Network domains in social networking sites: expectations,meanings, and social capital

This paper examines why the use of social networking sites (SNSs) leads to different results in cultivating bridging and bonding social capital for different groups of people. Based on in-depth interviews of 45 university students in Hong Kong, I find that Mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong actively use SNSs for seeking practical information about offline matters, and they obtain substantial enacted support from other Mainland students of the same university through SNS use. As a result, they accumulate both bridging and bonding social capital. Local Hong Kong students, however, use SNSs mainly for social information seeking and are only able to accrue limited bridging social capital through SNS use. Drawing on the theory of network domains, I argue that the different offline network structures in which students are located – namely, homogeneous and closed networks versus heterogeneous and open networks – explain this difference. Students with closed offline networks have defined expectations of online ties; they think of their online activities as practical and leading to real changes in their status among peers. Those with open networks have indefinite expectations of their online audience; thus, they interpret online activities differently, thinking of them as recreational, and they are playful in their online behaviour. These different outcomes of online activities consequently lead to diverse results in social capital accrual.     

Observational practice in virtual worlds: revisiting and expanding the methodological discussion

Virtual worlds, such as World of Warcraft and Second Life, have seen remarkable mainstream uptake in the last decade. Such environments have grown from hosting niche interest groups to providing sites for leisure, business and education for tens of millions of Internet users. Concurrently, a multi-disciplinary research field exploring the application of such spaces has emerged. This article examines in detail one data collection practice – observation in virtual worlds – that has been applied extensively, but without extensive methodological discussion. By revisiting and extending earlier work on this topic, the article presents four key considerations for those conducting observational research in virtual worlds: defining and delimiting field sites, discerning attention, charting actions and attributing intention. It is concluded that researchers must both ward against flawed assumptions about virtual world observation and consider multi-method strategies to overcome limitations in observational data.     

Lurking Behavior in Online Psychosocial Discussion Forums: Theoretical Perspectives and Implications for Practice

Improving outcomes of telebehavioral psychoeducation requires rethinking program design when delivered wholly or partially for self-directed participation. Discussion forum participation often follows the “90-9-1 Rule” where 90% of participants lurk, rather than contribute content. A theoretical perspective on the behavior can help explain its adaptive functions, as well as the threats that this behavior poses to the lurker. Implications for practice require program redesign that actively links individual skills training and group-based discussion. The proposed linking design can synergize individual and group participation to support the development of mutual aid, as well as greater interaction with psychoeducation content and materials.     

Are We Making the Most of Learning From the Practice Placement?

It is almost universally accepted within social work education that placements are a defining feature of training and ‘… have a more profound and lasting impact than classroom teaching’. Consequently the placement is regarded as the signature pedagogy in social work education. However, it is also asserted that universities pay little attention to this aspect of teaching and concerns about a ‘significant level of disjunction between academic and practice learning’ are expressed.

The development of a new distance learning MA social work programme in which units are studied alongside part-time placements afforded opportunities for innovation in curriculum delivery, alongside increasing connections with learning on placement. Practice educators were invited to respond to an online mixed methods survey exploring their perceptions of the programme and views as to how greater integration of academic and practice learning can be achieved in social work education generally. Analysis of the results identified the important role which supervision with the practice educator can play in integrating learning on placement with the academic curriculum. The paper concludes that a greater focus on learning from practice may offer opportunities to maximise the learning potential of the placement as social work's signature pedagogy.     

网络出版产品的定价模式浅析

伴随着科学技术突飞猛进的发展,我国经济发展方式转变的课题已被提到议事日程上来,发展文化产业无疑是其中的一条重要途径。网络出版产品是文化产业发展的重要组成部分,目前还未形成成熟的赢利模式,合理地制定价格有利于实现更大的利润,因而,对网络出版产品的定价模式进行探讨,明确了网络出版的定义及特征,实证分析目前我国网络出版产品现状以及定价过程中存在的问题,围绕网络出版产品的经济学特性,立足于几种基础价格理论,尝试解决网络出版产品"社会必要劳动时间"难以衡量这一难题,坚持马克思主义劳动价值论,科学制定网络出版产品的价格。     

Conducting Large‐Scale Surveys in Secondary Schools: The Case of the Youth On Religion (YOR) Project

There are few published articles on conducting large‐scale surveys in secondary schools, and this paper seeks to fill this gap. Drawing on the experiences of the Youth On Religion project, it discusses the politics of gaining access to these schools and the considerations leading to the adoption and administration of an online survey. It is concluded that successful research in schools has to be planned carefully in collaboration with key members of staff, and justified as an educational activity. Providing speedy feedback was helpful to ensure schools benefited from the research and to keep them engaged with the project. © 2011 The Author(s). Children & Society © 2011 National Children’s Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited     

Comparing Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Risk Using Online Discussion Fora: Lessons Learned from a European Pilot Project

Comparisons of international child welfare systems have identified two basic orientations to practice; a ‘child protection’ orientation and a ‘child welfare’ orientation, which are founded upon fundamentally different values and assumptions regarding the family, the origins of childcare problems, and the proper role of the state in relation to the family. This paper describes a project which sought to compare how undergraduate social work students from three European Universities perceive risk in referrals about the welfare of children and to explore the impact of different cultural, ideological and educational contexts on the way in which risk is constructed by students. Students from Northern Ireland, Germany and Poland examined three vignettes via 10 online discussion fora each of which provided a narrative summary of their discussion. The paper presents some findings from the analysis of the qualitative data emerging from the student discussions and draws out the lessons learned in terms of how the project was designed and implemented using online discussion fora.     

基于在线算法的改进指数梯度投资组合策略

弱集成算法是对专家意见进行动态加权平均的在线学习算法。近年来,机器学习和人工智能等方法被用来研究在线投资组合问题。该文从弱集成算法的在线学习及其序列决策性角度出发,设计改进的指数梯度在线投资组合策略,以弥补指数梯度在线投资组合策略不能结合交易费用进行分析的缺陷。首先根据指数梯度在线投资组合策略的更新方法构建代表投资策略的专家意见池,并以此为基础应用弱集成算法加权集成专家意见得到改进的指数梯度在线投资组合策略,证明了该策略可与最优专家策略(基准策略)相媲美。其次将交易费用引入到改进的指数梯度在线投资组合策略中,进一步给出对应的投资策略,重要的是理论上证明了该策略实现的平均累积收益与最优专家策略实现的平均累积收益之间的差值存在渐进式下界,从而提高了指数梯度在线投资组合策略的实用性。最后利用国内外股票市场的历史数据进行实证分析,说明了改进的指数梯度在线投资组合策略的可行性和有效性。     

《电子商务法》视角下网约车平台的信息披露义务

近年来网约车平台的信息管控问题受到较多关注。网约车属于服务提供型电子商务平台,具有更强的人身安全保障需求,以区别于以实物商品为交易标的的商品提供型电子商务平台。网约车平台对于服务提供过程中的驾乘信息有强大的管控能力,同时也需承担承运人责任。《电子商务法》为电子商务平台直接或间接设定了信息披露义务,在《电子商务法》未明确规定或仅做原则性规定的情形下,网约车平台亦应当根据实际情况将相应信息做单独处理以满足乘客、利益相关人和国家机关合法的信息披露要求。在一般情况下,网约车平台需向一般公众提供平台信息与平台内经营者信息,特别是法律要求的基本信息,而在特殊情况下,网约车平台不仅需要提供相应个人信息与运营信息,还需满足披露质量上的即时性和全面性要求。     

网络人际互动对人类交往实践样态的崭新形塑

人类在不同的历史时期交往互动实践的出场方式上有着不同的路径与表现形态,呈现出鲜明的阶段性与历史演进的有序化、层级化特征。其中,作为网缘式的网络人际互动交往实践形态的出场,无疑是人类社会交往实践活动与形态的顶层制序,形塑着人类交往实践的崭新格局。网络人际互动创制了人类交往实践新的技术规则与逻辑、新的人伦规则与逻辑、新的经济化规则与逻辑、新的网络习俗与逻辑。网络人际互动生成着人类交往实践的新型权力关系,建构了人类交往实践活动崭新的“意义—权力”场域。