Although very different in types of online communities, I chose to observe Pinterest and Sephora, believing that they are similar in the fact that contributors are eager to share experience and insight into products or things they have found helpful and enjoyable in their lives. Sephora focusing on beauty topics and products while Pinterest offers contributors the opportunity to "Pin" things of interest to them; whether it is quotes, clothes, destination, food. Both have the capacity to introduce other community members to products and offer a positive impact by supplementing rather than supplanting human communication (Williams).
In Pinterest, contributors "pin" things of interest to them, and may "repin" things from other contributors- almost offering a type of collaboration ( Allen)or emotional support as items that are "repinned" may signify an agreement of ideas or draw upon these resources (Ellison).
Below is a screen shot of Pinterest.
The second image allows users to "repin" other pins and also click on the contributors name to access their Pinterest page possibly finding a fellow user with common interests.
The next OC site I observed and have used a couple of times in the past is Sephora. This site, is a retail site but also also Beauty advice and the opportunity for users to contribute ideas, advice and product reviews.
The next image, shows contribution frequency, beauty focus, beauty advice, product reviews and even a link to blogs.
Both sites offer users an opportunity to make connections, broaden social horizons while also offering a sense of collaboration and community (Williams).
According to one of our readings,Establishing Trust Management in an Open Source Collaborative Information Repository: An Emergency Response Information System Case
Study "This paper views trust as a dynamic domain specific belief or attitude held by an individual concerning confidence in the accuracy of collaboratively created and updated content". and I would think that both sites have established trust by not limiting nor editing contributions unless deemed offensive by the online community. Sephora allows negative and positive reviews which may impact sales in either a negative or positive manner, while Pinterest allows "pins" of all sorts including some with offensive language.
Joining Pinterest allowed me to "pin" other ideas and create a page of my own Pinterest. By pinning other peoples items it makes my own page accessible (although being new to the site, I have a rather empty page) In Sephora, my questions regarding products could be answered by clicking on the item and reading reviews or going into the beauty advice area and seeking specific topics.
Although not a regular participant in any online community, I really did enjoy Pinterest as the site was visual and full of cute and catchy items that I found myself repinning to my own page. Unfortunately the site is somewhat difficult to navigate and I am still trying to learn how to move around.
Sephora along with other sites that offer product reviews by users has changed the way that I shop. I will read reviews before purchasing any costly item.
I believe that both sites are beneficial to users, while Sephora offers users the ability to do product research and advice; the other site Pinterest is enjoyable and has often been something that has made me laugh and pass on to others as a way of sharing a smile or two.
The debate over the effects of OC, is still ongoing and from our readings and news events it looks like the debate will continue. I believe, like many other things, online communities can be both beneficial and detrimental. Online communities used in moderation and in the extent of individual usefulness and enjoyment without negatively impacting work or homelife lead to another opportunity to enhance ones life.
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Thank you for turning me on to the pinterest site. I think I have a new addiction! But when I went on to look around, it was requested that I needed and Invitation? Then I got an email saying I was on a wait list. I guess that's cool, but I kinda feel like pinterest is a cool person clique that I need to be cool enough to join. Hmmm...interesting....I kinda makes me want to belong to the group more. I wonder if now I will participate more, if they let me in, I will let you know.
ReplyDeleteI like your examples of the two online websites: Pinterest and Sephora because they illustrate what Williams said the online community functions as a medium to supplement rather than supplant human interaction by sharing one’s own interests with other community members. In Pinterest, every user is able to give a definition to an object in her/his own way. The creativity contributed by its users is one of the ways to boost participation and interaction among users as well as pool the ideas from various users and form consensus. This is one of the reasons why SNSs are enthralling. Another website Sephora functions as a combination of an online shopping store and a forum. The website allows its users to give advice and product reviews. Both of them have an influence on the selling of a certain item, which is like what you mentioned “I will read reviews before purchasing any costly item.”
ReplyDeleteAs I read more blogs for this week, I find it interesting how pp chose such different types of online communities to compare & look at. I wasn't thinking outside of the box too much and chose 2 more traditional SNSs, I think, but Sephora (a retail online community) & pininterest (neat - I am going to check it out!) are nice picks.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Sephora goes, this reminds me of one of our earlier readings that said that a SNS has to have "regular users who develop relationships w/ each other" (or smthing along those lines) in order to be one. At the time, I questioned whether or not Yelp would be considered a SNS and I was also wondering about shopping sites such as Amazon.com (or Sephora) where users -- like you and me -- rely so heavily on reviews before purchasing an item. Still it appears the users do not really "develop relationships" (almost appears one-sided - I read a review to determine whether or not to buy smthing, I write a review to help smone else out or praise/criticize an item) - unless of course Sephora's blog/ forums go beyond this..... so perhaps some retail sites are moving toward SNSs and others are not? What do you think?
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure whether retail sites are moving more towards OC.. I suppose if it still has some financial gain or increases awareness of the store/product that it could be an advantage..
I really enjoyed that Pinterest site.. its actually a my new addiction :)
Thank you for sharing your discovery of the Pinterest site Caloha, it really sounds fun, and I can't wait to have a look at it.
ReplyDeleteAnd Chris, your comment reminded me of something that I wasn't aware of when I did my observation, but that Palabra pointed out to me in a comment. It seems that one of the communities I was using for this assignment had a pretty heavy usage of advertisements (which I couldn't see because of AdBlock), and that made me wonder if that kind of commercialization actually might turn off members to a certain degree. It seems that a lot of companies and retailers are interested in providing customers with social networking opportunities while at the same time advertising their products and services, but it would be interesting to take a closer look at how users react to that. Coloha, did you feel like the Sephora community was pretty active as compared to Pinterest? Do you think that kind of attempt by companies to use online communities in this way is working? (judging just by what you saw on Sephora's site)
I completely agree with your statement that you will read reviews before you purchase expensive items online. I do the exact same thing when I buy things online. I like to visit sites like Amazon and other relevant websites such a CNET when I am looking to purchase electronics. One question that I have about the Sephora website is the concern of a conflict of interest when Sephora sells their own beauty products. You mention that reviews are about positive and negative, but I wonder if other features on the website place emphasis on their own products.
ReplyDeleteCorporate sites are definitely attempting to create communities in the truest sense--you can fan or follow companies and products across the Web, play interactive games, discuss your experience and even interact with company officials on some sites. It seems as if Sephora is de-emphasizing its corporate connection--one aspect of trust on that site could be the extent to which critical comments are permitted.
ReplyDeleteI don't see a final project topic proposal here--you have a few days to add it as a comment, but in any case please send one to me by the deadline.
> Sephora along with other sites that offer product reviews by users has changed the way that I shop. I will read reviews before purchasing any costly item.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely true. I believe it is the case for most people nowadays. Not only for online purchasing, this model of selling and buying even affected the way people shop in traditional ways. For me, before buying any costly item from a local store, I would research their user reviews online and get an overall idea before going, such as the price to expect and the major competitions there are.
Julia, I did a few days of Sephora observations and it did seem active but not on the scale of Pinterest.. which is my new addiction! Everyday, I just have to go to the Pinterest site and see what new things people have pinned so I can add it to my own pin board- compared to Sephora which was all beauty related.
ReplyDeleteFinal Project.. I am considering a paper on social networking and its effects on tweens or teens. Does it effect their grades, their homelife, their ability to interact on a face-to-face level, etc.. Why is it that some teens get so absorbed in an online life..
I'm not quite sure if thats the direction that I will go in but will start doing some research. Is that an acceptable topic?