Death of a child, birth of a guild: Factors aiding the rapid formation of online support communities
研究了大型多人在线游戏《无尽的任务2》中，一个松散连接的社区如何因帮助一名绝症儿童的请求而迅速形成集体行动，分析了促使数百人无偿贡献时间、专业知识和游戏资源的因素。
In this article, we examine how a loosely knit, mediated community in the massively multiplayer online game EverQuest II rapidly coalesced to carry out collective action in response to a request to help a terminally ill child. We examine the factors that motivated hundreds of people to donate their time, expertise, and in-game resources to people they had never met. These factors included specific affordances of the many technologies relied upon, the emotional weight and urgency of the initial post, both trusted and well-connected actors in the network, and a sense of belonging to the greater community by many of those who helped. Furthering our knowledge on how rituals surrounding death and mourning work in digital networks can provide insights into the continued health of online communities in general.