Title: A novel collaboration model for mobile virtual communities

Authors: Jalal Kawash, Christo El Morr, Mazen Itani

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, American University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 26666, Sharjah, UAE; Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ' School of Health Policy and Management, York University, HNE Bldg, #412, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada. ' InterGulf-Cidex, 1301 – 9th Ave. SW, Calgary, Alberta T3C 0H9, Canada

Abstract: The phenomenal adoption rate of mobile phone technology in different societies turned these phones into a common commodity. Telecom companies started recently offering the Third Generation (3G) services. Yet, the lack of content and the support of killer applications will continue to be a concern, especially if the 3G mobile phone technology fully matures. We believe that mobile community enablers are candidates for such killer applications. We propose a novel collaboration model for mobile virtual communities. The model is designed to support awareness, sociability, and usability. The model is versatile and simple at the same time. Its versatility admits a wide range of communities with differing purposes and interests, and its simplicity supports usable and efficient implementations. We suggest different kinds of possible applications that can be supported by the model, and we discuss the design and implementation of a prototype of the model.

Keywords: collaboration models; mobile virtual communities; mobility; social systems; sociability; usability; awareness; mobile communities; web based communities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2007.015868

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2007 Vol.3 No.4, pp.427 - 447

Published online: 26 Nov 2007 *

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