JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 10(3): 294-302, doi: 10.3217/jucs-010-03-0294
Etiquette, Empathy and Trust in Communities of Practice: Stepping-Stones to Social Capital
expand article infoJennifer Preece‡
‡ University of Maryland Baltimore County, United States of America

Corresponding author: Jennifer Preece ( preece@umbc.edu )

© Jennifer Preece.
This article is freely available under the J.UCS Open Content License.
Citation: Preece J (2004) Etiquette, Empathy and Trust in Communities of Practice: Stepping-Stones to Social Capital. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 10(3): 294-302. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-010-03-0294
Open Access
Abstract
Creating online communities of practice involves much more than creating software. Software houses online communities of practice activities but social interactions also depend on who is involved, what their goals are, their personalities and the community's norms and policies. By paying attention to these sociability issues, community members can influence how their community develops. Norms that lead to good online etiquette, empathy and trust between community members provide stepping-stones for social capital development.
Keywords
tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge, social norms, trust, etiquette, social capital, communities of practice, online communities, sociability