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In this short introductory piece, we define open collaboration and contextualize the diverse articles in this special issue in a common vocabulary and history. We provide a definition of open collaboration and situate the phenomenon within an interrelated set of scholarly and ideological movements. We then examine the properties of open collaboration systems that have given rise to research and review major areas of scholarship. We close with a summary of consistent findings in open collaboration research to date.

Citizen journalists can participate in political user-generated news websites in different ways, including providing content, discussing with other users, and rating the content posted on the site. Also, users of these types of sites form impressions of other users based on the information provided by different sources. The information supplied by rating systems, for example, constitutes a source of information that cues certain characteristics about others. However, user-generated news websites' rating systems usually evaluate users' participation without distinguishing between types of participa- tion. Taking into account the origin of the information carried by the cues and the communal dimension evaluated in the process of impression formation, this study examines how a set of different rating system design options might influence users' impressions of the credibility of discussants, discussion informativeness, and willingness to contribute to discussions on political user-generated news websites. The results of this study partially support the idea that communal third-party information has more importance when impressions are formed in these online settings, although further research is needed to establish the connection between rating sys- tems and the communal characteristics of users. ; El periodista ciudadano puede participar en los sitios web de noticias políticas generados por el usuario de diferentes maneras, tales como el suministro de contenido, discutir con otros usuarios, y la calificación del contenido publicado en el sitio. Además, los usuarios de estos tipos de sitios forman impresiones de otros usuarios en base a la información proporcionada por diferentes fuentes. La información suministrada por los sistemas de clasifi- cación, por ejemplo, constituye una fuente de información que da señales sobre ciertas características de otros. Sin embargo, los sistemas de clasificación de los sitios web de noticias generados por el usuario suelen evaluar la participación de los mismos sin distinguir entre los tipos de participación. Teniendo en cuenta el origen de la información transmitida por las señales y la dimensión comunal evaluada en el proceso de formación de impresiones, este estudio examina cómo un conjunto de diferentes opciones de diseño para un sistema de clasificación puede influir en las impresiones de los usuarios sobre la credibilidad de los ponentes, el carácter informativo de la discusión, y la voluntad de contribuir a los debates en los sitios web de noticias políticas generados por el usuario. Los resultados de este estudio apoyan parcialmente la idea de que la información comunal de terceros tiene más importancia cuando las impresiones se forman en estos entornos en línea, aunque se necesita más investigación para identificar la relación revelar entre los sistemas de clasificación y las características comunales de los usuarios. ; O jornalista cidadão pode participar dos sites de notícias políticas gerados pelo usuário de diferentes maneiras: fornecendo conteúdo, discutindo com os outros usuários e qualificando o conteúdo publicado no site. Além disso, os usuários desse tipo de site formam impressões de outros usuários com base na informação proporcionada por diferentes fontes. A informação fornecida pelos sistemas de classificação, por exemplo, constitui uma fonte de informação que dá sinais sobre certas características de outros. Contudo, os sistemas de classificação dos sites de notícias gerados pelo usuário costu- mam avaliar a participação. Ao considerar a origem da informação transmitida pelos sinais e pela dimensão comunal avaliada no processo de formação de impressões, este estudo examina como um conjunto de diferentes opções de desenho para um sistema de classificação pode influenciar nas impressões dos usuários sobre a credibilidade dos informantes, o caráter informativo da discussão e a vontade de contribuir para os debates nos sites de notícias gerados pelo usuário. Os resultados deste estudo apoiam parcial- mente a ideia de que a informação comunal de terceiros tem mais impor- tância quando as impressões se formam nesses ambientes on-line, embora se precise de mais pesquisa para identificar a relação entre os sistemas de classificação e as características comunais dos usuários.

DOI:10.5294/pacla.2013.16.3.2 Citizen journalists can participate in political user-generated news websites in different ways, including providing content, discussing with other users, and rating the content posted on the site. Also, users of these types of sites form impressions of other users based on the information provided by different sources. The information supplied by rating systems, for example, constitutes a source of information that cues certain characteristics about others. However, user-generated news websites' rating systems usually evaluate users' participation without distinguishing between types of participa- tion. Taking into account the origin of the information carried by the cues and the communal dimension evaluated in the process of impression formation, this study examines how a set of different rating system design options might influence users' impressions of the credibility of discussants, discussion informativeness, and willingness to contribute to discussions on political user-generated news websites. The results of this study partially support the idea that communal third-party information has more importance when impressions are formed in these online settings, although further research is needed to establish the connection between rating sys- tems and the communal characteristics of users. DOI:10.5294/pacla.2013.16.3.2 ; DOI:10.5294/pacla.2013.16.3.2 El periodista ciudadano puede participar en los sitios web de noticias políticas generados por el usuario de diferentes maneras, tales como el suministro de contenido, discutir con otros usuarios, y la calificación del contenido publicado en el sitio. Además, los usuarios de estos tipos de sitios forman impresiones de otros usuarios en base a la información proporcionada por diferentes fuentes. La información suministrada por los sistemas de clasifi- cación, por ejemplo, constituye una fuente de información que da señales sobre ciertas características de otros. Sin embargo, los sistemas de clasificación de los sitios web de noticias generados por el usuario suelen evaluar la participación de los mismos sin distinguir entre los tipos de participación. Teniendo en cuenta el origen de la información transmitida por las señales y la dimensión comunal evaluada en el proceso de formación de impresiones, este estudio examina cómo un conjunto de diferentes opciones de diseño para un sistema de clasificación puede influir en las impresiones de los usuarios sobre la credibilidad de los ponentes, el carácter informativo de la discusión, y la voluntad de contribuir a los debates en los sitios web de noticias políticas generados por el usuario. Los resultados de este estudio apoyan parcialmente la idea de que la información comunal de terceros tiene más importancia cuando las impresiones se forman en estos entornos en línea, aunque se necesita más investigación para identificar la relación revelar entre los sistemas de clasificación y las características comunales de los usuarios. DOI:10.5294/pacla.2013.16.3.2 ; O jornalista cidadão pode participar dos sites de notícias políticas gerados pelo usuário de diferentes maneiras: fornecendo conteúdo, discutindo com os outros usuários e qualificando o conteúdo publicado no site. Além disso, os usuários desse tipo de site formam impressões de outros usuários com base na informação proporcionada por diferentes fontes. A informação fornecida pelos sistemas de classificação, por exemplo, constitui uma fonte de informação que dá sinais sobre certas características de outros. Contudo, os sistemas de classificação dos sites de notícias gerados pelo usuário costu- mam avaliar a participação. Ao considerar a origem da informação transmitida pelos sinais e pela dimensão comunal avaliada no processo de formação de impressões, este estudo examina como um conjunto de diferentes opções de desenho para um sistema de classificação pode influenciar nas impressões dos usuários sobre a credibilidade dos informantes, o caráter informativo da discussão e a vontade de contribuir para os debates nos sites de notícias gerados pelo usuário. Os resultados deste estudo apoiam parcial- mente a ideia de que a informação comunal de terceiros tem mais impor- tância quando as impressões se formam nesses ambientes on-line, embora se precise de mais pesquisa para identificar a relação entre os sistemas de classificação e as características comunais dos usuários.

Most electronic behavior traces available to social scientists offer a site-centric view of behavior. We argue that to understand patterns of interpersonal communication and media consumption, a more person-centric view is needed. The ideal research platform would capture reading as well as writing and friending, behavior across multiple sites, and demographic and psychographic variables. It would also offer opportunities for researchers to make interventions that make changes and additions to the information presented to people in social media interfaces. Any attempt to create such an ideal platform will have to make compromises because of engineering and privacy constraints. We describe one attempt to navigate those tensions: the MTogether project will recruit a panel of participants who will install a browser extension and mobile app that enable limited data collection and interventions.

This study assesses whether Facebook users have different 'connection strategies,' a term which describes a suite of Facebook-related relational communication activities, and explores the relationship between these connection strategies and social capital. Survey data ( N = 450) from a random sample of undergraduate students reveal that only social information-seeking behaviors contribute to perceptions of social capital; connection strategies that focus on strangers or close friends do not. We also find that reporting more 'actual' friends on the site is predictive of social capital, but only to a point. We believe the explanation for these findings may be that the identity information in Facebook serves as a social lubricant, encouraging individuals to convert latent to weak ties and enabling them to broadcast requests for support or information.

Facebook-enabled resource mobilization attempts—broadcasted status updates in which people ask questions or request information, favors, or other forms of assistance from one's network—can provide insight into social capital dynamics as they unfold on Facebook. Specifically, these requests and the responses they receive can serve as a window into how, why, and with what results individuals turn to their Friends network for help. In this study, we synthesize the existing research on resource mobilization requests via Facebook and present new analyses of survey data collected from a random sample of Facebook users who have made any post in the past 28 days ( n = 573) and a sample of those who have posted a mobilization request in the past 28 days ( n = 1074). To identify mobilization requests, an automated classifier trained on a hand-labeled sample of public status updates was used. Using participants' self-reported survey data and server-level behavioral data, we examine how mobilization request behaviors relate to perceptions of bridging and bonding social capital, participants' perceptions of Facebook's utility regarding these requests, and related variables such as engagement in Facebook Relational Maintenance Behaviors. We find that those who post mobilization requests on Facebook report higher social capital, are more likely to try to respond to Friends' expressed needs, and tend to see the site as a better source of information, coordination, and networked communication.