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Tracing traces: a document-centred approach to the preservation of virtual world communities

Sköld, Olle LU (2013) In Information Research 18(3).
Abstract
Introduction. The aim of this paper is to form a framework capable of theorizing how virtual communities are entangled with their new media environments, thereby contributing to the understanding of present-day virtual communities and how to preserve them. Method. An extensive bibliography on virtual worlds, virtual world preservation, document-and practice theory, and virtual communities forms the conceptual basis of the paper. Analysis. The proposed framework was formed by the way of qualitative and synthetic conceptual analysis of the collected literature. Results. Virtual world communities can be fruitfully conceptualized as distinct domains with specialized documentary practices. In each domain of practice, the virtual world's related... (More)
Introduction. The aim of this paper is to form a framework capable of theorizing how virtual communities are entangled with their new media environments, thereby contributing to the understanding of present-day virtual communities and how to preserve them. Method. An extensive bibliography on virtual worlds, virtual world preservation, document-and practice theory, and virtual communities forms the conceptual basis of the paper. Analysis. The proposed framework was formed by the way of qualitative and synthetic conceptual analysis of the collected literature. Results. Virtual world communities can be fruitfully conceptualized as distinct domains with specialized documentary practices. In each domain of practice, the virtual world's related new media ecology functions as a central hub where the configuration of shared routinized sayings, doings, and knowings specific to that virtual world are negotiated. Conclusion. By theorizing the activities of virtual communities in new media environments as documentary practices, and blog posts, comments, and tweets as documents, the framework accentuates new media as infrastructures that do not solely carry informative traces of the activities of virtual communities, but in effect are an active and formative part of them. As such, they merit high preservation priority. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Information Research
volume
18
issue
3
article number
C09
publisher
Thomas Daniel Wilson
external identifiers
  • wos:000329310400018
ISSN
1368-1613
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5d11e2ff-9202-4e46-b3e3-06bf6e663041 (old id 4330098)
alternative location
http://informationr.net/ir/18-3/colis/paperC09.html
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:09:19
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:24:01
@article{5d11e2ff-9202-4e46-b3e3-06bf6e663041,
  abstract     = {{Introduction. The aim of this paper is to form a framework capable of theorizing how virtual communities are entangled with their new media environments, thereby contributing to the understanding of present-day virtual communities and how to preserve them. Method. An extensive bibliography on virtual worlds, virtual world preservation, document-and practice theory, and virtual communities forms the conceptual basis of the paper. Analysis. The proposed framework was formed by the way of qualitative and synthetic conceptual analysis of the collected literature. Results. Virtual world communities can be fruitfully conceptualized as distinct domains with specialized documentary practices. In each domain of practice, the virtual world's related new media ecology functions as a central hub where the configuration of shared routinized sayings, doings, and knowings specific to that virtual world are negotiated. Conclusion. By theorizing the activities of virtual communities in new media environments as documentary practices, and blog posts, comments, and tweets as documents, the framework accentuates new media as infrastructures that do not solely carry informative traces of the activities of virtual communities, but in effect are an active and formative part of them. As such, they merit high preservation priority.}},
  author       = {{Sköld, Olle}},
  issn         = {{1368-1613}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  publisher    = {{Thomas Daniel Wilson}},
  series       = {{Information Research}},
  title        = {{Tracing traces: a document-centred approach to the preservation of virtual world communities}},
  url          = {{http://informationr.net/ir/18-3/colis/paperC09.html}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}