Information sharing in an online community of journalists

摘要

Informal groups of professional workers are forming online communities to create and share information with each other. This paper offers an analysis of an online commu- nity of news reporters. Through participant observation in the group electronic discus- sion, and analysis of archival copies of the group conversation, the authors explore the ways in which this group requests and offers assistance to each other. The types of infor- mation created are examined and the temporal characteristics of the group are explored.