Search tools
From [[http://cpsquare.org CPsquare]], the community of practice on communities of practice.
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Definition
Search facilities are found in most systems. Some are limited to postings and metatdata, but search engines that can open uploaded files are becoming more common.
Search may retrieve artifacts from:
- "inside" the community's workspaces;
- externally--the extended community; and
- provide a mechanism to leverage individual searches for the use of others
Uses in communities of practice
Ideally, all the locations where the community stores its resources and all the formats that it uses will be searchable. Community boundaries need to be recognizable to the search tool as well. Search technologies can be quite powerful and communities can utilize all the resources at their disposal.
A community may spread its files and resources over an increasingly complex set of locations. It is a challenge for the search facilities to keep up. Practices such as naming conventions, taxonomies, jargon, or even social roles (i.e., "keeper of XYZ") can extend and supplement the search resource.
Polarities
- Together/apart, Synch/Asynch:
- Interaction/publication:
- Individual/group:
Key features
- Full text search of postings and documents Search the actual text of the ephemeral text in emails, postings, chats, and other informal exchanges in a community. Usually provided by the platform on which the text is posted.
- Text that initially is regarded as casual can in many circumstances become an important resource for solving problems or constructing new knowledge.
- Search by keyword or other metadata. Using keywords or metadata such as a physical area, author, or date in a search can reduce the scope of a search, enabling the location of the item being sought.
- When a community produces or collects a large volume of its own resources, they become difficult to search without the use of mechanisms that control scope.
- Complex Search Ability to specify complex search criteria using regular expressions or combinations of "and," "or," "if," and "not."
- The quality of the search interface can affect its value and frequency of use.
- Search the extended community Seamlessly search resources that belong to (or endorsed by) the extended community (i.e., national or international societies).
- When a community is linked to a larger community of practice that has resources that provide context or can augment searches.
- Share search strategies and artifacts Search facilities can provide methods of saving search terms or even "subscribing" to a search.
- Sharing the method and the results of a search may be an important resource to share within a community, signaling its value, its way of thinking, etc.
- Leverage individual searches Save and share searches or subscribe to them by email.
- Since searching is a common activity, sharing productive searches can be a way of leveraging the common views, terms, and needs of a community.
^Comment to ourselves: Our main challenge here is to make this community-specific enough that people know what to look for in a search engine on a community platform. This requires a lot more thinking.^
