Niki Panteli - Virtual Social Networks: Mediated, Massive and Multiplayer Sites

Virtual Social Networks

Also edited by Niki Panteli

Exploring Virtuality within and beyond Organizations: Social, Global and Local Dimensions (with Mike Chiasson)

Mediated, Massive and Multiplayer Sites

Edited by

Niki Panteli

Selection and editorial content Niki Panteli 2009
Individual chapters contributors 2009

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First published 2009 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.

Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martins Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

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ISBN-13: 978-0-230-22928-0 hardback
ISBN-10: 0-230-22928-x hardback

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Virtual social networks : mediated, massive and multiplayer sites /
edited by Niki Panteli.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-230-22928-0 (alk. paper)
1. Online social networks. 2. Virtual reality. I. Panteli, Niki.

HM742.V575 2009
303.4833dc22 2009013656

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09

Printed and bound in Great Britain by
CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne

To James

The book grew out of the interest of IFIP working group 9.5 in the subject of virtuality and society. My first acknowledgement therefore goes to those who actively took part in the workshops, conferences, and meetings organized to discuss issues on massive virtual communities and social networking sites as well as issues on virtuality in general. Furthermore, I wish to acknowledge Virginia Thorp and Paul Milner, who made this book possible, and their colleagues at Palgrave Macmillan. Special thanks also go to all the contributors to this book for their hard work and enthusiasm in pursuit of the study of virtual social networks.

Oliver K. Burmeister () is an academic in the School of Computing and Mathematics at Charles Sturt University in Australia. He is a member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), chairs its national committee on Computer Ethics, and is the current international ACS representative on International Federation for Information Processing Technical Committee 9 (IFIP TC9) (computers and society). Oliver is a former director of the Australian Institute of Computer Ethics. His research interests cover predominantly the intersection between Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and computer ethics. Currently his research focus is on HCI design that takes the moral and social values of users into account.

Peter Case () is Professor of Organization Studies, Bristol Business School, University of the West of England and Director of the Bristol Centre for Leadership and Organizational Ethics. He served as Chairperson of the Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism from 2002 to 2007 and is general co-editor of Culture and Organization. He is also a member of the editorial boards of Leadership and the Leadership & Organizational Development Journal. Peter has held visiting scholarships at the Helsinki School of Economics and the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm. His research interests encompass the ethics of leadership, organization theory and technologically mediated organization. Recent publications include The Speed of Organization (with S. Lilley and T. Owens, 2006: CBS & Liber) and John Adair: the Fundamentals of Leadership (with J. Gosling and M. Witzel, 2007: Palgrave Macmillan).

Mia Consalvo (the Association of Internet Researchers, and is on the steering committee of Women in Games International.

Anton Elins () studied art, psychology, philosophy, and computer science. He is a lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he teaches multimedia courses. He is also coordinator of the Master Multimedia for Computer Science. He has written books on distributed logic programming and object-oriented software engineering. Recently he has been appointed as Professor Creative Technology/New Media to set up a Bachelors curriculum in Creative Technology at Twente University.

Frans Feldberg () is Assistant Professor e-business at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam and member of the Knowledge Information and Networks (KIN) research group. He holds a Ph.D. in online decision behaviour. His research is on the interface of business administration, cognitive psychology and information sciences. He specializes in decision-making behaviour and collaboration in computer-mediated environments. His research projects focus on online decision-making, decision support systems, computer-mediated communication, and relationship-building, collaboration and learning in virtual environments. He was the initiator and project manager of a multidisciplinary research team responsible for the Vrije Universiteits Second Life research initiative. Feldberg has wide experience as business consultant for national and international companies, and actively participates in a network of researchers, managers and entrepreneurs that reflects on the economic, social and juridical relevance of online virtual worlds to society.

Jennifer Freeman () is a reader in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in the School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health and Social Work, at the University of Plymouth; and also a lecturer within the Department of Clinical Neurology at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London. Her research focuses mainly on the evaluation of rehabilitation interventions in people with long-term neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. Jennifer is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Rickard Grassman (generated by different forms of organizing enjoyment, and the way in which this may bear extensive implications on sense making, power and politics. Recent projects within this area of interest include the publication of