Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Are online “communities” really communities?; 2. What can online collaboration accomplish?; 3. Should you believe Wikipedia?; 4. How does the internet change how we think?; 5. How do people express identity online, and why is this important for online interaction?; 6. What is bad online behavior, and what can we do about it?; 7. How do business models shape online communities?; 8. How can we help the internet to bring out the best in us all?
Our online interactions create new forms of community and knowledge, reshaping who we are as individuals and as a society.
Amy S. Bruckman is Regents' Professor and Senior Associate Chair in the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology where she studies online communities. Bruckman received her Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab in 1997. She is a Fellow of The ACM and a member of the SIGCHI Academy. She founded her first online community in 1993, and has been teaching the class 'Design of Online Communities' at Georgia Tech since 1998. She currently helps moderate a number of large online communities.
'This book reminds us of conversations we're not having about
online life - with family, friends, with our political
representatives - because we don't know where to start. The
Internet seems so opaque, that we don't know to get traction on our
concern that it no longer serves our human needs. This welcome
volume suggests entry points for designers and users - to
start those necessary conversations about how to make online life
serve our emotional and social purposes. Both scholarly and
down-to-earth, filled with compelling examples, it is a textbook
for classrooms, dinnertables, and policy discussions.' Sherry
Turkle, MIT, Author of The Empathy Diaries, Reclaiming
Conversation, Alone Together, and Life on the Screen
'Should you believe Wikipedia? is an extremely useful book about
the positive aspects of life online: supportive online communities,
social construction of knowledge, online collaboration, the ways
online communities can create and harvest social capital, how to
safely and productively use Wikipedia, and more. With so much news
and speculation about what is wrong about life online, this book
from an OG participant and academic expert is a welcome and
well-documented argument for all the good things life online can
do. I would give it to every high school graduate.' Howard
Rheingold, Author of Net Smart and The Virtual Community
'Simply brilliant! Bruckman brings together abstract, sociological
and psychological perspectives to articulate a science of online
community design. Should You Believe Wikipedia? combines practical
skills and theoretical understanding to implement and evaluate the
social platforms of the future. This work sets the bar for what
students of human-computer interaction need to understand and do to
address the societal challenges brought by the ubiquity of online
interactions.' Keith N. Hampton, Department of Media and
Information, Michigan State University
'From its birth, Amy Bruckman has understood and explained the Net.
This book, both practical and theoretical, offers the most mature
account that we have of how community online gets made and
corrupted. At a moment when the hope of the Internet has faded for
so many, this clear and powerful work gives us at least a path
back, and a reason to pursue it.' Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Law
School
'Ultimately, the effect of reading Should You Believe Wikipedia? is
like spending time with the smartest person you know. Bruckman is
an excellent guide, and weaves together concepts from diverse
sources into a coherent whole … In this excellent volume, Bruckman
provides the background, philosophical tools, and encouragement to
allow us to work towards a better world, and that is a gift in
itself.' Andrew D. Miller, Computer Supported Cooperative Work
'Educators interested in developing inclusive, socially just online
learning experiences that are also informed by Internet culture and
social institutions would not go wrong with Should You Believe
Wikipedia? Online Communities and The Construction of Knowledge …
as a place to start.' Naomi Barnes, Postdigital Science and
Education
'… the book is well organized and well sourced, showing how
immersed Bruckman is in her research about knowledge construction
online … Highly recommended.' S. Marks, Choice
'Bruckman's book is a useful place to start for any educator
looking to better understand how cultural and social aspects of the
Internet affect how knowledge moves, is stifled, amplified,
misinterpreted, and developed in online space.' Naomi Barnes,
Postdigital Science and Education
'… Amy Bruckman essentially brings together her thinking on the
potential in social creation of knowledge, pitfalls to watch out
for, ways to invent through online resources, and developers'
responsibilities … [It] will enlighten general readers who have
seen none of the dozens of books and articles recently published on
peer communities.' Avon J. Murphy, Society for Technical
Communication
'If I was to tweet one word to describe this book it would be
intelligent. Much of what the author says we sort-of know but it's
really good to get it written down clearly in one place. COVID
misinformation and the Jan 6 insurrection make the issues raised
more relevant.' William Gasarch, SIGACT News
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