Discovering the community: a case study of an online parenting network.

Abstract

The domestication and integration of the Internet into the daily lives of people have resulted in a proliferation of virtual communities. The study used a longitudinal frame and a triangulation approach to understand the process of virtual community development in an Asian parenting community. The core technique is a form of textual analysis called semantic network analysis conducted on the message headers in the community discourse. The second is a general online survey of members’ attitudes, while the last involves intensive interviews with selected members and moderators.