Co-evolving E-tail and On-Line Communities: Conceptual Framework

This paper explores the problem of designing a Web site that meets the needs of both an evolving community and an evolving business. It reports a case study of a business that introduced an e-tail site and an associated on-line community. The site development used an existing community-centered development method. The study found that participants had different motivations for visiting the site—some only wanted product information and purchase, some were seeking social support and information, others sought a more intense experience and greater social involvement. Failure to recognize the separate needs of these clusters resulted in not fully achieving business- and community- building goals. The analysis of the relationship between Web site design, cluster needs, and business goals offers a conceptual framework for co-evolving community and business.

[1]  A. Parsons.  Non‐functional motives for online shoppers: why we click , 2002 .

[2]  Wen-Bin Yu,et al.  Enhancing business networks using social network based virtual communities , 2006, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[3]  M. Grant,et al.  Communities of practice. , 2020, Health progress.

[4]  Ronan Jouan De Kervenoael,et al.  Exploring value through integrated service solutions: The case of e‐grocery shopping , 2006 .

[5]  C. Flavián,et al.  The influence of virtual communities on distribution strategies in the internet , 2005 .

[6]  Sharron J. Lennon,et al.  Online service attributes available on apparel retail web sites: an E‐S‐QUAL approach , 2006 .

[7]  Ulrike Lechner,et al.  Social profiles of virtual communities , 2002, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[8]  Ulrike Lechner,et al.  Business Models and System Architectures of Virtual Communities: From a Sociological Phenomenon to Peer-to-Peer Architectures , 2002, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[9]  J. Hartigan.  Statistical theory in clustering , 1985 .

[10]  Terry L. Childers,et al.  HEDONIC AND UTILITARIAN MOTIVATIONS FOR ONLINE RETAIL SHOPPING BEHAVIOR , 2001 .

[11]  J. Preece,et al.  Online communities: focusing on sociability and usability , 2002 .

[12]  Starr Roxanne Hiltz,et al.  The evolution of user behavior in a computerized conferencing system , 1981, CACM.

[13]  M.,et al.  Sense of community: A definition and theory , 1986 .

[14]  Naveen Donthu,et al.  The Internet Shopper , 1999 .

[15]  Jennifer A. H. Becker,et al.  The process of relationship development and deterioration: Turning points in friendships that have terminated , 2004 .

[16]  Katarina Stanoevska-Slabeva,et al.  Communities in the Digital Economy , 2002, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[17]  Heradian Yoto,et al.  Service Providers And Customers: Social Exchange Theory And Service Loyalty , 2008 .

[18]  Hadley Cantril,et al.  The social psychology of everyday life. , 1934 .

[19]  Andrew Monk,et al.  Improving Your Human-Computer Interface: A Practical Technique , 1993 .

[20]  John Hagel,et al.  The real value of on-line communities , 1999 .

[21]  E. Tauber.  Why Do People Shop , 1972 .

[22]  Hee-Dong Yang,et al.  The Internet, value chain visibility and learning , 1998, Proceedings of the Thirty-First Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[23]  Jennifer Preece,et al.  A framework for analyzing and understanding online communities , 2004, Interact. Comput..

[24]  D. Hindman.  The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier , 1996 .

[25]  P. Kollock,et al.  Communities in Cyberspace , 2002 .

[26]  B. J. Fogg,et al.  Web credibility research: a method for online experiments and early study results , 2001, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[27]  John M. Carroll,et al.  Analyzing the social capital value chain in community network interfaces , 2005, Internet Res..

[28]  Efthymios Constantinides,et al.  Influencing the online consumer's behavior: the Web experience , 2004, Internet Res..

[29]  Jennifer Preece,et al.  Sociability and usability in online communities: Determining and measuring success , 2001, Behav. Inf. Technol..

[30]  Daniel R. Fesenmaier,et al.  Assessing Motivation of Contribution in Online Communities: An Empirical Investigation of an Online Travel Community , 1998, Electron. Mark..

[31]  R. Kozinets.  E-tribalized Marketing?: The Strategic Implications of Virtual Communities of Consumption , 1999 .

[32]  Cristian Bogdan,et al.  Reconsidering support for the members of specialized online communities , 2002 .

[33]  L. Sproull,et al.  Atheism, sex, and databases: the net as a social technology , 1995 .

[34]  M. Gilly,et al.  Shopping Online for Freedom, Control, and Fun , 2001 .

[35]  Dorine Andrews,et al.  Audience-specific online community design , 2002, CACM.

[36]  Jennifer Rowley,et al.  Relationships and online consumer communities , 2006, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[37]  Joseph Cothrel,et al.  Measuring the success of an online community , 2000 .

[38]  Jennifer Preece,et al.  A Conceptual Framework for Demographic Groups Resistant to On-line Community Interaction , 2002, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[39]  Joon Koh,et al.  Sense of Virtual Community : Conceptual Framework and Empirical Validation , 2001 .

[40]  Katarina Stanoevska-Slabeva,et al.  A typology of online communities and community supporting platforms , 2001, Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[41]  Katarina Stanoevska-Slabeva,et al.  Toward a Community-Oriented Design of Internet Platforms , 2002, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[42]  Shelly Farnham,et al.  Designing for improved social responsibility, user participation and content in on-line communities , 2002, CHI.

[43]  Dorine Andrews,et al.  Considerations in the Development of Commercially Based Online Communities , 2001 .

[44]  Jennifer Preece,et al.  Lurker demographics: counting the silent , 2000, CHI.

[45]  Marko Čupić,et al.  Online communities – Designing Usability, Supporting Sociability , 2003 .

[46]  Jennifer Preece,et al.  Empathic communities: balancing emotional and factual communication , 1999, Interact. Comput..

[47]  Sara Kiesler.  Culture of the Internet , 1997 .

[48]  Vijay Mahajan,et al.  The Economic Leverage of the Virtual Community , 2001, Int. J. Electron. Commer..

[49]  Jenny Preece,et al.  Online Communities: Designing Usability and Supporting Sociability , 2000 .

[50]  Multi-Story Trust and Online Retailer Strategies , 2004 .

[51]  Heng-Li Yang,et al.  Key user roles on web-based information systems requirements , 2005, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[52]  G. Hutton.  Net gain: Expanding markets through virtual communities , 1998 .

[53]  I. Altman,et al.  Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships , 1973 .

[54]  D. Goldsmith,et al.  Communicating Social Support , 2004 .

[55]  Kornelia van der Beek,et al.  The changing digital content landscape: An evaluation of e-business model development in European online news and music , 2006, Internet Res..

[56]  Frances Brassington,et al.  Principles of Marketing , 1999 .