Networked Communities: Strategies for Digital Collaboration

Citation

Lam, W. (2010), "Networked Communities: Strategies for Digital Collaboration", Online Information Review, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 193-194. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521011024218

As the title suggests, this book examines the concept of ‘networked communities’, a topic that has recently attracted much attention. The book is voluminous, but logically organised into 11 chapters. Each chapter has a distinct focus and can be read independently of the other chapters, which is convenient given that most readers are likely to dip into chapters, which are of particular interest to them rather than read the book from cover to cover.

Chapter 1, The Network Society, introduces the notion of communities supported through technology and is written in a way that is designed to provoke the reader to think more deeply about community issues such as goals, intelligence, community development and success. Chapter 2, The Technological Basis of Network, discusses some of the technologies, which underpin networked communities. The chapter is readable by non‐technical folk, and is nicely punctuated with examples of various community initiatives where technology has played a significant role. One notable omission from this chapter, however, is discussion regarding Web 2.0 technologies. Chapter 3, Regulation and Policy Reforms, offers an engaging discussion into some of the regulatory issues pertaining to networked communities, such as the free flow of knowledge, net neutrality and community empowerment. The chapter highlights the complexities associated with applying localised regulations controlling the use of the Internet.

Chapter 4, Knowledge Workforce, gives an interesting perspective on the knowledge economy and the way in which networked communities provide a base of knowledge workers. Although it was briefly touched upon, the chapter would have benefited from more in‐depth treatment of outsourcing and off shoring. Chapter 5, Creating Applications and a Culture of Using, is an oddly titled chapter that essentially deals with applications of networked communities such as e‐learning, e‐government and online entertainment. Although the chapter itself makes interesting reading, better use of images and diagrams would certainly have helped readers gain a better feel for the diverse range of applications that exist. Strangely, social networking sites such as Tweeter and Facebook are not discussed in much detail. Chapter 6, Innovation: Creating Ideas, looks at the role of networked communities in facilitating the innovation process, making good use of examples to explain how innovation works in practice.

Chapter 7, Strategies for Community Development, investigates the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in community development and its impact on economic development. Missing from this chapter is a conceptual model or framework that makes it difficult to follow some of the ideas discussed. Chapter 8, Citizen Empowerment and Participation, looks at how ICT empowers citizens. The chapter is not as well written as the other chapters, and surprisingly does not cover the topic of e‐government in any great detail. Chapter 9, Leadership and Collaboration, attempts to synthesise the leadership issues relating to network communities. However, the chapter is rather shallow on leadership theory, and the list of references is notably shorter compared with the other chapters. Chapter 10, Promotion and Relationship Marketing, discusses how, through relationship marketing, networked communities present new business opportunities. Though an intriguing topic, the chapter would have benefited from more in‐depth treatment. The Conclusion neatly summarises each of the previous chapters by pulling out the key points in bullet form.

Overall, Networked Communities provides a good starting point for educationalists and graduate students new to the field of online communities. It is not the kind of book that one tends to read from cover to cover, but each chapter is well written and the fine use of examples helps relate concept to real‐world practice.