Title: Investigating image usage and tacit knowledge sharing in online communities

Authors: Rachaneewan Nilmanat

Addresses: School of Information Systems and Technology, Claremont Graduate University, 150 E 10th St., Claremont, CA 91711, USA

Abstract: The most influential role of the internet today is bringing people together to share experiences and advices. Since experience sharing is a primary source of tacit knowledge, it is possible that online communities| users from around the world are sharing their tacit knowledge while they are revealing their personal experiences and giving advices. This study investigates how online community users use images to share their tacit knowledge. The results from this study suggests that image usage can assist online community users in tacit knowledge sharing by helping these users share knowledge that is difficult to communicate, problematic, and contextual easier.

Keywords: virtual communities; web based communities; online communities; internet; world wide web; online discussions; online learning; e-learning; electronic learning; knowledge management; KM; knowledge sharing; tacit knowledge; image usage; images; imagery; shared experiences; personal experiences; advice; innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2011.043095

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2011 Vol.10 No.4, pp.350 - 364

Published online: 26 Nov 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article