Transformations of Knowledge in Online Communities

1
Transformations of Knowledgein Online Communities
Les Gasser
Bryan Penne
Graduate School of Library and Information
ScienceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Supported by NSF/ITR (DST) Program
Joint work with Dave Dubin, Gabriel Ripoche, Bob
Sandusky, Xuehua Shen.
2
Setting

• Large-scale collaborative design and information
  management in OSS communities.
• Examples
• Mozilla Web Browser
• OpenOffice.org/StarOffice Office Suite
• Chandra X-Ray Observatory Science Software
• MMPORG game mods
• Linux Kernel

3
Mozilla Model
Mozilla Browser
Formalized Feedback
Mozilla Repository (Bugzilla1)
Release
Developers
Tools
Repository
4
Dependent
Duplicate
Time (days to years)
5
Two Example Bug Reports
Rich text copy is 5 times slower than IE
Mozilla1.0 party!
6
Bug!
Feature!
TriageurDeveloper
7
Three Transformations
Community knowledge of artifacts From
given/learned to continuous/constructe
d Knowledge representation From
bounded, faithful reflections to
massive, contentious assemblages Knowledge
Management From episodic, case-based
to convergent, sense-making
8
Transforming Knowledge of Artifacts

• From
• Specifydesignbuildtestreleasemaintain
• To
• Using initial seed, community continuously,
  jointly transforms its knowledge of what the
  target artifact is, how it works, what it should
  be, and how it should work
• Process is characterized by extreme
  multiplicity of a) viewpoints, b)
  representation, c) experience.
• Process is catalyzed by structured collective
  KM tools (e.g. Bugzilla)

9
Transforming Representation

• From "Documents represent things, events,
  experience"
• Documents Life-world
• To
• Documents record viewpoints (under
  interpretation)
• Scope of documentation is unknowable (e.g.,
  duplicates, index terms)
• Fidelity of relationship is uncertain (e.g.,
  report vs. problem)
• Relevant life-world is unknowable (e.g.,
  use-contexts/styles)

10
Transforming Knowledge Management

• From Episodic/case-based
• Utility Stored, Archival Capture past for
  future use
• AccessGoal Matchable/reenactable
• Selection Bias Selective, expertise-based,
  formal
• To Sensemaking
• Utility Convergent, present-oriented,
  resolution-focused Little
  perceived future utility
• Access Goal Locatable, cross-referenceable,
  interpretable
• Selection Bias Open, narrative, rhetorical