Group communication

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Group Communication

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Why use group communication?

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Not a common forum software

It is more a product able to manage a community using different tools

Includes an archive of Usenet news group postings dating back t o

1981

Strongly focuses on the concept of mailing list - Can have parallel

mailing lists (can use Google groups to archive another mailing list,

such as Yahoo Groups)

Need a Google account to access groups or post messages;

Types: groups created with

Google Apps: can create up to 10 groups

Google Apps for Business and Education: can create an unlimited number of groups

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What can be shared: there’s a limit of 25MB including attachments/ group

Users by role:

Owner: creates the group, deletes it, manages settings and appoints new

managers or co-owners. Only the owner can appoint a new co-owner or

transfer ownership.

Manager: moderates discussions

Participant: subscribe to group and participate in group discussions

Users by membership:

Direct: user is a direct member of a group if his or her address was added

directly to the members list (can be a direct member of up to 2000 groups)

Indirect: that is, an owner of a group or a member of a group that's nested within

another group

A user's total group memberships -- both direct and indirect combined -- can be

up to 5000

Joining a group: Invitation or request. Owners can make an opt-out issue by inviting

members directly through their email addres

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Notifications:

No email: read group postings only online

Abridged Email: one summary email of new activity/day

Digest Email: get up to 25 full messages in a single email

Email: send each message to me as it arrives

Noise: the level of noise is dependent on the managers; discussion

groups can be

Un-moderated – anyone can post

Moderated – submissions are automatically directed to moderator, who edits and

filters out inappropriate and irrelevant material

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Email masking to prevent email harvesting”

replaces up to the last three characters of the user name with three dots

To view email you have to pass a CAPCHA challenge

Masked only in the web interface, not when receiving an email notification

Users cannot obfuscate their own email addresses

Fully integrated with Google products : Google Calendars, Google Docs, Google Sites

Can be accessed using smart phones

Rate posts and threads using a 5 star system (up to 200 individual threads can be

tracked centrally)

Subscription (email) to topics that I post to

Can create events with up to 500 invites (or workarounds for more)

Link to public Google profile

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Circles

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Circles

Google+ Circles helps you organize everyone according to your real-life social

connections.

This allows users to share information and restrict the sharing with a particular group

Anyone can add another person to one of their circles without confirmation. Does not work

in reverse (the first person is not automatically added to the second person’s circles)

After adding a person to a circle, you don’t get additional access to their profile information

Who can see circles: People in a circle (but not the name of the circle); will appear to

others on the owner’s Google Profile, unless he chooses not to display that information.

For enterprises: ease segmentation of your customers and manage of offers and

promotions

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Yahoo! Groups is one of the world’s largest collections of online discussion

boards.

Group messages can be read and posted by e-mail or on the Group's

webpage like a web forum.

Members can choose whether to receive individual, daily digest or Special

Delivery e-mails, or simply read Group posts on the Group’s web site

Groups can be created with public or member-only access.

Yahoo! Groups service provides additional facilities for each Group web

site, such as a homepage, message archive, polls, calendar

announcements, files, photos, database functions, and bookmarks

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Create a private space (group) to share

Post updates, questions, photos;

Chat with the group;

Create share docs

Schedule group events

Members can stay in touch using:

Notifications regarding new posts and updates

The group’s shared email address to connect off Facebook

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There are 3 levels of control on groups

Secret: group name cannot be found in searches; the name of the group will not be

displayed on the member’s timeline/profiles; only members can see the group and

what members post; to join, you need to be added by a member;

Closed: anyone can see the group name and members, but only members see posts;

unless added to a group by a member, users need permission to join and become

members when the request is approved;

Open (public): anyone can see the group and what members post; anyone can join;

• Group chat is unavailable once a group has more than 250 members.

• All members of the group can interact regardless of whether

they are confirmed friends.

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Members cannot see more information about a non-confirmed friend

(the amount of information seen is determined by the member’s privacy

settings);

All members of the group may view and edit documents;

A group is automatically deleted once it has no members.

All members of the group are invited at an event.

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Facebook Groups function on the push-strategy (as opposed to pull-strategy): they can

stay updated without having to physically visit the group page -> increases the vehicles for

communication;

Admins:

Once you create a group, you automatically become an Admin

A group can have more than one admins:

By asking another admin to add you;

If the group has no Admin, a member can become one by clicking “Make me Admin”.

Admins can:

Edit group descriptions and settings;

Add more admins;

Remove abusive posts

Remove or ban members

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Opt-out issue: similarly to Facebook Places and tags, friends can add other friends to the

group without their permission (if you don’t want to join, you have to remove yourself from

the group);

Note: Only friends can add you to a group, not a random stranger!

Once you have left a group, you cannot be added again unless you explicitly

request to be added

Noise: members can get overwhelmed by the number of notifications.

The only way to avoid or fully disengage from the chat

is to change your chat status to “go offline”. Members

can report/block other members.

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Pages allow real organizations, businesses,celebrities and brands to communicate broadlywith people who like them.

Pages may only be created and managed byofficial representatives.

Privacy: information and posts are public and generally available to everyone on Facebook.

Audience: Anyone can like a Page to become connected with it

and get News Feed updates. There is no limit to how many people can like a

Page. Visitor statistics

Communication: Page admins can share posts under the Page’s

name. Page posts appear in the News Feed of people who

like the Page. Page admins can also create customized apps for

their Pages and check Page Insights to track the Page’s growth and activity.

Groups provide a closed space for small groups ofpeople to communicate about shared interests.

Groups can be created by anyone. Privacy: groups offer three levels of control over

shared information: open, closed and secret. In secret and closed groups, posts are only visible to group members.

Audience: Group members must be approved or added by other

members. When a group reaches a certain size, some features are

limited (e.g. chat). The most useful groups tend to be the ones you create

with small groups of people you know.

Communication: In groups, members receive notifications by default

when any member posts in the group. Group members can participate in chats, upload photos

to shared albums, collaborate on group docs, and invite all members to group events.

Groups: smaller number of people.Pages: large number of followers


Discover the most popular discussions.

Have an active part in determining the top discussions by liking and commenting.

Follow the most influential people in your groups by checking the Top Influencers

board or clicking their profile image to see all their group activity.

Review new members or search for specific ones.

See both member-generated discussions and news in one setting.

Easily browse previews of the last three comments in a discussion.

Find interesting discussions by seeing who liked a discussion

and how many people commented.

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Allow LinkedIn members to discover, share and participate in a number of professional

conversations happening in their industry and areas of interest.

Members can initiate and participate in discussions and share news articles, blogs, etc via

weblinks (chat is similar to a forum/comment section).

All groups are members only – unless the group owner choses to enable public discussions

Note: the conversations that took place before the public status, remain locked for members

only!

Members can join groups to:

Make connections (identify a member through the group he/she belongs to; email the

member directly without connecting with him);

Become known;

To learn about trends.

You can belong to as many as 50 groups.

LinkedIn Groups offers email notifications.

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Joining a group is done through group invitation: sending invitations to connections – those

who accept become members

Managers and group moderators can:

Delete inappropriate posts, comments (only owner deletes group)

Flag inappropriate items

Create featured discussions – called “Manager’s choice” (to eliminate the confusion on

who featured them – LinkedIn or the Managers)

Restrict the move-to-Jobs capability to themselves

Users can search groups by company name, industry or relevant keywords, as well as by

browsing the Groups Directory by selecting from the “Categories” drop-down: Alumni,

Corporate, Conference, Networking, Non-profit, and Professional.

LinkedIn offers means to measure the health of a group: Group Statistics which includes

number of members, location, operations, demographics

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Social and business networking tool for professionals with over 8 million

users;

Initially established as Open business Club AG in August 2003 in Germany;

name was changed to Xing in November 2006

Main competitor is LinkedIn

Seems to attract more small business and independent business owners

than its competitors

Basic membership is free

The platform uses https and has a rigid privacy and no-spam policy.


DO YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO CREATE A NEW GROUP?

Moderators have to follow a “Code of Conduct” and ensure that the group is active by

ensuring the members participate, answering to all posts (or XING will replace the

moderator or delete the group);

Xing recommends more than one moderator

Internal group members search HTML formatting in group pages +

integrated external RSS feed

HTML newsletters to group members and XING Event Tool to invite people

to events or seminars

Multi-language forums

Upload individual logos


Other options for group communication

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Tool Website Description

Meetup www.meetup.com Meetup is an online social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings in various localities around the world [Wiki].

GroupSpaces groupspaces.com GroupSpaces (styled groupspaces) is a London-based online company that provides technology to help real-world clubs, societies, associations and other groups manage their membership and activities, and promote themselves online [Wiki].

Windows Live Groups

groups.live.com Windows Live Groups is an online service by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live range of services that enable users to create their social groups for sharing, discussion and coordination [Wiki].


Comparison Group Communication

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Group Communication

Comparison Criterion

Communication and content

features

Event Features

Cost

Administration Features


Communication and Content Features

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Characteristics Google Groups Yahoo Groups Facebook Groups LinkedIn Groups

Xing Groups

Forums Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Chat Threaded conversation

Yes Yes (max 250 members)

No No

Shared email Yes Yes Yes No No

Upload content (documents, images, videos)

Not part of groupsGoogle Docs

Yes Yes Via weblinks Yes

Maximum Storage 25 MB posts and attachments

200 MB Unlimited -- 2 MB

Integrate external content (RSS feeds)

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Notifications Customizable: no email, abridged, digest, email

Email Email, FB notifications

Email, bundled

http newsletter

Search features Google Search / Directory Search

Yahoo search,separate group search

Not a separate function (Facebook classic search), clumsy and no group suggestion

Advanced -search for group, member,event

Advanced


Event Features

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Characteristics Google Groups Yahoo Groups Facebook Groups

LinkedIn Groups

Xing Groups

Create/schedule events

Yes (using Google Calendar) – members invited need to use GoogleCalendar

Yes(using RSVP Event Application)

Yes (Create Group Event Tool)

Yes (Not a part of Groups, but a separate option on account)

Yes

Invite members All members (up to 500 people)

Yes (can track who is coming)

Everyone invited

Yes Yes (can track who is coming)

Join events Public events or events with invitation

Yes Join, Maybe or Decline options

Yes, options are: Attend or follow

Yes, can send mass invites

Search events Public events or events with invitation

Only within group

Yes Special event search

Search for seminars, trade fairs, cultural or networking events


Administration Features

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LinkedIn Groups

Xing Groups

Create group Owner Owner Admin Groupmanager

Approval fromXing

Delete group Only owner Owner or moderator

Automatically at 0 members

Only owner Xing terminates it

Level of access Open, restricted and privateAnnouncement only

Private or open Secret > closed > open

Private > open Control group visibility

User types Owner, manager (moderator), members

Members and moderators

Admin, user Members and moderators

Moderator, co-moderator, user

Joining options Invitation/request or direct invite

Invitation / request, add (opt-out illegal)

Opt-out Invitation or request

Invitation or request

Member lists Max 100 or unlimited No limit 300 groups/user

50 Min 100 /group

Noise Dependent manager Dependent moderator

Can be overwhelming

Dependent moderator

small


Costs

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Characteristics Basic access Plans Maximum

Google Groups free - free

Yahoo Groups Free - free

Facebook Groups Free - free

LinkedIn Groups Free Business: Annual: €14.95/month;Monthly: €17.95/monthBusiness Plus: Annual: €29.95/month;Monthly: €35.95/monthExecutive: Annual: €53.95/month;Monthly: €71.95/month

€71.95 per month

Xing Groups free €6.35 per month (3-month)€5.55 per month (12-month)

€6.35 per month


Measuring Group Impact

• Size (number of members)

• Interconnectedness and network density

• Shared Language

• Communication activity

• Noise level

• Built-in methods of determining group health

• Access level

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Size (Increase in Size)

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Interconnectedness and Network Density

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Shared Language

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Communication activity

• Measure the number of message replies that the individual receives

from other members of the group = the level of feedback from group

members

• Conversational thread length, which is calculated as the amount and

length of message threads spurred by individuals = the amount of

user engagement and depth in the communication

• User rating of message replies and posts (if functionality is provided by

the group provider)

• Verity the types of messages received: are they seen as relevant,

consistent and credible?

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Noise

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Polls and surveys

• Built-in poll feature (if provided)

• Empirical tests to determine health: surveys, content analysis,

observational studies, interviews, etc.

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Built-in Methods

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LinkedIn Groups

Xing Groups

Show number of members

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Show number of posts

Yes (and the top posters)

Yes No Yes Yes

“Health” (activity) measuring mechanism

5 star rating system (users)

Internal, owner can add other mechanisms (e.g. “like” buttons on pictures); Management Features to track activity

Like button on group page and individual comments

Internal Internal

Polls No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Group statistics No No No dashboard Yes


Built-in Methods - Example

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Secret vs. Private

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Facebook, Yahoo Groups (unlisted)

Google Groups, LinkedIn, Xing


References

• L. Adamic, J. Zhang, E. Bakshy, and M. Ackerman, 2008. “Knowledge sharing and Yaho! Answers:

Everyone knows something,” paper presented at the WWW ’08 (Beijing, China), at

http://www2008.org/papers/fp840.html, accessed 28 March 2011.

• B.S. Butler, 2001. “Membership size, communication activity, and sustainability: A resource–based

model of online social structures,” Information Systems Research, volume 12, number 4, pp. 346–

362.

• R. Grewal, G. Lilien, and G. Mallapragada, 2006. “Location, location, location: How network

embeddedness affects project success in open source systems,” Management Science, volume

52, number 7, pp. 1043–1056.

• Q. Jones, G. Ravid, and S. Rafaeli, 2004. “Information overload and the message dynamics of

online interaction spaces: A theoretical model and empirical exploration,” Information Systems

Research, volume 15, number 2, pp. 194–210.

• R.E. Rice, 1987. “New patterns of social structure in an information society,” In: J.R. Schement

and L.A. Lievrouw (editors). Competing visions, complex realities: Social aspects of the

information society. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, pp. 107–120.

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http://www2008.org/papers/fp840.html

Group communication

Technology

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