Human-computer interaction in online communities

One major impact of the Internet (net) has been its support for computer-mediated online communities. Communication through email and list servers and shared information archives through web browsers and servers support the discourse and knowledge processes of on-line communities in such a novel and effective way as to be revolutionary. Human-computer interaction (HCI) issues arise in the support of individual users of the Internet because the rapid growth of the technology has been achieved by repurposing existing tools without necessarily taking into account novel requirements. There are also new HCI issues emerging at the community level, and tools are being built that add to the effectiveness of such communities by organizing their knowledge products, supporting awareness of new material, attracting relevant members, and so on. This article addresses issues of HCI in online communities, the underlying cognitive, cultural, social and media theories, empirical modeling of community processes, and the use of the results to improve the supporting technology.