and loneliness, as well as What’s App attitudes and intention to use variables, explain the social capital students gain from What’s App use. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted in Israel during the second semester of the 2014 academic year and included 124 students from two major universities in Israel. Researchers used six questionnaires to gather data. Findings – Findings confirm that the well-being variables, as well as What’s App attitudes and intention to use, affect the social capital students gain while using What’s App. Originality/value – The findings of this study shed light on a new technological platform: What’s App that has rarely been examined to date. In addition, it expands the social capital and well-being perspectives to new ...

Funding models for Open Access digital data repositories

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine funding models for Open Access (OA) digital data repositories whose costs are not wholly core funded. Whilst such repositories are free to access, they are not without significant cost to build and maintain and the lack of both full core costs and a direct funding stream through payment-for-use poses a considerable financial challenge, placing their future and the digital collections they hold at risk. Design/methodology/approach – The authors document 14 different potential funding streams for OA digital data repositories, grouped into six classes (institutional, philanthropy, research, audience, service, volunteer), drawing on the ongoing experiences of seeking a sustainable funding for the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI). Findings – There is no straight forward solution to funding OA digital data repositories that are not wholly core funded, with a number of general and specific challenges facing each repository, and each funding model having strengths and weaknesses. The proposed DRI solution is the adoption of a blended approach that seeks to ameliorate cyclical effects across funding streams by generating income from a number of sources rather than overly relying on a single one, though it is still reliant on significant state core funding to be viable. Practical implications – The detailing of potential funding streams offers practical financial solutions to other OA digital data repositories which are seeking a means to become financially sustainable in the absence of full core funding. Originality/value – The review assesses and provides concrete advice with respect to potential funding streams in order to help repository owners address the financing conundrum they face.

Exploring the role of personality traits in followee recommendation

Abstract: – Followee recommendation is a problem rapidly gaining importance in Twitter as well as in other micro-blogging communities. To find interesting users to follow, most recommendation systems leverage different factors such as graph topology or user-generated content, among others. Those systems mostly disregard, however, the effect of psychological characteristics, such as personality, over the followee selection process. As personality is considered one of the primary factors that influence human behaviour, the purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the impact of personality traits on followee selection. , – The authors performed a data analysis comparing the similarity among Twitter users and their followees regarding personality traits. The authors analysed three different similarity measures. First, the authors computed an overall similarity considering the five personality traits or dimensions of the Five-Factor model as a whole. Second, the authors computed the dimension-to-dimension similarity considering each individual personality trait independently of each other. Third, the authors computed a cross-dimension similarity considering each personality dimension in relation to the others. , – This study showed that personality should be considered as a distinctive factor in the process of followee selection. However, personality dimensions should not be analysed as a whole as the overall personality similarity might not accurately assess the actual matching between individuals. Instead, the performed data analysis showed the existence of relations among the individual dimensions. Thus, the importance of considering each personality trait with respect to others is stated. , – This study is among the firsts to study the impact of personality, one of the primary factors that influence human behaviour and social relationships, in the selection of followees in micro-blogging communities.

Existing plagiarism detection techniques: A systematic mapping of the scholarly literature

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the state-of-the-art techniques used to detect plagiarism in terms of their limitations, features, taxonomies and processes. Design/methodology/approach – The method used to execute this study consisted of a comprehensive search for relevant literature via six online database repositories namely; IEEE xplore, ACM Digital Library, ScienceDirect, EI Compendex, Web of Science and Springer using search strings obtained from the subject of discussion. Findings – The findings revealed that existing plagiarism detection techniques require further enhancements as existing techniques are incapable of efficiently detecting plagiarised ideas, figures, tables, formulas and scanned documents. Originality/value – The contribution of this study lies in its ability to have exposed the current trends in plagiarism detection researches and identify areas where further improvements are required so as to complement the performances of existing techniques.

For what it’s worth – the open peer review landscape

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold, first, to discuss the current and future issues around post-publication open peer review. Second, to highlight some of the main protagonists and platforms that encourages open peer review, pre-and post-publication. Design/methodology/approach – The first part of the paper aims to discuss the facilitators and barriers that will enable and prevent academics engaging with the new and established platforms of scholarly communication and review. These issues are covered with the intention of proposing further dialogue within the academic community that ultimately address researchers’ concerns, whilst continuing to nurture a progressive approach to scholarly communication and review. The paper will continue to look at the prominent open post-publication platforms and tools and discuss whether in the future it will become a standard model. Findings – The paper identifies several problems, not exclusive to open peer review that could inhibit academics from being ope...

Social viewing behavior in social TV: proposing a new concept of socio-usability

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how usability and sociability differ in the way they influence users’ experiences using social TV (STV). Design/methodology/approach – The research model is theoretically proposed and empirically tested through a survey of STV users in South Korea. The model was analysed using structural equation modelling, and the results were input to a neural network model to predict adoption. Findings – Users differ in their emphasis on the identified dimensions when they view STV and socialise through it. Furthermore, the findings show the mediating and moderating roles of perceived sociability on the effect of performance on intention. That is, with sociability, users perceive higher utilitarian value and enjoyable hedonic value and thus are more likely to intend to use STV. Research limitations/implications – The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of building a theory of sociability and providing practical insights into developing a me...

Trading with privacy: the price of personal information

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how users in an anonymous virtual environment react to an offer to trade in access to their social network profile. Design/methodology/approach – The experiment was conducted in Second Life (SL). Participants were offered varied sums of money in exchange for access to their Facebook profile, effectively undermining their anonymity. Findings – Even in an anonymous environment, money plays a role in users’ decisions to disclose their offline identity, but a closer look at the findings reveals that users also use deception to enjoy the benefits of the offer without paying the costs. The results illustrate three types of users according to the strategies they employ: abstainers, traders, and deceivers. Research limitations/implications – The implications to the field of online information disclosure lie at the ability to illustrate and distinguish between the different strategies users choose with regard to online information disclosure, as the study design si...

Measuring the effectiveness of answers in Yahoo! Answers

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ways in which effectiveness of answers in Yahoo! Answers, one of the largest community question answering sites (CQAs), is related to question types and answerer reputation. Effective answers are defined as those that are detailed, readable, superior in quality and contributed promptly. Five question types that were studied include factoid, list, definition, complex interactive and opinion. Answerer reputation refers to the past track record of answerers in the community. Design/methodology/approach – The data set comprises 1,459 answers posted in Yahoo! Answers in response to 464 questions that were distributed across the five question types. The analysis was done using factorial analysis of variance. Findings – The results indicate that factoid, definition and opinion questions are comparable in attracting high quality as well as readable answers. Although reputed answerers generally fared better in offering detailed and high-quality answers, nov...

Academic Search Engines: A Quantitative Outlook

Abstract: El autor es José Luis Ortega, investigador del CSIC y miembro del Laboratorio de Cibermetría, que cuenta con una importante trayectoria investigadora con publicaciones nacionales e internacionales en el ámbito de la cibermetría, la visualización de información y el análisis de redes. La obra está escrita en un inglés claro y sencillo y su título refleja de forma precisa su contenido: los motores de búsqueda académicos.