The changing character of communities of practice: evidence from a sport online community

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van Dijck, F. and Daskou, S. ORCID: 0000-0002-9142-0822, 2016. The changing character of communities of practice: evidence from a sport online community. In: 29th Business & Economics Society International (B&ESI) Conference 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 6-9 July 2016.

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of online communities as communities of best practice (CoP) that generate learning within the context of ‘throwing’ sports. The fundamental and distinct types of connection examined here relate to (a) the utility of social media interaction and (b) the characteristics of online communities in creating learning that shapes consumer behaviour (which in this context relates to ‘consuming’ throwing sports. The study used a mixed methodology to identify motives of athletes, coaches and fans (all) in participating in online communities; content and information types that lead to an increased participation in online throwing communities; the differences of community participants in their motivation to participate based on gender. The axiology of the study was based on values of social interaction and networks. The research design assumed the case study of Throwholics (a throwing sport online community) and included a survey of 843 members of the online community as well as qualitative analysis of online content published on the community’s Facebook pages and website. The results indicate that the main motivations for participating in the online community included finding information and learning new practice as well as receiving entertainment on a subject of great interest. Finally, the CoP characteristic of practice is contributed by throwing news, training and coaching tips and interviews with athletes and coaches, whereas throwing related entertainment types of information shape the focus of the CoP more than sharing expertise.

Item Type:	Conference contribution
Creators:	van Dijck, F. and Daskou, S.
Date:	2016
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	29 Nov 2018 09:45
Last Modified:	29 Nov 2018 09:45
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/35165