Online Communities : Designing Usability and Supporting Sociability

The purpose of the book is to set up a framework for discussions onsocial and technical issues of online communities. Designingusability and supporting sociability lays a solid foundation onwhich online communities can grow and thrive. Intended for bothstudents and computer professionals, the book addresses thedevelopment of new online communities as well as the improvement ofexisting ones. It is divided into two parts - Getting Acquaintedwith Online Communities and Developing Online Communities - alongwith a preface and a concluding chapter which explores the futureof online communities. For sample chapters and other resources,please check out the web site for the book at: http://www.clis.umd.edu/people/preece/