Implicit Many-to-One Implicit Many-to-One Communication in Communication in

Online CommunitiesOnline Communities

MuMu XiaXiaUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(with Wenjing Duan@GWU, Yun Huang and (with Wenjing Duan@GWU, Yun Huang and

Andy Whinston@UT Austin)Andy Whinston@UT Austin)

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AgendaAgenda

►Growth of online sharing communitiesGrowth of online sharing communities►Definition of Ballot-box Definition of Ballot-box

CommunicationsCommunications►How BBC differs from CMCHow BBC differs from CMC►A case study of BBCA case study of BBC►Challenges in understanding BBC Challenges in understanding BBC

communitiescommunities

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What Do These Sites Have in What Do These Sites Have in Common?Common?

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What Do These Sites Have in What Do These Sites Have in Common?Common?

►Web 2.0 technologies 2.0 technologies►Social computing conceptsSocial computing concepts

Aggregation of common experience and Aggregation of common experience and opinionsopinions

User communication choice is often non-User communication choice is often non-message-based and limitedmessage-based and limited

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Aggregation and SimplificationAggregation and Simplification

► Access statistics (YouTube, Last.fm):Access statistics (YouTube, Last.fm): Total views, total comments, number of unique visitoTotal views, total comments, number of unique visito

rsrs► Rating/Voting (Digg, Reddit):Rating/Voting (Digg, Reddit):

Revealing aggregate user opinions Revealing aggregate user opinions ► Tagging/Folksonomy (Flickr, Del.icio.us):Tagging/Folksonomy (Flickr, Del.icio.us):

Metadata from individuals and published as tag cloudMetadata from individuals and published as tag clouds, or search resultss, or search results

► Social Searching (Jookster, Newstrove):Social Searching (Jookster, Newstrove): Recommending the most relevant results based on otRecommending the most relevant results based on ot

her people’s searches and feedbackher people’s searches and feedback

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A New Way to ParticipateA New Way to Participate

► Ballot-box Communication: user aggregation Ballot-box Communication: user aggregation mechanism enabled by new technologiesmechanism enabled by new technologies

► Before, two extremes of participation:Before, two extremes of participation: Contribute: upload/commentContribute: upload/comment

► ““Play in the game”Play in the game” Watch/lurk: no communicationWatch/lurk: no communication

► ““Watch from sidelines”Watch from sidelines”► Now, you can express your opinion through Now, you can express your opinion through

BBC and the collective preferences can be BBC and the collective preferences can be heard: heard: ““Shouting from the stands”Shouting from the stands”

► A special case of Computer-Mediated A special case of Computer-Mediated Collective Action (Marc Smith 2007)Collective Action (Marc Smith 2007)

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Characteristics of BBC (1)Characteristics of BBC (1)

► Simplifying web-based communication:Simplifying web-based communication: Users communicate through Users communicate through preconfiguredpreconfigured

technologiestechnologies► Interaction options are limitedInteraction options are limited► Cost of participation is lowerCost of participation is lower► The communication is more detached—low communication The communication is more detached—low communication

costcost The information acquisition cost for the audience is The information acquisition cost for the audience is

also loweralso lower► No need to go through each posting: aggregation is already No need to go through each posting: aggregation is already

donedone► ““Voice of the crowd”Voice of the crowd”

Both the production and consumption of information Both the production and consumption of information get easierget easier

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Characteristics of BBC (2)Characteristics of BBC (2)

►Many-to-one communicationMany-to-one communication Multiple users’ input is aggregated into a Multiple users’ input is aggregated into a

single voice: high level of aggregationsingle voice: high level of aggregation►Compared to blog, email, and IMCompared to blog, email, and IM

Low level of interaction:Low level of interaction:►Compared to online forum, and emailCompared to online forum, and email

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Four Types of Unstructured Four Types of Unstructured CommunicationCommunication

individual

aggregate

low high

Level of interactivity

Many-to-one(Ranking, VotingTagging, Searching)

Many-to-many(Wiki, Online forum,ListServ)

One-to-many(Professional review

Blog)

One-to-one(Email, Instant Messaging)

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Characteristics of BBC (3)Characteristics of BBC (3)

► Implicit influence on users:Implicit influence on users: Individual users can be swayed by Individual users can be swayed by

aggregate trendaggregate trend►Most viewed, top-rated, expert votesMost viewed, top-rated, expert votes►User’s own action will heighten the effect: a User’s own action will heighten the effect: a

positive feedbackpositive feedback

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BBC and CMCBBC and CMC

►BBC offers new benefits over Computer-BBC offers new benefits over Computer-mediated Communication (CMC):mediated Communication (CMC): By reducing information richness, BBC By reducing information richness, BBC

alleviates information overloading, allowing alleviates information overloading, allowing more participation from more peoplemore participation from more people

Technology is used to reduce the barrier of Technology is used to reduce the barrier of participation instead of managing messagesparticipation instead of managing messages

Influence on users is through actions and is Influence on users is through actions and is implicitimplicit

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Traditional Definition of Traditional Definition of CommunitiesCommunities

► Whittaker et al. (1997): “Whittaker et al. (1997): “intense intense interactiinteractions, ons, strong strong emotional ties and shared actemotional ties and shared activities” with members having “shared civities” with members having “shared context of social conventions, language, anontext of social conventions, language, and protocols”.d protocols”.

► Preece (2000): “group of people with a coPreece (2000): “group of people with a common purpose whose interaction is medimmon purpose whose interaction is mediated and supported by technology and goated and supported by technology and governed by formal and informal policies”verned by formal and informal policies”

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Implicit Online CommunitiesImplicit Online Communities

►BBC – new type of user interactionBBC – new type of user interaction Light weight aggregationLight weight aggregation

► Implicit individual influenceImplicit individual influence Non message-based communication Non message-based communication Weakened social connectionsWeakened social connections Disappearing network structureDisappearing network structure

►New challenges on social network New challenges on social network analysisanalysis

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BBC in P2P Music Sharing BBC in P2P Music Sharing Communities: A Case StudyCommunities: A Case Study

►P2P music sharing is the most popular P2P music sharing is the most popular form of online communitiesform of online communities

►We use IRC music sharing data to We use IRC music sharing data to study whether P2P music sharing study whether P2P music sharing exhibits BBC characteristicsexhibits BBC characteristics Users are identified by a usernameUsers are identified by a username Music is made available by usersMusic is made available by users There is very little chatting There is very little chatting

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Data Description: IRCData Description: IRC

► Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Real-time Internet chat protocolReal-time Internet chat protocol Users run an IRC client (such as mIRC) to log oUsers run an IRC client (such as mIRC) to log o

n and chatn and chat Topic-oriented channels (chat rooms)Topic-oriented channels (chat rooms) Some channels are for file sharing (depot chaSome channels are for file sharing (depot cha

nnels)nnels)► #mp3passion#mp3passion

One of the most popular MP3 sharing channelOne of the most popular MP3 sharing channelss

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File Sharing Channels in IRCFile Sharing Channels in IRC

►A user can set up his own file server A user can set up his own file server using a scriptusing a script

►Sharing mechanism is similar to the Sharing mechanism is similar to the original Napster modeloriginal Napster model

►Centralized and observable Centralized and observable commands:commands: All the commands are text-based and are All the commands are text-based and are

sent to the channelsent to the channel Commands: search, browse, download, Commands: search, browse, download,

announcement, etc.announcement, etc.

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Screen Shot of mIRCScreen Shot of mIRC

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Is this BBC?Is this BBC?

►The first two characteristics are satisfied:The first two characteristics are satisfied: Sharers cast their “vote” by making certain Sharers cast their “vote” by making certain

music available for download, a simplification music available for download, a simplification over recommending music in a reviewover recommending music in a review

Many-to-one:Many-to-one:►A user can “feel” the popularity of a song when A user can “feel” the popularity of a song when

searching for it, as the more popular ones would searching for it, as the more popular ones would have more return resultshave more return results

►Does implicit influence on users exist?Does implicit influence on users exist?

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Analysis of Aggregate Music Analysis of Aggregate Music Preference ChangePreference Change

►We choose five major music genres: We choose five major music genres: Rock, R&B, Rap, Country, and JazzRock, R&B, Rap, Country, and Jazz

►We find all music by 298 well-known We find all music by 298 well-known artists and calculate the ratio of songs artists and calculate the ratio of songs in each genre over all songs identifiedin each genre over all songs identified

►We aggregate all demand (download) We aggregate all demand (download) and supply (files made available).and supply (files made available).

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

R&B_share

R&B_download

RAP_share

RAP_download

COUNTRY_share

COUNTRY_download

JAZZ_share

JAZZ_download

Yearly Ratios of Sharing and Downloading Volumes (By Genre)

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Analysis of Individual Music Analysis of Individual Music Preference Change Preference Change

► A case study of one individual user, “John DoA case study of one individual user, “John Doe”, during a five-week period in 2006e”, during a five-week period in 2006

WeekWeek SearchesSearches

(Downloads)(Downloads)BrowsesBrowses

(Downloads)(Downloads)Browses of Browses of Sharer A Sharer A (Downloads(Downloads))

Files keptFiles kept

11 28 (26)28 (26) 119 (246)119 (246) 55 55 (100)(100)

165165

22 18 (16)18 (16) 91 (224)91 (224) 47 (94)47 (94) 162162

33 5 (0)5 (0) 45 (62)45 (62) 33 (14)33 (14) 2828

44 10 (9)10 (9) 61 (163)61 (163) 32 (79)32 (79) 8484

55 6 (1)6 (1) 47 (10)47 (10) 22 (0)22 (0) 1111

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Three Pieces of Evidence of Three Pieces of Evidence of BBCBBC

►Browse commands lead to most of the Browse commands lead to most of the downloads: implicit influence of usersdownloads: implicit influence of users

►Users “endorse” the content by Users “endorse” the content by keeping and sharing files (implicit keeping and sharing files (implicit voting by John Doe himself)voting by John Doe himself)

►Small set of sharers to download fromSmall set of sharers to download from Again, implicit influence of small set of Again, implicit influence of small set of

users: 30% from Sharer Ausers: 30% from Sharer A

0

100

200

300

Sharer A Sharer D Sharer G Sharer K Sharer N Sharer Q Sharer T Sharer W

Figure 3. John Doe’s Browse and Download Distribution

Number of browses

Number of downloads

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Building BBC-Enabled Building BBC-Enabled CommunitiesCommunities

►Sustainability is a challenge for Web 2.0 Sustainability is a challenge for Web 2.0 companies:companies: Interaction between users is implicit, Interaction between users is implicit,

therefore the collective behavior is hard to therefore the collective behavior is hard to predictpredict

Individual interactions, as simplifications of Individual interactions, as simplifications of real complex user opinions, provide a poor real complex user opinions, provide a poor base for predictionbase for prediction

Low cost of participation creates large Low cost of participation creates large degree of randomnessdegree of randomness

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Challenges in Understanding Challenges in Understanding BBCBBC

►The level of impact of user actions on The level of impact of user actions on other users is unclearother users is unclear

►BBC’s influence may also be a function of BBC’s influence may also be a function of the ever-evolving technologies, in the ever-evolving technologies, in addition to users and the communityaddition to users and the community

►Many BBC communities are for-profit, Many BBC communities are for-profit, with the operators having a lot of powerwith the operators having a lot of power

►A lot of new questions need to be A lot of new questions need to be answeredanswered

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Our Related ResearchOur Related Research

►Empirical analysis of user actionsEmpirical analysis of user actions►Factors that drive user action in Factors that drive user action in

implicit communitiesimplicit communities►Social network analysis of implicit Social network analysis of implicit

relationships and their evolutionrelationships and their evolution