Summer 2010, Instructor: Dr. Gi Woong Yun
Office: West Hall 321
Voice Mail: 419-372-8638
E-mail: gyun@bgsu.edu
SKYPE messenger ID: tcom452
Class dates: 6/28/10 - 8/06/10
Syllabus on the Web: http://personal.bgsu.edu/~gyun/lec/tcom452/syllabus.htm

COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course examines applications and implications of online social media. First, students will read literatures related with online social media. Social psychological perspectives of online social media will be primarily examined, but the subject of discussions and readings are not limited to those perspectives. Students are expected to develop one's own theoretical and practical perspective on online social media during the course.

COURSE RESOURCES
You will be able to access course resources through BGSU Black Board Systems. Materials are located under class BBS --> course documents.

READING ASSIGNMENTS & CLASS FEEDBACK POSTINGS
You will need to do the readings regularly. The amount of reading and assignment is moderate, but you need to read carefully. Students are required to write feedback messages on the class discussion board by MIDNIGHT of the assigned date. Feedback postings are expected to be written after thoroughly reading assigned papers. Two comments, each made of at least 10 lines, related with the assigned reading will be satisfactory. The instructor will grade and provide comments on the student feedback. Students are also expected to leave comments to the classmates' feedback and they will be graded as part of the reading feedback comment.

COURSE DELIVERY AND ATTENDANCE
This course has 14 modules. Students will complete assigned works for each module. The instructor will communicate with students in various methods including online postings, multimedia pod casting, audio pod casting, online document collaborations, emails, instant messenger, phone, online voice conversation, etc. When students like to have a messenger conversation either in text or voice, they should email (gyun@bgsu.edu) the instructor and make an appointment. Because this is an online class, student feedback will surrogate the attendance of off-line class.

COURSE OUTCOMES
Students of this class will learn to understand various topics related to online social media such as identity and anonymity online, influence of online communication on real off-line world, online relationships, control mechanisms of the online community, implications on social orders of online community, roles of online communities in the open market place of ideas, the dilemmas of people face during their online community communication, gender identification on online communities, ecommerce, the mechanisms of recommendation and reputation online community systems, health information distribution through online communities and many more. The implementation of online community building will provide experiences in logistics of building online communities. After taking this class, students will be able to think about online communities from diverse perspectives.

STUDENTS RESPONSIBILITIES
First of all, students are expected to check email at least once a day (except weekends or holidays). I will send email related to the class content assuming that you are checking email everyday. Second, students are expected to behave professionally in this class. Although the score that you earn from various activities may reflect your level of intellectual achievement in this course, it is not the only determinant factor of your final letter grade. In every aspect of your interaction with the instructor or classmates, you have to be professional. Professionalism includes, but is not limited to, (1) completing tasks and readings in a timely manner, (2) submitting class projects that look professional (no spelling or grammar errors and suitable to the task), (3) taking personal responsibility for your actions (for example, the computer ate your project is not an acceptable excuse), (4) showing courtesy to others (no flaming message on the forum), and (5) undertake all class related communications in a professional manner. The instructor reserves the right to adjust the final letter grade downward if a student deems to have violated professionalism to a substantial degree during the semester.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic honesty is the foundation of our teaching-learning relationship. BGSU Student Handbook classifies four types of academic honesty violation: Cheating; Fabrication; Facilitating academic dishonesty; Plagiarism. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and any student engaging in such conduct will automatically fail this course.

GRADING
Reading feedback postings - each week's posting counts 10 points (Total points= 10 points * number of readings) :
Students are required to post a feedback of the assigned reading by MIDNIGHT of an assigned date. Feedback postings are expected to be written after thoroughly reading assigned papers. Two critical comments or questions, each made of at least 10 lines, related with the assigned reading will be satisfactory(click here to view the grading criteria).

Personal project(total: 150 points)
Personal project I: forum facilitation plan - paper - 3 pages (20 points)
Personal project II: form facilitation mid report - paper - 5 pages (30 points)
Personal project III: forum facilitation final report - paper - 10 pages (100 points)
click here to view the grading criteria

Term paper: Paper on constructive or critical view of online forum (total: 200 points):
Students are expected to write a paper on their view of online forum (click here to view the grading criteria).
1st draft - 2 pages (30 points)
2nd draft - 5 pages (50 points)
Final paper - 10 pages (120 points)

FINAL GRADING SCALE

A = 91 to 100 percent
B = 81 to 90 percent
C = 71 to 80 percent
D = 61 to 70 percent
F = below 60 percent

Based on the scale above, you will be assigned a letter grade at the end of the class. The final grade for this course will be assigned using the scale above on the combined total of your points earned over the class.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Module 1 A & B (06/28 & 06/29)
Online communities: Introduction
Goal: Introduce classmates, Reviewing the discourse frameworks of online communities
Outcome: Students will learn necessary theoretical frameworks to understand important issues of online communities.
Reading: A) Access the recorded lecture by the instructor B) Kollock & Smith (1999)
Assignments: 1) Post introduction of yourself on the class BBS, 2) Post reading feedback on the class Blackboard system

* When you read, think about these questions.
1. What do you think is the most important discourse about online community.
2. Why do you think online community is or is not important?
3. What kind of online community is most interesting to you?
4. What are important characteristics of online community?
5. What are differences between email and other types of online discussion groups?
6. What are important concepts related to online community that we need to discuss in this class? Why? For example, identity, honesty and deception, race, gender, social order and control, ecommerce, online community as institution, community structure, collective action, and many more.

Module 2 A (06/30)
Identities and anonymity online
Goal: Understand the importance of identity and anonymity online
Outcome: Identify the implications of identity settings of online communication.
Reading: A) Turkle (web)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points.
A) Turkle
1. Control vs. mastery
2. Collaboration and intimacy
3. Role playing to a higher power
4. Expanding experience
5. Anonymous, invisible, multiplicity
6. What is true self?
7. Evocative objects
8. What is real and what is artificial? Remember the movie "Matrix"?
9. Tuering test

Module 3 A (07/01)
Design online communities
Goal: Discuss the project students have been working and provide solutions to their problems
Outcome: Learn to solve problems they face during their online community building project.
Reading: A) Kollock (1998)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Kollock (1998)
* Which part(s) of Kollock recommendation building communication do you like most?
* Do you agree with Kollock's design principle? If you do, why? If not, why?
* Do popular online communities follow Kollock's principle?
* You have to write a online community plan paper soon. Plan your project while you are reading the assigned papers.

Module 3 B (07/02)
Design online communities
Goal: Discuss the project students have been working and provide solutions to their problems
Outcome: Learn to solve problems they face during their online community building project.
Reading: B) Morningstar & Farmer (Web)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) Morningstar & Farmer (Web)
* What can you learn from the Lucasfilm's habitat experience?
* How would you implement your online community? Are you going to use any recommendation by Kollock or Morningstar, and Farmer?
* You have to write a online community plan paper soon. Plan your project while you are reading the assigned papers.

Independence day break - no reading (7/05)

Module 4 A (07/06)
Relating online, online network
Goal: Learn the issues of online relationships
Outcome: Understand the differences and the similarities of online and off-line relationships.
Reading: A) Wood and Smith - Relating online
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Wood and Smith - Relating online
* What are the limits of CMC?
* How does the social presence theory interpret CMC?
* Social context cues theory implies more impersonal replies and impersonal interpretation of messages. Do you agree with this position. If you do, why? If you don't, why?
* What is the meaning of emoticon? Is it really important?
* Why SIDE model can be important?
* Sometimes, hyperpersonal communication is viewed as a better explanation of CMC. Why?
* Watch Jane McGonigal's TED talk here ( http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html )

Module 4 B (07/07)
Relating online, online network
Goal: Learn the issues of online relationships
Outcome: Understand the differences and the similarities of online and off-line relationships.
Reading: B) Barabasi(2002)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system, Due: Personal project I (7/07)

Reading points
B) Barabasi
* What are the strengths of weak ties?
* Weak ties are bridge to the world. What does it mean?
* What is the meaning(s) of six degrees of separation in the contemporary online society?

Module 5 A (07/08)
Social implication of online communities, public sphere
Goal: Think about influence of online communication on real off-line world and open market place of ideas
Outcome: Understand current phenomenon and potential implications of online communities on off-line world.
Reading: A) Sunstein (2007)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Sunstein
* Will online community accelerate polarization of the political climate in the U.S. and the world? Why? Why not?
* Does online hate groups have anything to do with the polarization?
* Traditional media also has been criticized for their polarization role. Suddenly, they look better than online. Do you agree with this position? Why? Why not?

Module 5 B (07/09)
Social implication of online communities, public sphere
Goal: Think about influence of online communication on real off-line world and open market place of ideas
Outcome: Understand current phenomenon and potential implications of online communities on off-line world.
Reading: B) Benkler (2006)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) Benkler
* What is the concept of public sphere? Why is it important in our democracy?
* What are differences between networked and non-networked environment?
* What is your view on issues of Chinese internet surveillance program? (e.g., Is it a human right issue? Or, else?)
* Sunstein and Bankler used different level of analyses (networks vs. individual) to support their arguments. What are those level of analyses?
* Benkler provided success stories (e.g., Diebold) of networked information society. What are your interpretations of them?
* What is your interpretation of 'critics of the claims that the internet has democratizing effects'?
* Benkler's argument is quite opposite to Sunstein's paper (reading A). Who do you think is correct? Why? Is there additional evidence? What is the evidence used by Benkler to support his idea?

Module 6 A (07/12)
Media and politics online
Goal: Discuss the role of online communities in the world of media and politics
Outcome: Learn the importance of online communities in public opinion formation
Reading: A) Davis (2005)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Davis
* Medium is message. Email, bulletin board politics, blogging, and instant chat can be quite different. How and why?
* Is there any problem with crossposting? What are the benefits of crossposting?
* Is cross posting kind of agenda setting? What are the differences between media agenda setting and crossing posting agenda setting?

Module 6 B (07/13)
Media and politics online
Goal: Discuss the role of online communities in the world of media and politics
Outcome: Learn the importance of online communities in public opinion formation
Reading: B) Alterman (2008)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system, Due: Term paper - 1st draft (07/13)

Reading points
B) Alterman
* What can be differences between Lippmann vs. Dewey's view on online political blogs?
* What is parasitical relationship between media and blogs? Why does this exist? Is this a problem?
* What do you think is the future of newspaper/media?
* What is the credibility issues of newspaper and blogs? Why is it important?
* How would you recommend merging business models of newspaper and online community?
* How would you describe the news flow among online community and newspaper?

Module 7 A (07/14)
Social dilemmas, free Culture
Goal: Discuss the dilemmas of people face during their online community communication, Discuss the implications of online free culture
Outcome: Learn the problems and implications of social dilemmas and intellectual property piracy on online community.
Reading: A) Kollock(1998)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Kollock
* How would you interpret online community posting activity with Assurance Game (i.e., Nash equilibrium --> do you remember the movie 'a beautiful mind'? The movie was about this scholar, Jone Forbes Nash)?
* How would you describe your personal project community's production function (page 190) in multiple-person dilemmas?
* Collective social identity might help creating an environment that can facilitate cooperative behaviors among community members. Why?
* People sometimes hand over personal choice to a leader (in this case, online community facilitators) to benefit the community and themselves. Is this a good solution for the prisoner's dilemma?
* How would you implement selective incentive strategy in your online community?

Module 7 B (07/15)
Social dilemmas, free Culture
Goal: Discuss the dilemmas of people face during their online community communication, Discuss the implications of online free culture
Outcome: Learn the problems and implications of social dilemmas and intellectual property piracy on online community.
Reading: B) Lessig (2004)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) Lessig
* History of media industry and copyright (piracy).
* Does online "free culture" influence political content coverage of the traditional media?
* How would you explain p2p file sharing among internet users with social dilemma theories?
* How can music industry or musicians (or any copyright owner) utilize online community without imposing overly restrictive copyright law?

Module 8 A (07/16)
Economy of online community
Goal: Discuss the characteristics of online economic activities
Outcome: Understand the various aspects of economy of online communities
Reading: A) Benkler(2006)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Benkler
* How do intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation help explaining online economic activities?
* What are the impacts of network on economic activities?
* What is excess capacity of human economic activities? What is the concepts of "modularity" and "granularity"? How are they related to online community?
* Benkler argues that motivation of crowd to produce public goods can outperform market based motivation. But, he also said that it does not work for all economic activities. What does it mean?

Module 8 B (07/19)
Economy of online community
Goal: Discuss the characteristics of online economic activities
Outcome: Understand the various aspects of economy of online communities
Reading: B) Dibell (2008)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) Dibbell (Wired, 2008)
* Should virtual money worth anything in real $? Why and why not?
* Should the player-to-player exchange business be banned? Why and why not?
* Gold farmers spend hours to earn items on MMO games. Shouldn't they have rights to sell the items they earn through hard labor?
* Is there any difference between game item exchange companies' business model and the Google's adwords business model? What are the differences? What are the similarities?

Module 8 C (07/20)
Assignments
Assignments: Due: Personal project II (07/20), post your community URL on the course discussion board (07/20)

Module 9 A (07/21)
Trolling
Goal: Discuss trolling phenomena on online communities
Outcome: Learn about the cases of trolling
Reading: : A) Herring et al(2002)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Herring et al.
* What is the definition of trolling behavior?
* What can community members do when they face trolling behavior?
* What can groups do when they face trolling behavior?
* What can an administrator do to prevent trolling in the community?

Module 10 A (07/22)
Recommendation and reputation, seeking therapy
Goal: Discuss different kinds of online community systems and the implications of online health information community
Outcome: Understand the mechanisms of recommendation and reputation online community systems. Examine various characteristics of online health information community
Reading: A) Frauenfelder(2000) & Rednick et al.(Web)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Frauenfelder
* This article is available on the Web: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.07/egoboo.html
* What does "market for lemons" mean? How and what can reputation systems do to reverse this flow?
* What are the three primary challenges of eliciting feedback?
* What are the challenges of distributing captured reputation?

Module 10 B (07/23)
Recommendation and reputation, seeking therapy
Goal: Discuss different kinds of online community systems and the implications of online health information community
Outcome: Understand the mechanisms of recommendation and reputation online community systems. Examine various characteristics of online health information community
Reading: B) King & Moreggi (1998)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) K&M
* This article is available on the Web: http://webpages.charter.net/stormking/Chapter5/index.html
* Pros and cons of online self-help group.
* Motivation to provide medical experience to others.
* The role of anonymity reducing anxiety when people seek medical information online.
* What is the nature of medical information exchanged among community members?
* What kinds of diseases can utilize online community more effectively then others? Why?
* Critical concerns of online therapy.
* Confidentiality and anonymity problems.

Module 11 A (07/26)
Online fan culture
Goal: Discuss the influence of online fandom on fans and culture
Outcome: Understand the phenomena of online fandom
Reading: A) Jenkins (2006)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A ) Jenkins
* Do you believe that contemporary audiences have greater power thanks to the advent of interactive media? Why or why not?
* Influence of fan culture (online and offline) on cultural production.
* Dynamics between fans and producers or cultural industry.
* How should the cultural industry utilize fandom to serve their purpose? Or, how should fans strategize their behavior to get quality cultural products from the industry?

Module 11 B (07/27)
Assignment
Assignments: Due: Term paper - 2nd draft (07/27)

Module 12 A (07/28)
Online social order and control
Goal: Discuss the control mechanisms of the online community and implications of social orders of online community
Outcome: Understand how online communities are managed or controlled
Reading: A) Reid (1999)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Reid
* What are difference between uninhibited and disinhibited behavior?
* What is the role of public humiliation online?
* What is the meaning of Darwinian rule of the survival of the fittest online?
* Competition for attention and recognition.
* People who feel like they are valued will come back to the community. How to make them to feel that way?
* How would you properly mix control and social encouragement in your online community?

Module 12 B (07/29)
Online social order and control
Goal: Discuss the control mechanisms of the online community and implications of social orders of online community
Outcome: Understand how online communities are managed or controlled
Reading: B) Rosen (2008)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) Rosen (NYT magazine. 2008)
* Should a private company like Google control information flow of the world?
* If not, who should. Or, should it be controlled at all?
* Should countries set up an agency like Germany did?
* Will Google be able to maintain "don't be evil" policy without losing competition?
* Did the decision to limit access to Youtube content in Thailand contradict Google's "don't be evil" policy?
* Can Google survive without users' trust?
* Is Google's Decider model feasible for controlling exponentially growing internet content?

Module 13 A (07/30)
Online communities other cultures
Goal: Examine the online community culture of two foreign countries
Outcome: Understand the characteristics of online culture of Japan and Iran
Reading: A) Katayama(2008)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
A) Katayama
* This article is available on the Web: http://www.wired.com/print/techbiz/people/magazine/16-06/mf_hiroyuki --> Check out the video on this article through this website
* Is the Japanese online community culture different from the U.S. online culture? Why? Why not?
* Does the online culture reflect the offline culture of the country? Why and why not?
* Do you see any similarity between the Japanese online culture and the U.S. online culture? If you do see them, what are those?
* What do you think will happen to Nishimura in the future? Is your prediction related to the social structure or the culture of Japan?

Module 13 B (08/02)
Online communities other cultures
Goal: Examine the online community culture of two foreign countries
Outcome: Understand the characteristics of online culture of Japan and Iran
Reading: B) Kelly & Etling (2008)
Assignments: Post reading feedback on the Blackboard system

Reading points
B) K&E
* Do you agree with the four network type categorization?
* Will Iranian blogosphere activities eventually influence political atmosphere of Iran? Or, will they be isolated activities that have nothing to do with the real world politics of Iran?
* What are the requirements that can facilitate or catalyze the migration of online political activities to offline?
* Obviously, offline social structure and culture influence online community discourses and social network structure. To what extend will online culture influence offline culture in Iran?
* Why do Reformist bloggers post opinions with their real names when they are aware of the chances of being jailed for writing Reformist message?

Module 14 A (08/03): Project due, term paper due, comment due
Student project feedback
Goal: Review each student's personal project, Discuss important findings from each student's term paper
Outcome: Exchange ideas that students learn from their term paper project.
Assignments: Due: Personal project III (08/03)

Module 14 B (08/04): Project due, term paper due, comment due
Student project feedback
Goal: Review each student's personal project, Discuss important findings from each student's term paper
Outcome: Exchange ideas that students learn from their term paper project.
Assignments: Due: Final term paper (08/04)

Module 14 C (08/05): Project due, term paper due, comment due
Student project feedback
Goal: Review each student's personal project, Discuss important findings from each student's term paper
Outcome: Exchange ideas that students learn from their term paper project.
Assignments: Due: Visit three classmates' online community and leave analysis comment on the Blackboard system (08/05)