1. My Online Community
Research
Network Exchange Patterns
◦ Consistent Patterns (Org Sci)
◦ Formation Mechanisms (MISQ 2nd round R&R)
Participation
◦ Continued Participation (MISQ under review)
◦ Emergent Leadership (ISR R&R)

2. The Strength Of Words Online:
Emergent Leadership
in Online Communities
Steven L. Johnson, Temple University
Research with Hani Safadi and Samer Faraj, McGill U.
Presented 29 Nov 2012

3. Motivation
Online
Communities
Leadership
Online
Community
Leadership

4. Research Question
 What are structural and linguistic
characteristics that distinguish leaders from
other members of online communities?

5. Emergent Online Leadership
 Online Communities
◦ Voluntary > Mandatory
◦ Interests > Outcomes
◦ Written > Spoken
◦ Influence > Control
◦ Social > Transactional
 Leadership is a shared social process
distributed within and emerging from
the collective
 Leadership is a behavior, not a role

6. Emergent Leaders (Structure)
 Centrality
 Core/Periphery
 Boundary Spanning

7. Prism Model for NLP/CL
 Phonology: Speech Sounds
 Morphology
◦ Sub-words (Readability)
 Lexicography:
◦ Words (Type, #)
 Syntax:
◦ Combining Words (Prototypicality)
 Semantics:
◦ Meaning (Sentiment)
 Discourse: Conversation (Turn-taking)
 Dialogue: Structured Discourse (Genre)

8. Data and Method
 3 Online Communities
◦ A game company forum
◦ A sound processing software company forum
◦ Artists using 3D creation tool
 Survey: Who is influential?
 Prior Year Communication
◦ Communication Network Structure
◦ Content: Computational Linguistics

10. Contribution
 Nominated Online Leaders Differ In
Structural Position and Language Use
◦ Central, core members who are not
boundary spanners
◦ Large number of positive, concise posts in
simple language familiar to other
participants with above average # of links
 Limits of Structural Power
 Supports Leadership as Emergent

11. Next Steps
 Theorizing on Emergent Leadership
◦ More clarity on formal vs. nominated
 Argumentation on Language of
Leadership
 Analysis Updates
◦ One group at a time (or multi-level)
◦ Fewer measures
◦ Smaller comparison groups

12. Thank You
?