RUI: VOSS: The Potential for Social Networking Cyberinfrastructure to Facilitate Virtual Organization Breeding Grounds

虚拟组织因其灵活性、成本效益、效率和克服地理限制的能力而经历了指数级的增长。这个项目调查了生命科学领域的两个科学虚拟组织孕育环境(在线实践社区)如何使用社交网站技术来了解这种网络基础设施的潜力，以促进潜在虚拟组织团队成员之间的信任和社会凝聚力，并导致虚拟组织的形成和成功。本研究使用人种学和案例研究数据(包括两个虚拟组织滋生环境及其相互作用的可视化地图)来构建关于在虚拟组织滋生环境中使用社交网站技术是否促进虚拟组织发展和创新(如果促进了，如何促进)的理论和假设。量化数据将从两个VBE参与者之间的通信监控和编码模式中得出。该研究还将发展和扩展行动者网络理论和社会网络分析到虚拟组织滋生环境中，提高我们对它们作为社会技术社区的理解，其中的关联可以被跟踪和分析。虚拟组织的形成是许多科学和工程领域的重要问题，也是工业领域的重要问题。这项研究明确侧重于了解妇女在科学中的作用，并吸引妇女(代表性不足的群体)进入科学界。它将提高我们对Web 2.0技术在科学家之间的互动和虚拟组织发展中的作用的理解。针对社交网络系统是否对成功的虚拟组织所需的社会互动有意义地促进这一核心问题，本项目将提供对虚拟组织的形成、演变和成功的丰富理解，以指导网络基础设施的发展。结果将通过Facebook小组、Twitter页面、项目网站和公共研讨会传播。

Virtual organizations have experienced an exponential growth due to their flexibility, cost effectiveness, efficiency, and ability to overcome geographic constraints. This project investigates how two scientific virtual organization breeding environments (online communities of practice) in the life sciences use social networking site technology to understand the potential of this cyberinfrastructure to foster trust and social cohesion among potential virtual organizations team members and lead to virtual organization formation and success. The research uses ethnographic and case study data (including visual maps of two virtual organization breeding environments and their interactions) to build theory and hypotheses about whether the use of social networking site technology in virtual organization breeding environments promotes virtual organization development and innovation (and, if it does, how). Quantitative data will be derived from monitoring and coding patterns of communication among participants from both VBEs. The research will also develop and extend Actor-Network-Theory and Social Network Analysis to virtual organization breeding environments improving our understanding of them as sociotechnical communities in which associations can be traced and analyzed.The formation of virtual organizations is an important issue in many fields of science and engineering, as well as in industry. This research focuses explicitly on understanding the role of women in science and attracting women (an under-represented group) into the sciences. It will improve our understanding of the role of Web 2.0 technologies in interactions between scientists and of virtual organization development. Addressing the central question of whether social network systems meaningfully facilitate the social interactions that are required for a successful virtual organization, this project will provide a rich understanding of the formation, evolution and success of virtual organizations to guide the development of cyberinfrastructure. Results will be disseminated through a Facebook group, Twitter page, project website, and a public workshop.