Online Community Evaluations

Equal Rights for Women Care 2 Grouphttp://www.care2.com/c2c/group/womens_rights

Julie WongAishe Suarez

Tina Sang

Usability Heuristics

1.Search within this social networking group for abortion discussion threads.

Site contains a wide range of discussion topics and a wealth of information, but the amount can be overwhelming.

Being able to easily search and find discussions on specific issues increases usability.

If people become frustrated with using this site, they may not return and may not recommend it to their friends.

Results from Usability Testing

1.All users, despite being very comfortable with using the Internet, had difficulty finding a specific topic within Group Discussions.

Search function (Ctrl-F) does not work effectively because the discussions are archived on different pages, with no pagination.

Search box searches all of Care2 and does not specifically search in Equal Rights for Women group.

Usability Heuristics

1.Find the rules and regulations/policies page for this group.

Policies are important for conveying the purpose of the social networking site and helps community members with understanding how they can contribute.

Policies also prevent misunderstandings and conflicts within the community and reduces the need to mediate conflicts.

1.2 out of 3 users found the rules on the home page under Group Discussions.

The rules discussion did not stand out on the home page, except for a little blue flag next to it.

One user gave up after three attempts.

Results from Usability Testing

Usability Heuristics

1.Search for a specific member within this group: Jade J.

One of the site’s purposes is to connect people who are interested in equal rights for women.

Being able to easily search and find a specific member helps bridge the cyber and real world community. Especially because when you sign-up as a member of Care2, you are shown other members in your zip code.

1.2 out of 3 users were able to locate a specific member.

There was no group specific search box for members.

Users found “Jade J.” by searching the entire Care2 site, which would have been problematic if more than one person has the same username.

Members are listed in group site not by name, but by date of enlistment as a member.

Member profiles do not automatically list the Care2 groups members are in.

Results from Usability Testing

Usability Heuristics

1.Visit 3 RSS “Feeds from the web.” Important for community members to keep

up to date with issues related to the cause. RSS feeds connect community members

with other online communities and resources so they can develop informed opinions.

RSS feeds are another way for members to contribute to the community.

1.Only 1 out of 3 users were able to find the RSS feeds listed on the homepage.

This user took two attempts. The RSS feeds did not link to their intended

web pages. No obvious place or mechanism to report

errors.

Results from Usability Testing

Summary of Users’ Experience

• Navigation problems prevailed among all users.

No search box for members or discussions for the group page.

Discussions are not organized into categories.

• Users disagreed about the trustworthiness of the information provided in discussions.

• Users also disagreed on whether they would recommend this site to friends.

• One user noted the long lag time between loading of pages.

• All users indicated a level of frustration with the amount of time it took to find information.

Sample Web Page

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc_list.html?gpp=138&archival=1

• Once a discussion is archived, no more comments are allowed • The discussion must be reactivated in order to post comments• Then discussions are listed by order of most recent comment and not by

date of original discussion post • Cannot search posts by time period• No pagination • No option to jump to oldest discussions• No easy to understand date attached to discussions • Please note that these navigation problems apply to other Care2 online

community groups as well

Sociability Heuristics

1.How inclusive do you feel the current format/content is to different types of individuals or groups of women’s rights advocates and allies? Please explain and give specific examples.

Equal Rights for Women Care2 group is open to anyone to join. It is important for various people to feel welcomed into this community in order for them to feel invested.

Equal rights for women is a broad topic with a diverse range of views. It is important for conflicts to be addressed in a constructive manner so no particular view or member is excluded.

Inclusive in the sense that many topics related to women's rights are discussed, but flaming and debates within the community may stop people from joining or staying.

Sociability Heuristics

1.How would you describe the level of interaction among community members on this site?

Interaction among community members demonstrates the effectiveness of this media to foster community bonds and fulfill its purpose. High level of interaction: members sign

each other's petitions, reply directly back to someone who posts a comment, and individuals develop reputations online in the community.

Sociability Heuristics

1.Imagine yourself to be a member of this online community, what aspects might entice you to stay and actively participate and what aspects might discourage you or cause you to leave the community?

People are more likely to remain members of this community if they feel their opinions are valued and the community respects different perspectives.

Considering the various modes of self expression, an effective online community must provide different ways for members to contribute.

The various discussion topics and friendships that people form in the community are enticing.  The personal attacks and debates online are not very welcoming.

Sociability Heuristics

1.What do you feel are some of the potential pros and cons of having this site open to the public? Would this influence your participation and how?

Opening to the public may encourage more lurking. Issues of confidentiality. Ease of joining community may be enticing because it

makes it feel more welcoming and less exclusive. Pro: People can see what the community is like

before joining. Con: Fostering trust is more difficult when an online

community has many members and people are constantly coming and leaving.

Sociability Heuristics

1.Do you find the existing features adequate for someone to express their individual identity on this social networking site?

Issue of confidentiality – people less/more likely to share their real life identities.

Personal profiles encourage people to make real life connections and form their individual identity online.

Personal expression is limited by the technology available through Care2.  Individual profiles are similar to those on

MySpace and Facebook.  

Poll Questions

1. To what extent do you feel that the information, discussions, and resources provided on this site are reflected in the title of this community “Equal Rights for Women”?

o Very mucho Somewhato Neutralo Slightlyo Not at all

2. How easy or difficult do you feel it is for a member of this site to share his/her views?

a) Very easy b) Somewhat easy c) Neither easy nor hard d) Somewhat difficult e) Very difficult f) I do not feel that this site is open to members to

share their views

3. What motivated you to become a member of this online community? (Please mark all that apply)

a) In search of resources. b) Wanted to share resources. c) Looking for social support. d) Wanted to connect with other people to build

coalitions. e) Other (please specify): ___________________

Data Analysis

• Group Vitals o 63,569 members

• Visibility: open • Membership: open • Mailing List:

womens_rights@groups.care2.com • Mostly discussions on forum but site does

not show total number of discussions.• 5 Sharebooks (blogs) • 5 RSS feeds that do not link to their

intended webpages

Content Analysis- The 15 most recent discussions

• Ranged from 1 day ago (Dec. 9) to 109 days ago.

• Topics included 2 blogs, 1 video, 1 petition, 1 letter to Amnesty International,  2 articles, 1 tribute, 1  farewell, 1 set of shared links, and several discussions about various relevant topics.

• Ranged from 721 to 703 days ago.• Topics included 3 petitions, 1 farewell,

1 rant, 1 dating advertisement, 2 about human rights and women's rights in other countries.   

• Blue label: rules, feminist quotes, abortion, free mammograms.

Content Analysis- 15 discussions in the middle & Blue

Label

Content Analysis- The first 15 discussions

• Ranged from 4 - 5 years ago (1683 days ago)

• Topics included institutions of violence, politics, feminist groups, gender & job experiences, sexuality, and various articles and related discussions

Care 2: Other sociability observations

• You can post anonymously but you have to log into your Care2 account and then check a box listed as "anonymous."

• People post to the discussion to say that they are leaving the group.

• There seem to be a number of members who repeatedly leave antagonistic replies to discussion threads--they may be representative of more conservative elements in the group, or may take on devil's advocate roles.

• Many people use Care2 to get more support for petitions.• Members are from around the world: Africa, Spain, UK, US.