Summary of the report

The research presented in this report provides insight into how non-professional users co-create new media applications today, in particular in online and offline communities. The main objective was to identify initial context, user and social requirements for CITIZEN MEDIA applications: This was done by three different studies:

• The first study "Participation in Online Communities", by SINTEF, analyses statistical data from five samples in Norway; four online communities and one national sample of online users. The main research question was to investigate motivations for participation and content creation inside online communities.
• The second study "Sharing and co-creation in communities" by UOL-CUO, used both offline (questionnaire and ESM) and online (a private research blog) methods to study two different online communities investigating what people share with whom, and how, when, where and why they do this?'
• The third study "Co-creation and social change in Off-line communities", done in Belgium by IBBT-SMIT, takes an in-depth look at people's practices in a real life community context. The main research question was: 'What is the meaning of co-creation tools in relation to social change among "average" user groups and their everyday practices?'

Press coverage of the first study

The release of this deliverable has resulted in a significant amount of press coverage:

• A television interview about social networking and data gathered in M1.2.1 with Petter Bae Brandtzæg in the national television TV2 and the program Magasinet on Saturday 19.05.07 at 18.45
• Three large news coverage in the major national newspaper Afenposten
  • Aftenposten, Forbruker.no 26.04.07, Facebook feber
  • Aftenposten, Forbruker.no 27.04.07, Facebook kan gjøre deg syk
  • Aftenposten, Forbruker.no 30.04.07, Forsiktig med Facebook bilder
• Several online newspapers:
  • Trønderavisa "Facebook kan gjøre deg syk"
  • Nordlys "Facebook kan gjøre deg syk"
  • Journalen "På nett På nett"
• Other more local news papers have also written about this:
  • Tønsberg Blad, Magasin, Saturday19.05.07, "Vårt virituelle liv". pp 6-10
  • Adressaavisa, Saturday 05.05.07, "Nettsamfunn" pp 19
    And the Danish weekely newspaper Weekendavisen 3-9-Mai, 07: Facebook. Effektiv networking så det gør helt ondt.

Download the report

[Get the document here|PU:Deliverables and white papers ^D1.2.1_InitialContextUserAndSocialRequirementsForTheCitizenMediaApplications_V1.0.pdf]