Social computing
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Definition
“Social computing refers to the use of social software, a growing trend in ICT usage of tools that support social interaction and communication. Social computing is based on creating or recreating social conventions and social contexts online through the use of software and technology. Examples of social computing include the use of e-mail for maintaining social relationships, instant messaging for daily microcoordination at one's workplace, or weblogs as a community building tool.” (Wikipedia Socialcomputing, retrieved 11:18, 14 September 2006 (MEST)}})
Social computing refers to systems which support the gathering, representation, processing and dissemination of social information, that is, information which is distributed across social collectivities such as teams, communities, organizations, cohorts and markets. Examples of systems which fall in this domain include collaborative filtering and recommender systems (e.g., firefly), online auction sites (e.g., ebay), and open source virtual communities (e.g., slashdot). The central hallmark of social computing is that it relies on the notion of social identity: that is, it is not just the data that matters, but who that data 'belongs to', and how the identity of the 'owner' of that data is related to other identities in the system. More generally, social computing systems are likely to contain components that support and represent social constructs such as identity, reputation, trust, accountability, presence, social roles, and ownership.
IBM Social Computing Group FAQ retrieved 19:04, 26 May 2006 (MEST).
Technology
- See social software
Links
- IBM Social Computing Group, HTML
- Social Computing Group at Microsoft Research
References
Roush, Wade, (2005), Social Machines - Computing means connecting. Technology Review, MIT. HTML