Jeremy P. Birnholtz

Data at work: supporting sharing in science and engineering

Data are a fundamental component of science and engineering work, and the ability to share data is critical to the validation and progress of science. Data sharing and reuse in some fields, however, has proven to be a difficult problem. This paper argues that the development of effective CSCW systems to support data sharing in work groups requires a better understanding of the use of data in practice. Drawing on our work with three scientific disciplines, we show that data play two general roles in scientific communities: 1) they serve as evidence to support scientific inquiry, and 2) they make a social contribution to the establishment and maintenance of communities of practice. A clearer consideration and understanding of these roles can contribute to the design of more effective data sharing systems. We suggest that this can be achieved through supporting social interaction around data abstractions, reaching beyond current metadata models, and supporting the social roles of data.

The effects of cash, electronic, and paper gift certificates as respondent incentives for a web-based survey of technologically sophisticated respondents

An experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of three invitation and incentivecombinations in a web-based survey. A stratified convenience sample of 434 researchers who were target users of a collaboratory for earthquake engineering was randomly divided into three experimental conditions: (a) a

Seeing and being seen: Co-situation and impression formation using Grindr, a location-aware gay dating app:

5 bill sent with the survey instructions via first class mail, (b) a

Six degrees of jonathan grudin: a social network analysis of the evolution and impact of CSCW research

5 gift certificate code to Amazon.com sent with the survey instructions via first-class mail, or (c) a

An exploratory study of input configuration and group process in a negotiation task using a large display

5 gift certificate code to Amazon.com sent with the survey instructions via e-mail. Overall response was 43%. Results show that

Awkward encounters of an "other" kind: collective self-presentation and face threat on facebook

5 bills led to significantly higher response rates than either gift certificate condition (57% for cash vs. 36% for the two gift certificate conditions, [UNKNOWN]2(1) = 9.3, p < .01). This suggests that cash is a superior incentive for an online survey, even with technologically sophisticated respondents. This may be due to the perceived limitations, delayed payoff, or reduced visibility of online gift certificates.

Improving meeting capture by applying television production principles with audio and motion detection

While online spaces and communities were once seen to transcend geography, the ubiquity of location-aware mobile devices means that today’s online interactions are deeply intertwined with offline places and relationships. Systems such as online dating applications for meeting nearby others provide novel social opportunities, but can also complicate interaction by aggregating or “co-situating” diverse sets of individuals. Often this aggregation occurs across traditional spatial or community boundaries that serve as cues for self-presentation and impression formation. This paper explores these issues through an interview study of Grindr users. Grindr is a location-aware real-time dating application for men who have sex with men. We argue that co-situation affects how and whether Grindr users and their behavior are visible to others, collapses or erases contextual cues about normative behavior, and introduces tensions in users’ self-presentation in terms of their identifiability and the cues their profile contains relative to their behavior.

Adopt, adapt, abandon: Understanding why some young adults start, and then stop, using instant messaging

In this paper, we describe the evolution and impact of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) research through social network analysis of coauthorship data. A network of authors as nodes and shared papers as links is used to compare patterns of growth and collaboration in CSCW with other domains, such as high-energy physics and computer science. Further, the coauthorship network data are used to depict dynamic changes in the structure of CSCW collaborations over time. Examination of these changes shows high volatility in the composition of the CSCW research community over decade-long time spans. These data are augmented by a brief citation analysis of recent CSCW conferences. We discuss the implications of the CSCW findings in terms of the influence of CSCW research on the larger field of HCI research as well as the general utility of social network analysis for understanding patterns of collaboration.

Grounding needs: achieving common ground via lightweight chat in large, distributed, ad-hoc groups

This paper reports on an exploratory study of the effects of input configuration on group behavior and performance in a collaborative task performed by a collocated group using a large display. Twelve groups completed a mixed-motive negotiation task under two conditions: a single, shared mouse and one mouse per person. Results suggest that the multiple mouse condition allowed for more parallel work, but the quality of discussion was higher in the single mouse condition. Moreover, participants were more likely to act in their own best interest in the multiple mouse condition.

Identity, identification and identifiability: the language of self-presentation on a location-based mobile dating app

While we tend to think of self-presentation as a process executed by the self, reputation management on social network sites, like Facebook, is increasingly viewed as a collective endeavor. The information users share about one another can have significant impacts on impression formation, and at times this other-generated content may be face threatening, or challenging to ones desired self-presentation. However, we know little about the nature of these other-generated face threats and the ways that people perceive them. Using an online survey of 150 Facebook users, we report on what these users consider to be other-generated face threats and how they feel after experiencing them. Results suggest that many face threats result from other Facebook users neglecting or misunderstanding a targets audience and/or self-presentation goals, as well as a targets fear of creating an unwanted association with another Facebook user. Experience of these threats is affected by both individual and situational factors. We also report on a new unique measure capturing Facebook skills.