Seeking Information in Online Environments — Where, Who, and Why?

Shah, Chirag; Sonne, Jennifer

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/73652 Copy

Description

Title

Seeking Information in Online Environments — Where, Who, and Why?

Author(s)

• Shah, Chirag
• Sonne, Jennifer

Issue Date

2015-03-15

Keyword(s)

• information seeking/retrieval
• social media

Abstract

Given the ubiquity of social media and Web 2.0 resources, there is a current lack of knowledge about the complementary aspects of individualized and social search strategies. This paper looks at the information resource preferences of users, focusing on online resources. Two exploratory studies were done to analyze the motivations behind online information seeking behavior, specifically looking at where people go for information and reasons behind that decision. The first study collected log data from users who used the Web for browsing and searching information, and also asked questions on Q&A sites. The second study used a survey with four different scenarios that asked respondents to rank different information resources. The findings from these studies provide a more comprehensive understanding of how and why people choose to use an information resource/method depending on their information needs.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2015 Proceedings

Type of Resource

text

Language

English

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/73652

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Copyright 2015 is held by the authors. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

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